Beef-Season 2

This goes off the rails in the last two episodes. We were watching three series at once, "Beef," "Drops of God" and "Mudtown." I occasionally do this with books, when nothing grabs me, I read a chapter of each in rotation and then wait to find a book I want to continue to read. Same thing happened with my TV watching, I got hooked on "Mudtown" and finished that. And that's where you should start. "Mudtown" is one of those series that was shot in Wales in both English and Welsh. Like "Keeping Faith." You haven't watched that one? You should, because Eve Myles gives a performance that would have made her a star in the U.S. Now "Mudtown" takes two episodes to get going, but then you're completely hooked. And there's a star in the show too... Actually, more than one. You might recognize Erin Richards, who plays magistrate Claire. Her teenage daughter is out of control and she must tighten the screws, her husband, Matthew Gravelle as Alun, is passive...then again, he's facing his own trouble. The other first class performance comes from Tom Cullen as dope dealer/mobster Saint Pete. Who is a variation on the Tony Soprano paradigm. As in he's got a rough side he can turn on when he needs to, but otherwise he's appealing, almost suave. Saint Pete is more negative and intense than calm, but Cullen radiates an intelligence, a knowledge of his game, that makes him magnetic. And the reason I'm mentioning the superior "Mudtown" in a discussion of the second season of "Beef" is because of its look and feel. These British shows have a darkness, that was in the hit music of the Isle from the late sixties and seventies. American shows are fresh-scrubbed, in your face, and inherently less believable, but it's that which draws us in and gets us involved that intrigues us, not that which we watch from afar. This is my problem with comic book movies...they might even be intense, but I can never relate. I can relate to "Mudtown," because of the humanity. Life is not always roses, not always upbeat, beautiful people romping, as a matter of fact, most life is positively mundane, you're trying to overcome the hurdles in front of you and it's a slog. "Beef"'s second season starts off in a country club. But pretty soon we're introduced to Cailee Spaney's Ashley. Whom I recognized, but couldn't remember where from. I looked her up and... Maybe it's from "Mare of Eastown," but that was back in 2021. Anyway, Spaeny is one of these actresses who looks younger than her age. She appears a teenager, but in real life she's actually 27. And here she plays a child of divorce that is on a fast train to nowhere. Without a high school degree, her future is hampered. But she is engaged to Austin, a good-hearted trainer who appears to have taken too many hits playing football. He's not exactly dumb... But what you've got here is a couple surviving on almost nothing trying to live the dream. They're not the only ones struggling... Oscar Isaac's Josh and Carey Mulllgan's Lindsay... Let's just say, this is not the life Lindsay signed up for. Now I can't say I've ever cottoned to Carey Mulligan. And at times she plays too sophisticated for this role, but her acting is definitely a cut above and a joy to watch. And deep into the series she's got a soliloquy in pain while Ashley sits by looking on and... It's fascinating, because the older Carey/Lindsay's intelligence and personality make her more attractive than the younger cutie Cailee/Ashley, with her perfect skin, in that... If you think looks are enough, once you see the radiation of intelligence, you'll change your mind. And the glossy surface of "Beef"'s second season translates to the story, you do not become immediately involved. But then you do get mildly hooked. The story is at times serious and at times ridiculous, but seeing the power games play out keeps you interested. Because this is life. Everybody is not only trying to make ends meet, but they're trying to get ahead. They want more. How are they going to get it? You think you're special when growing up and then you find out you're not, you're just like everybody else, which is scary. You thought you were destined for more. Then again, all Cailee wants is to get married and have a baby. All these life issues underpin the action and... I forgot to mention William Fichtner as Troy. You've seen this guy before, he's been in a lot of things, and you almost always hate him. He's dark and slimy... Here he evidences more light, and he's less hatable, this is the best performance I've ever seen him give. Yes, a lot of the acting is superior to the story. But Netflix's second season of "Beef" isn't even in the same league as BritBox's "Mudtown." The characters in the latter are much more three-dimensional, the story much more gripping, you're drawn in, you're invested, whereas you feel like you're on a lark, a veritable ride in the second season of "Beef." As for Apple's "Drops of God"...all image, with a flat story. Unless you loved, loved LOVED the first season, avoid the second. It's not that it moves slowly, it's just not fleshed out, it's just images and plot points and this is not the TV I signed up for. But "Mudtown" is. I guess some people like TV to be their escape. But the truth is so much of today's life is escape, or totally unbelievable. The posturing and lying online, the focus on image...and a government that makes you throw up your arms in disgust... I'm looking for that dark human feeling, the believability in the records of yore. Which might have been bombastic, but the people making them were not dependent upon physical attractiveness to succeed, their music was definitely human. As "Mudtown" is. I'll put it this way, if you want to go to an adult Disneyland, the second season of "Beef" is the way to go. But if you want to get right down to the real nitty-gritty, if you're looking for fare that grips you and makes you think, "Mudtown" delivers. In a world where so much does not. I guess that's the problem with so much of today's music, it's a glossy product, made by committee to sell, the person on stage is a presenter, relatively hollow. They're fads little different from Beanie Babies. Here for a while, and then pure nostalgia at best. But there are artists who get under your skin, whose music you listen to even if it's not successful commercially. That's "Mudtown." Make your choice. -- 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 TikTok

You're trying to get lucky. And to do that, you've got to go where the people are, and that's social media. Let's leave aside the potential deleterious effects of social media, the bottom line is that's where trends are started, where records are broken, where true fans live, and when you're not on TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube, you're almost out of the game. You're relying on people being motivated enough to seek out your material on Spotify, et al. And that's a two-step process, that involves people who are already fans. But in order to grow, you have to find new fans, how do you do this? For a while there, the industry was convinced that playlisting was the solution. Don't hear much about that anymore. Turns out that's not how active listeners listen. Fans pick and choose what they want to hear, those employing playlists are using them as background music or are casual fans of music, and you rely on active fans to build your career. It's all about fans. Fans buy tickets, most casual listeners do not. Which is why you can be in the Spotify Top 50 and be able to sell out clubs at most. People are fans of the song, but not of you. How do you make them fans of you? First it starts with the music. Yes, a lot of young people are using digital tools to make their recordings, haven't practiced long enough, but they sure do know how to market themselves online. Don't confuse yourself with these people. You can be music first and survive on social media platforms, assuming your music is interesting and great, and most music is not! Let's say you're a virtuoso. If you're not showing your playing on social media you're operating with one hand tied behind your back. People are dying for this info, how you did it. Even people who are not players eat this stuff up. Give them what they want. And the dirty little secret of TikTok is your history is irrelevant. In other words, the algorithm will surface something from someone who had no prior success, who is brand new. So the opportunity is there. As for having your music ripped-off by creators online... This is the best thing that could ever happen to you. If someone is motivated to use your music, that means they like it so much they want to share it. And success today comes from sharing. And if you think every step in the process must be monetized, you don't understand how the internet works. Many platforms started off free and built a fan base before they ever monetized, before they even had advertising, they realize critical mass is key. That's what you're looking for, critical mass. But there's a caveat... Just because you do it, that does not mean you’ll be successful. You could post ad infinitum on TikTok and still not go viral, break through. But if you don't... You've got to be everywhere today, you've got to spray your message. There is not one single outlet that will guarantee success. Because not everybody is paying attention to one single outlet. Furthermore, you're in control. If you think it's the record company's job to break you, you're living in the last century. No, you must break YOURSELF! You are responsible. If the label knew how to do it they'd be minting new stars, which they are unable to do. They might get you on the radio, but who is listening to the radio? Or the aforementioned playlists? What you're trying to do is start a conversation, create a chain, a link between people. You want one person to be so passionate about you and your music that they tell another person. That's how you break today. And there are a zillion messages out there and to rise above you must be special. Oftentimes music is not enough. Just playing your guitar and singing your song. Sometimes that works, but you must see social media like video in the MTV era, a whole new avenue of creativity. Come on, video broke Duran Duran and Peter Gabriel went nuclear with an inventive video on "Sledgehammer." The video didn't detract from the music, it was additive to. The music was set in amber, the video was an addition. You do more than make music. You talk, you're alive 24/7, not only is that time inspiration for your music, but for creative clips too. Start by signing up for TikTok and Instagram Reels and spending hours on them, so the algorithm finds out what you like, so you discover great things yourself. Your music is informed by all your listening to records, same deal with visual clips. If you don't know the landscape, you're not going to be able to do anything great. As for those on TikTok... I saw Van Morrison, more than once. The last time I saw him he was reacting to fan blowback, the hate the internet is known for, he was apologizing as opposed to biting back. Van the Man had direct contact with the audience, that's what the internet allows, and it is this direct contact that solidifies bonds and sells tickets. I mean I'm still talking about it, I can't get over it. I know tons of Van Morrison stories, he's notably irascible. But TikTok humanized him. That's the modern paradigm, you're no longer on a pedestal, rather you're down in the pit with the people, who determine your career. And whatever you do, don't beg. Joanna Stern has started a new site. and her first feature was an interview with Casey Neistat. If you don't know who he is, that's exactly the point. He's made a living utilizing the internet tools, he may not be a star by the old metrics, but by the new ones, the only ones that count to people under forty, he's a big swinging dick. Anyway, Joanna asked about asking for follows, likes and subscriptions and Casey said DON'T DO IT! First and foremost, it's almost meaningless, it's a manipulated statistic no one trusts, and your content needs to be so good that it engenders virality all by its lonesome. And just because someone subscribes, that does not mean they're going to come back. This is the new world. -- 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