Tune in July 11th to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West. 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
Friday, 10 July 2026
Aging
The number no longer makes sense. Forget lying to others about your age, can you lie to yourself? It was really our grandparents who were the last generation to get old and accept it. It was a natural stage of life. As for our parents, they were flummoxed. The sixties were unfathomable, some got on the bandwagon but most stayed on the sidelines. And then everything their children augured for, believed in, became de facto. The end of the war, casual clothing, music everywhere. I don't know when your parents started to wear jeans, but I was shocked when my dad showed up in a pair in the late seventies, prior to that, he didn't own any. And it's not so much that we had a good run, but that the run is over. As Solters calls them, the "civilians" are all retired. And those still in this business are running things, or got squeezed out. You can hire youngsters with more passion for fewer bucks. We stopped going to the movies, now we cotton to streaming TV. After all, they don't even make movies for us anymore. We remember the last true heyday, the seventies, which contained the birth of the blockbuster, but began truly in the late sixties with "Bonnie and Clyde" and "The Graduate," but ended in 1979 with "Kramer vs. Kramer." Imagine a film like that getting greenlit today! Never mind the younger generations get divorced less than us. Then again, it's a class thing, the less wealthy and educated often don't get married at all! We still go to see our favorite bands live. Not like the younger generations... For them it's a gathering, an event, the music is almost secondary, it certainly doesn't strike their soul the way ours did. We want to remember those days. But we don't recall video games, and as far as tech... If our generation even knows how to do more than surf the web and text, they decry it. Social media is the devil. Why won't those damn kids get off the lawn! And while they're at it, get off the phone too! But our kids played all those video games and they survived. What makes us think that Gen-Z won't survive the smartphone? But really, it's the feeling that the world is passing you by. I don't know about you, but over the past couple of weeks, the tsunami of Trump traffic just doesn't hit me the same way anymore. I just don't get worked up about it as much. I know some people cheer on the Orange "Genius," but they're not friends of mine. Yup, I'm a college graduate, a member of the so-called "elite," I believe in facts and truth and I laugh when someone whips out a conspiracy theory. And the funny thing about being over seventy is you stop correcting people. You realize it's not worth it. You can send them the report that the government quashed, about the benefits of the Covid vaccine, but this is how people feel powerful, with their own ideas and viewpoints, they're sick of everybody getting rich and being powerful other than themselves. I mean there are many costs of the plethora of billionaires. Sure, everybody would like to be rich, but they know that most of these guys, and almost all of them are guys, pay few taxes, think their sh*t doesn't stink and... That's another thing about getting older, you no longer have any heroes. You've realized everybody is human. I guess when someone my age starts testifying about believing in certain musicians... You mean the one with the plastic surgery, who hasn't had a hit in eons? I mean give Bob Dylan credit, he's doing it his way. But giving him hosannas for his shows is literally the Emperor's New Clothes. But those are fighting words. Because Boomers have so little to believe in that that which they do they'll defend to their death, their icons can't be questioned. So yes, some Boomers wear blinders and are delusional, and this is hard for me to handle. They're still trying to impress. How could they not know no one cares what kind of car you drive, where you went on vacation? You reach seventy and society is no longer fluid, it's set. If you've got a bunch of bucks, feel free to spend them, but don't tell me that makes you better than me. But the rat race, society, you reach seventy and you feel strangely estranged. There are those alta kachers who won't give up their jobs in D.C. Are they that delusional, do they think that's what their life is about, their title? I mean they're not accomplishing much. No one is as hollow at the core as a politician. But there's so much info coming down the pike. Is the feeling of being overwhelmed the nature of life in the twenty first century or is this a particular side effect of being old? I mean you used to be able to be comprehensive, see all of the movies, know the hit records, now that seems impossible, and you wonder why you'd want to anyway. Meanwhile, the media are like that Who song, meet the new hype, same as the old hype. We literally can't be fooled again. If something is truly great and it sustains, we'll find out about it, we don't need to be teased and foaming at the mouth in anticipation. So some of us are self-satisfied, some in a good way. They own their own home, they've got grandchildren, they're living day by day. While they're not going to the doctor. And then there are others who just can't let go of the mores. Is this a function of being a Baby Boomer, or is it just a consequence of getting old? And no one will admit all this. Everybody thinks they're as hip and up to date as ever. But unlike when they were young, they pooh-pooh the new rather than embrace it. And the younger generations want us to move on down the line and we refuse to. We won't leave politics, and not only that, we'll denigrate those with youth, they just haven't lived long enough to understand! Isn't that what they told us, isn't that why we got the voting age lowered to eighteen? I mean if you're old enough to go to war, you're old enough to vote. And the whole world changed and we're frustrated when people don't know it or acknowledge it. We couldn't beat the North Vietnamese and now we see how Ukraine is standing up to Russia with drone warfare and the machine is busy telling everybody that we're the biggest and baddest while we're running out of ammunition, having spent so much cash to build Patriot missiles to blow drones out of the sky in the Middle East. And we didn't exactly declare victory when we left Vietnam, but there's no way to portray the fracas in Iran as anything but a loss. And as bad as we perceive the religious government in Iran to be, so many did come out this past week to mourn their lost leader. Begging the question what we know. Never mind the shifting image of the United States. Back in the seventies, when we all went to Europe on cheap flights and used our Eurail passes, we had to defend our nation, the locals wanted to chide us for Vietnam. I don't even hear about college students doing that today, and how many Americans even have passports? We've been sold a bill of goods, that America is the tippity top in every vertical, when this is patently untrue. Socialism is pretty damn good in Scandinavia. Free college? Our national hero St. Reagan changed the California college system from nearly free to expensive. Then again, California is now in the doghouse, a national punching bag. What can you do but throw your hands in the air? So you can try and go on like it's the same as it ever was, or you can own your age and get freaked out and try to adjust, even though no one ever talks about this. Yup, you can get riled up about the issues of the day, from Meta to AI to...they're endless. Or you can see that your time on the planet is limited and take an alternative path. But there's no context. We used to all be in it together, of one mind, leaning on each other. Now we're all in our own private Idaho not admitting that we feel lost and don't know what to do. And believe me, we know so much of what we see going on is B.S. But we used to care, we used to believe in change, now we see it all as cyclical, we'll vote, but don't ask us to believe. After all, the game is rigged. That's one thing we've all learned. But we're trying to pull the wool over the eyes of younger generations who know this. Telling them to let us continue to rule, that we know what is going on. But the truth is we've lost the passion. We just don't want our power usurped. -- 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, 8 July 2026
Neflix Second Season Slump
"Why Netflix Is Suffering From a Perpetual Sophomore Slump - Analysis - Long season breaks, increased competition and confusing release schedules have led to shows seeing big ratings declines between seasons. But does Netflix care?" https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/tv/articles/why-netflix-suffering-perpetual-sophomore-130000516.html When was the last time you saw a second season as good as the first? Hell, if you watched the first season of "The Four Seasons" there was no reason to watch the second. I mean if you like this kind of show...but there was nothing special, it was kind of like the endless "Sex and the City" reboots. And we have this same problem in music. WHAT? Let's start with today's "New York" magazine's Vulture post: "The Best Albums of the Year So Far - 2026's highlights reach across geographic borders and musical traditions": https://apple.news/A9SoI2Qy5RMq-EJNH5TloaQ https://shorturl.at/MsxRv I must ask you, how many of these albums have you actually heard of, never mind actually heard? I mean who is spending all this time combing through all this dreck to find this stuff that has no mainstream traction, never mind probably not deserving of it? There are no trusted filters. Except for personal word of mouth and recommenders on TikTok. Whoa! You say... This means you probably watch HBO. If you read the article at the top of this screed you'll see that HBO's shows have less of a fall-off than Netflix's. But that's because HBO has so many fewer shows! HBO has a creme de la creme policy. Which worked in the days of pay cable, but now... Oldsters love HBO, they've had the habit since "The Sopranos," maybe "Larry Sanders." But youngsters? Youngsters need new. Period. Now think about this. Think of meme culture. What do we know about it? It's one and done! That lady with the mask. Even the guy skateboarding to Fleetwood Mac... They never have another hit. As for those who sustain on social media and YouTube, they do their best not to repeat themselves, they're always pushing the envelope, trying for something new... It's a dog eat dog world and even the successful people burn out but if you create a bond with viewers and keep pushing the envelope, you can build an audience and sustain. As soon as you stop producing on a regular basis, you're toast. You've got to be in the customer's face on a regular basis, and it better not be repeats. How much innovative stuff do we hear in the Spotify Top 50? Most sounds like what came before. It's not must-hear listening. Kinda like NBC no longer has Must See TV on Thursday nights, times change, and you've go to change with them. So you have an act with a written by committee hit, is there any real loyalty to the act as opposed to the song? Furthermore, what are the odds of getting something innovative from these same people in the future? Low. This is why the Beatles are the Beatles and other than the Stones, the rest of the British Invasion faded. People had seen the movie. They got caught up in the mania for a while, but then... The Beatles kept changing, from love songs to personal dramas... Did Gerry & the Pacemakers write "Norwegian Wood"? Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas? True artists innovate. Commerce is just that, about the money. So, how many Netflix hits are worth watching a second season? "Ozark" definitely. Recently, "The Diplomat," and that's just about at its limit, no matter how good Keri Russell is, the plot has now become fantastical. We are watching "Scott & Bailey." An old British police show. And at the end of the second season I've realized what makes the show great is not the crimes, the conventional plot, but the behaviors of the characters, their relationships, the scrapes they get into. I continue to watch to see what happens to them. As for murder? Seen a couple and you've seen them all. Which of course brings us to "Law & Order"... But that's old paradigm too. Do not conflate the old with the new. The fact that oldsters will tolerate a week to week drip does not mean that youngsters will. They've been brought up in an on demand culture where they need it immediately. So if you want to have a career in music, you just can't keep doing the same thing. How many acts are changing from album to album today, demanding attention? So the original fan base, to the degree it exists, diminishes, and no one new comes on, there's no buzz, they've been there and done that. Think of Top 40 in the sixties. Or FM rock in the late sixties into the seventies. And the first decade of MTV... You had to listen/watch, you never knew what you'd encounter, and whatever you did would become the bedrock of culture. Speaking of culture, no one could predict Culture Club after the corporate rock of the seventies. The public was surprised, titillated, they wanted more. As for "Stranger Things" and "Squid Game"... You saw one season, you needed no more. I stopped there. I got it. More of the same, in a world where there are so many options? This is the mind-set of the younger generations. There's limited time and they want to use it to the best of their benefit. Whereas Boomers were brought up in the three network world where you had ads and reruns in the summer... Offerings were limited. Now offerings are unlimited! So people have trouble finding returning shows on Netflix and oftentimes they're not worth their while. So they don't watch. Maybe Netflix could get away with making less product, but the great thing about Netflix is you never know what you'll get next. I know what I'll get next on "The Pitt"... It's a circle jerk for fans of "ER." 75% of viewers of "The Pitt" are over thirty. They're old school viewers. And if you study TV, you know the big issue is YouTube, which keeps gobbling up overall screen time. And almost all of that is short term viewing. Does that mean youngsters want short term viewing? No, they have an appetite for that, but what they want is quality. And if it ain't great, they move on. In other words, especially in the record industry, the usual suspects, the gatekeepers, the platforms, have little control. There were all these hosannas about the new McCartney album. Not one person ever e-mailed me about it. Streams are anemic. We've been there and done that. Some people are interested, most people are not. I don't want to make this about McCartney, but the album went to #1 in the U.S. and U.K. and seems to have no cultural impact. That's fine if you don't expect much, but... It's just like a second season of a Netflix series. Why do I have to watch the second if I've seen the first? As for "brands"... They’re declining in value, look at superhero movies. No, it's about content, quality, resonating with the audience. Which is why "Obsession" could be such a surprising hit. The YouTube audience already knew the director, they wanted to see what he'd come up with. And if he repeats himself in the future... But movies are the smallest market in terms of the amount of product. Then comes TV and then comes music. How do you get people's attention? Turns out hype doesn't work. So what does? Word of mouth. And to get word of mouth you must have fans. And those fans have to spread the word. Think about that Netflix show "Nobody Wants This," everybody I know was talking about it. But one episode of the second season was enough and if it ever came up in conversation thereafter everybody said how bad it was. Too many in power are operating under the old paradigm. Build the brand and milk it. As if when people love it once, they'll be forever stuck to it. But music and TV are not toothpaste. People think about the music they listen to and the TV they watch. I research before I spend time on a series... That's how much I don't want to waste my time! As for the good reviews of the second iterations of series... Like critics aren't up their own a**es. The train has already left the station. Stop seeing it as a crisis and get into the mind-set of the younger generation. We see this in all walks of life. The youngsters are digitally native and the oldsters can't stop crapping on the way they're living their lives. But the bottom line is what's going on on their smartphone is tailored to them, that's what the vaunted TikTok algorithm is all about. Youngsters are living in the moment, they know how fast culture moves, they do their best to ride the serpent. Oldsters? They'll tell you to listen to an entire album and render an opinion when the truth is youngsters will press play and if it doesn't resonate with them immediately, they're done, oftentimes forever! Now if multiple friends tell them to go back... Yes, we are living in a Tower of Babel society. But don't deny it. What happens next? Is there consolidation, are their anointed projects, or is it every person in their own niche and happy about it. I will say if you truly want to sustain, satisfy the niche, not the general public, because if the niche is happy, they'll tell other people about it, and even if they don't, you've got a hard core. Remember when you didn't have to tour to be successful? How you could make the record at home and it would go big, like Owl City's "Fireflies"? It's just the opposite today. If you want to have a career, if you want to sustain, play live. Stay in the trenches and hone your chops. Because the number of acts that can draw paying customers live is limited, not like the unlimited offerings on Spotify, never mind the seemingly unlimited offerings on Netflix. There are not a thousand bands playing in your town tonight. Maybe just a handful. And if they're good, you'll tell people about them. I know there are fewer places to play. I'm just saying that the script has flipped. This is the best way to get started and to maintain, building a live audience. Because if your success is based on recordings, once the audience has seen the movie, you'd better be able to top what you've already done, and that's difficult. So a lot of the analysis of this decline of Netflix's sophomore seasons of their popular series is being delivered by those inured to the old system. They want negative news about Netflix the same way musicians want negative news about Spotify. They want to return to a past that is never coming back. Get in the shoes of younger generations and deliver great. There's very little great out there. But if you're truly innovative and great, people will find you. Might take a while, but over time you'll be building a career. Remember when an act broke and you went back and bought all the records in their catalog? Today there is no catalog and if there is it's all the same. And, once again, identity is paramount. Warts and all. Be vulnerable. The audience is hungry. Can you deliver what people want? And what is it that they want? That's your job. -- 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, 6 July 2026
The Atlantic Lizzo Story
"HOW LIZZO BECAME ONE OF POP CULTURE’S GREAT FLOPS - The singer is experiencing a new form of downward mobility—and she’s not alone." https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/07/music-flop-era/687785/?gift=z4iyOc-jH6hIY60qnBHAeC7Mr-2Q4_OvRZnQnftUxM8&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share https://apple.news/Azih2aV8mT8adYQrTNHW5KA How many hard core fans does Lizzo have anyway? But what really interests me is the virality of this story. Despite being owned by Laurene Powell Jobs, "The Atlantic" has been fighting for attention for years, seemingly in an echo chamber, its reach and impact seem to be limited to the cognoscenti. Furthermore, there's a limit to free views of its articles online. Yet they write about music, and the internets are a-buzzin'. Then again, people love negative music news. The last few days we've been inundated with that Kalshi story: "Spotify Confirms Streaming Fraud After Kalshi Trader Cries Foul - One of Kalshi’s most prominent traders tells WIRED he’s swearing off Spotify-related markets until the issue is resolved." https://www.wired.com/story/spotify-streaming-manipulation-prediction-markets-polymarket-kalshi/ https://apple.news/Aw23U-mYtRsW7j6Q7tJpjAQ But the bottom line is the problem surfaced and Spotify took action. That's what keeps happening, the problems are addressed. Bad actors take action, get greedy and then the truth outs and the malfeasance is eradicated. Then again, no one likes a level playing field. Which is alluded to in this "Atlantic" article, how Taylor Swift sold multiple physical iterations of her last album to goose chart numbers. Now if you ask me, I'd say that the Lizzo backlash based on the lawsuit caused the drastic diminishment of the success of her new music. People love to pile up on a woman. Especially one who is up front and is unafraid of evidencing a strong personality. The accusations hit hard in an era where body-shaming and sexual harassment are up front issues, and of course the fact that Lizzo herself is a large woman... The truth is irrelevant in this case. This wouldn't be the case if Lizzo had more hard core fans. But the problem today is record companies conflate song success with career success. Then again, this has been the nature of pop music forever. It's only when the Beatles ushered in album rock and Jimi Hendrix and the rest of the album artists broke through on FM that the paradigm was different. People were truly fans of the band. Of course the music was important, but they were invested in the entire oeuvre of the act. Hits were just the cherry on top. Just ask Led Zeppelin. But then MTV came in as video Top 40 and the slow build album game was too slow for major record companies, never mind how few videos MTV actually played. And if they played them, the acts were internationally famous instantly. We learned that the faster you're rocketed into space the sooner you fall, but at this late date most people have forgotten the classic rock world which built this industry into a modern monolith and have focused once again on hit singles. But at least if you had a hit in the past people gave your follow-up a chance. Radio would play anything new by someone with previous success, at least long enough for stations to determine whether these new songs were embraced by listeners. But radio no longer has that power. And for all the ink about the Spotify Top 50, people are not fans of all the acts on that list, just a few here and there. There are not fans of the Spotify Top 50 like there were of the Top 40 stations of the sixties, never mind MTV. But labels are doubling-down. They're signing fewer artists in fewer genres hoping for moonshots. But the game has changed, no one has universal purchase. Everybody is niche. So the new release has an inherently smaller potential audience and you need more singles and doubles, because homers and grand slams are truly rare. Now with the disintermediation of the album on streaming services it has become harder to make listeners fans of more than the hit, because that's all they have to listen to, they don't have to endure an album side. But really, how much of the rest of the album is worth listening to? True fans always want to hear more, and if they like it they'll listen. But today, people are fans of music in general more than any specific act. This article laments the decline of hip-hop and its replacement by Bruno Mars and Olivia Dean. Well, Mars is an established star, but more interestingly, Dean appeals to a broader swath of the public than most of the Spotify Top 50. I could say the music business is up its own ass. Making more of the same while most people shrug and don't care. As for going to see music live... The game has changed there too. In the classic rock era you went to hear more than the hit, and you went every year to hear the new album. And production was limited. Now shows are akin to MTV videos, a lot can be on hard drive. It's like going to the theatre more than going to a concert. So you overpay for this experiencer infrequently. The desire to go to a bar to see an up and coming act... Now there is a club business of acts based more on the entirety of their output than any specific track, but it's even harder to spread the word on them, maybe over years they can grow, but maybe they can't, and the question is whether they deserve mass attention to begin with. Now in truth Lizzo and the rest of the Spotify Top 50 are competing with online influencers. And doing a bad job of it. Online influencers know that the identity is as important as the clip, if not more. People are showing up for the person who is purveying. Look at Rick Beato, he's a good example. But forget music, all the TikTokkers... They have identities, they have a relationship with the public and they're putting out a plethora of material. Sure, from time immemorial people have been fixated on stars, it completes their identity. But don't confuse this with Beatlemania, where the music came first. Just because a fan base is vocal, don't think that it's broad. So, to solve this problem, labels need to sign a broader palate of music and focus on the identity of the act. In other words, build career artists. But the three majors are public companies, they're not indies, they need profits now. And the indies, sans catalogs, have a hard time competing. Even the Rolling Stones are trying to goose attention, piggybacking on the mania of the World Cup: "Rolling Stones - Streaming World Cup": https://world-cup.rollingstones.com What I found most interesting here is I hadn't heard about this, I stumbled upon it. I mean if you don't even hear about the marketing stunt...forget about its potential impact. That's how desperate people are to get their new music noticed. But most people are just waiting for the hits to surface. That hard core attention to new releases... There are too many and too many are unpalatable. People are waiting for word of mouth, or the wisdom of the crowd, to reach them. In the late sixties to early seventies, the true classic rock era, hits were just icing on the cake. If a track crossed over to AM it goosed everything, but you didn't need that, you didn't have labels clamoring for a hit single. Then again, once AOR became so popular and so profitable in the mid-seventies, labels tried to game the system with corporate rock, and they did the same with hair band ballads on MTV at the end of the eighties. Extreme has faded, never mind the rest of the fake balladeers. However, Guns N' Roses still play stadiums. Because in addition to the music, Axl Rose is positively insane, unpredictable and not beholden to anybody. The public senses this. There's a danger involved. They want to live closer to the flame. It's not pure entertainment, it's more than that, it's a zap to the soul, feeling alive. You can exercise to a Lizzo hit, but does it touch your soul, make your life worth living? That's what you need on a broad basis for the business to be healthy. We've figured out how to monetize the entire world with streaming, but the music itself is in the doldrums. Although you can't say this, because then it would cause people like Lizzo to freak out and blame anybody but herself. Not that this is about Lizzo anyway. Like the article says, there are always acts that have hits and fade away. But in truth, did they ever have careers? More than a couple of peaks, did they have a catalog of music that fans devoured from beginning to end? No. -- 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
Mailbag
From: chris stein Subject: Re: America 250 July 4 1976 is so utterly memorable for me. We were returning from an early 'out of town' Blondie gig in Philly. The trip back was laborious, returning a rented beat up station wagon, hauling gear etc. A long bus ride going downtown, we saw ships in the Hudson river. When we got back to the Bowery loft there was a really really large guy with pants around ankles taking a dump in our doorway. Beyond any metaphor. True story _____________________________________ From: Phil Subject: Re: Album Airplay/40-July 2, 1976 Heart "Dreamboat Annie" "I've got a half-speed mastered vinyl album of this recording, it's FANTASTIC, which is surprising, you wouldn't expect such clarity considering the people who made it and where they made it." If it's the Nautilus cut you speak of, then I'm with you. This is the disc I always reach for when setting up a new cartridge on my turntable. Its big, fat sounds just test the limits accross a range of measures (frequency response, soundstage, dynamics, etc, etc). I was absolutely paralyzed the first time I spun it. Credit this, and lacquer cutter Jack Hunt for making me an audiophile constantly in search of that perfect pressing. And the occupants of the house never seem to mind hearing "Magic Man" over and over while I make my tweaks to the big rig :) Phil Nazzaro _____________________________________ Subject: Comedy Is Hot - Subtronics Hi Bob, Big fan of your newsletter and podcast! Was surprised but psyched to see Subtronics mentioned in your "Comedy Is Hot" piece. Similar to Denis Arfa with Def Leppard, I just wanted to clarify the reason most likely for our mid-sized venue charting was Subtronics’ six sold out LA Shrines (Fred again.. is #1 with eight and our other client Crankdat is #3 with five). Subtronics is actually an arena act with triple Tacoma Domes (15k cap night), double Red Rocks (9.5k cap per night), triple Bill Grahams (8k cap per night), etc. annually, as well as performing to 80k+ people per weekend at Coachella (Sahara) and EDC Las Vegas (kineticFIELD) in 2026. Check out Subtronics' Coachella livestream performance for some context: https://youtu.be/aR3Q5QJTtnU?si=AYA9j2eBnKphLH8v Many thanks + keep fighting the good fight! Best, Eric _____________________________________ From: jim windolf Subject: dylan/beatles book Dear Bob, I was happy, and relieved, when I read your review of my book (“Where the Music Had to Go”). I’m a longtime reader and listener. Your interviews with Robin Green, Paul Carrack, Dwight Yoakam, Jerry Harrison, and Joel Bernstein are probably my favorite podcast episodes of all time. More than once I almost sent you a copy of my book — but I thought there was a decent chance you might fling it across the room. Very glad you found it on your own! yours, Jim Windolf _____________________________________ Re: The Acquired Podcast I just got my Masters in business at UT Austin. First class they taught us about this podcast. Matthew Leishman _____________________________________ Re: The Acquired Podcast "And tell ‘em Ben and David sent you!" Love reading you finally found Acquired! I teach entrepreneurship at the collegiate level and honestly - students need only listen to this show to understand so many of the fundamentals. Give last season’s final episode "10 Years of Acquired," a three way conversation with author Michael Lewis a listen. You’ll learn a ton about the host’s failures, lessons, and craft. That episode is a gift to creative people. Tim Brunelle _____________________________________ Re: The Acquired Podcast Hey Bob - love the Acquired Podcast. Listen to the one on IKEA - some very dodgy beginnings! Dean Dorrell _____________________________________ Re: The Acquired Podcast I’m hooked. The LVMH episode may actually be my favorite so far. It reinforced something I’ve long believed: music or product isn’t ultimately what people buy; they buy belonging. When it’s done right, they become signals of identity and membership. There’s a lot for our industry to learn from that in the superfan era. Also, the concept of scarcity which was later adapted by streetwear culture was institutionalized by LVMH. It’s worth checking out, really incredible listen. Dan Goldberg _____________________________________ Re: The Acquired Podcast Glad you discovered Acquired Bob. If you ever have time and interest in digging into over 10 years of archives, you’ll find a treasure trove that goes from tech to luxury to healthcare to retail to CPG to old world manufacturing all the way to F1… The best part is that they are real people, not celebs turned podcasters. Ben and I have corresponded for a couple of years now, and I often provide inputs and connections for their research which they always appreciate and follow up on. He and David are genuinely smart, good guys who are interested in their subject matter and help the rest of us get smarter from that standpoints of lessons learned, valuation analysis for investing, decision making frameworks to emulate, and the human elements that make great companies great and cause others to peter out and die. Best, Mark S. Rangell _____________________________________ Re: The Acquired Podcast The Acquired guys are a testament to the beauty of deep research in the telling of a story. You really get a sense of the characters, and a company's identity and it's lifeblood. From Bernie Eccelstone to Sol Price to Jim Simons (The Renaissance Technologies episode is a MUST listen if you manage your own investments, or if you have them managed) to the NFL to Coca Cola and Rolex... those episodes are also just so great - just as strong as the Costco piece, in my view. Whatever the case, I'm glad you gave them a shout out Bob! They're doing things the right way. I've listened to this pod from early days, and it's nice watching them grow it, and grow their community, and take some of the lessons they learned from the work they did, and apply them to their podcast! Jeff Richardson _____________________________________ Re: The Acquired Podcast I was hipped to them some time ago. Their podcasts can be lengthy. Costco is excellent. Here’s some I recommend: Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Trader Joe’s, Mars Inc. I tried listening to the Charlie Munger, but I found his aged voice difficult. I forwarded your blog to one of the Acquired guys. -Harold Bronson _____________________________________ Re: The Acquired Podcast I’ve been listening to Acquired for about 4-5 years. It’s an education. The two hosts are terrific and their research is second to none. Glad you found it. Fred Raimondi _____________________________________ Re: The Acquired Podcast Ferrari (!), Costco, Ikea, F-1, Morris Chang (!), Vanguard, to name a few, are beyond fascinating. Not to mention their reverence for Google, which gives so much insight to Silicon Valley. And the hosts proudly display their nerd bona fides with the overuse of “awesome” and “totally” :) Glad you discovered it. Randy Ezratty _____________________________________ Re: The Acquired Podcast Bob, I love Acquired! Been listening for years…blasted through the new Disney episode. They did great episodes on CAA w/Ovitz!! and Taylor Swift. Other greats include Coke, trader joes, IKEA, Starbucks, Walmart and of course Berkshire Eli Wener _____________________________________ Re: The Acquired Podcast Hey Bob- I was turned on to this podcast a few weeks ago. My first listen was the episode about Rolex. I'm not a watch guy at all (usually wearing either an Apple Watch or a bare wrist), but it was absolutely fascinating. Rich Madow _____________________________________ Re: The Acquired Podcast I love this pod . . . I got hooked listening to the one about the NFL. Fascinating. Vickie Strate _____________________________________ Re: The Acquired Podcast So far I've gotten through the episodes on Costco, Disney and Rolex. All brilliant. More interesting than 90% of what passes for fiction these days. Just like London Falling. To quote the Lizard King, people are strange. Best David Vawter _____________________________________ Re: The Acquired Podcast I listened to the Formula 1 episode a couple weeks ago. After that I just had to read The Formula. Highly recommend it. Enjoy. Steve Waxman _____________________________________ Re: The Acquired Podcast The Rolex Episode is fascinating! Enjoy Best regards, Lorne Burnett Chairman and CEO Burnac Produce Ltd. _____________________________________ Re: The Acquired Podcast I did a double take when I received your newsletter discussing the Acquired Podcast. I was happy to see you giving it some kudos. I agree, it is great. The Formula 1 episode, especially, was top notch. It was my introduction to the podcast - and I've since gone back and listened to some of the "catalogue," if you will. I'm looking forward to catching up on The Walt Disney Co. episode. Best Regards, J.R. Rees _____________________________________ Re: The Acquired Podcast Yes! My neighbor turned me on to this last winter. Mentioned the Novo Nordisk episode, which tells the amazing story of that company and the development of insulin, and ultimately, Ozempic. Sounds dry. It’s not. It’s action-packed. The 2 hosts are highly engaging. I’m a little smarter after each highly entertaining episode. Vicky Germaise _____________________________________ Re: The Acquired Podcast I’ve been listening for a couple years. It’s my favorite podcast. In fact, your podcast and acquired are the only two podcasts I listen to anymore. Try the Trader Joe’s one, it’s fantastic. Joel Goldman _____________________________________ Re: Jon Anderson & the Band Geeks in Thousand Oaks It’s actually stunning to me how great Jon still sounds. After hearing too many of his contemporaries struggle, the man is timeless. This was Jon’s third time playing the area with Band Geeks, and I’ve been fortunate enough to attend them all. The first time was excellent, and they’ve only gotten better. The album they released, True, is also solid, and the longer track they played, Once Upon a Dream, would have been right at home in the Yes 70’s catalog. I’m not sure 13 year old me attending my first Yes show in the 70’s could have imagined all of still gathering to do this again 50 years later (and Chris, Alan and Peter Banks are are sorely missed), but how lucky we are that ‘our people’ can still experience Yes music live. Aaron Weinstein _____________________________________ Re: Jon Anderson & the Band Geeks in Thousand Oaks I’m seeing them tonight in San Jose and after reading this, I'm more excited than ever. Particularly given how often you trash aging musicians falling back on yesteryear. This is the closest I’ve seen you come to a rave review in recent memory. Just found my ticket from February 22,1972. I had just turned 16. The Yes Album had been out for about a year and they announced that they were coming to my home town of Princeton, NJ. I bicycled over to the lobby of McCarter Theater and purchased the entire second row of the center orchestra, and I went to the show with all of my best friends. The tickets were $4.00. On the back of my ticket I wrote “YES, All time #1.” I carried my SLR camera into the theater without a hassle and took pictures with no interference, that I developed in the dark room at my house. Those were the days! Scott Kauffman _____________________________________ Re: Jon Anderson & the Band Geeks in Thousand Oaks I am a huge YES fan, and for me, “And You and I” was a pivotal song that crashed into my world when I was 18 years old and literally set the foundations of the life of creativity I chose to live. After reading the comments from everyone on your first email on this, I watched that performance tonight on YouTube with Jon and the Band Geeks, and lick-to-lick, note-for-note, it was absolutely astonishing to see. I was never able to see the original lineup, so the cool thing here is, the Band Geeks are playing it as it was recorded, whereas YES always embellished live from what I can tell from the rare video footage I have seen online. I did see the 90125 tour and aside from being meltingly loud (particularly on the bottom end) and incredibly well performed, it was cool for me because Jon was there. Same situation here tonight, the tears that rolled down my cheeks when I was 18 and heard "And You and I “ from the 33 LP on a massive system at full tilt volume sitting on the floor in a separate room by myself from the party my GF took me to also ran down my cheeks again tonight. I cannot believe Jon is 82, he sounds absolutely pristine with his vocals and intensely pure belief of his musings. Goes to show you what singing in that era actually meant for the vocalists without any auto-tune and the like, pure vocal talent par excellence. It’s extraordinary to see the 60’s and 70’s so accessibly alive in this era (of what exactly?) through such an expertly performing lineup of true players that totally nail it! And how much fun is Jon having, I mean seriously man, imagine how awesome for him this must be considering how much of the creative force he has always been in YES. It’s stunning man! Thank you so much for sharing!! Sacha Spindler _____________________________________ Re: Jon Anderson & the Band Geeks in Thousand Oaks I promoted one of Jon’s solo shows in early 2000. It was a very special performance for me as a major Yes freak One highlight was Jon grabbing a mop after sound check to clean up the stage. He claimed the glitter on his guitar was to blame so it was on him to make it right. Needless to say my stage manager was horrified and tried to take the mop. Jon was not having it and proceeded to mop. What a wonderful guy. There is no Yes without him Best Regards, Steve Gietka SMG Entertainment LLC _____________________________________ Re: Jon Anderson & the Band Geeks in Thousand Oaks Hi Bob, So good to see the overwhelming positive responses to Jon and the Band Geeks. It was my honor to book their first date together as Jon Anderson & the Band Geeks, April 23, 2023 at The Space at Westbury on Long Island. Most notable is that they had never played together live before our date. Not only had they never played together, they had never actually met each other in person until the rehearsals. They had communicated only virtually. So I gave them the venue for two days prior to meet and rehearse. It was exciting to be at that first rehearsal, and when Jon heard the bands opening notes I watched the smile spread across his lips and take his whole face with it. He just could not stop smiling. They nailed every note, effect, sound and mood of the music. For my ears Jon's voice is the sound of Yes. Of course every one of the past members of Yes are amazing players, but having heard most of the incarnations, I believe this is the best Yes not only on the scene today, but in many years. A year later (and after having a number of dates under their belts) I had them headline the Great South Bay Music Festival, ... they were perfect! If you are a Yes fan, you do not want to miss this show! Jim Faith _____________________________________ Re: Jon Anderson & the Band Geeks in Thousand Oaks I've been saying this for ages. Do we go to the symphony to see Beethoven? No. He's been gone for a long time. We go because we want to see an amazing composition performed live. And THAT'S the way I view these incarnations of the Prog bands. Call them Tribute bands...whatever. We go because the COMPOSITIONS are the stars, and we want to hear them performed. It's that simple. Of course we can listen to an album but it's just not the same. And as long as the performers have the chops and intent of the original composition you're going to see something special. Live performances of amazing compositions come with their own brand of magic. Fred Raimondi _____________________________________ Re: Jon Anderson & the Band Geeks in Thousand Oaks Thanks for the memory Bob. I saw them in 2000 with the classic lineup. At that time it seemed we were reminiscing. A lot of older guys like myself. The only difference from your show was our warm up band was Dream Theater. There were kids there with their dads. There were younger people there to see Dream Theater. So, it was interesting to watch the difference in the crowd. There were two guys behind me that stood the whole time for Dream Theater. There were fans there for Dream Theater but, they were outnumbered by Yes fans. The lead singer of Dream Theater was trying to get the Yes fans into them and wasn't haven't much luck. He stomped over to our side (right side 10th row not far off center) and glowered at me like get up what's wrong with you! Now, they were good and talented but they wanted to show off their virtuosity to the detriment of the song. The difference in the energy when Yes came out was night and day! Like your show there was a lot standing and singing along. At that time I thought it was amazing that Jon still had his voice. That sound just washes over you and it feels soo good. The interaction between the band was really fun to watch. Being on Wakeman's side I could see his face when he turned to our side and he would make faces at us. Squire was a blast as well. When he hit some deep notes he would get the biggest grin. Then Jon, the front man par excellence! All of us old guys were in our element. We showed the kids where greatness lay and we weren't too old to rock and roll! One more thing. In 1973 I bought a Yes shirt at Budget Tape & Records. It just had the multi colored logo on it. People thought it was comment not a band! They would say to what... After Roundabout that changed. It took a few years for people in my area to get it. Thanks again for a great memory. Russ Wilson _____________________________________ Re: Jon Anderson & the Band Geeks in Thousand Oaks Thanks for the nice words about Jon and our show in Thousand Oaks. Hope to see you there at a show, I've missed the ones you have been to that I've done. Cheers, mate. Thanks for spreading the word. Danny Zelisko _____________________________________ From: Jeff Laufer Subject: Fw: Comedy Is Hot Dear Bob Comedy is the new Rock and Roll.. Anthony Jeselnik, Jeff Ross, Dave Chappelle and more are the new Jagger, Prince, Lennon..et al.. They speak the truth. They spill their guts and they make us laugh. The world needs laughter. To take a date for an evening of comedy can cost about$100. To take a date to see Taylor Swift is $1000. Comedy is more economical. There’s no bullsh*t… I’m now in my 5th year of doing comedy and I’m still light years away from fame. If I’m lucky to get a paid gig I’ll make around $50 and I’ll have to drive to Oxnard or further. The promoter may comp we with a meal and a beer. This is the course I chose to take. I’m having the time of my life.. Instead of hangin’ at the Troubadour, Whisky or the Rainbow you’ll see me at The Improv, The Comedy Store or the Laugh Factory. Attending open mics you’ll see a slew of delusional misfits hoping they’ll get discovered. Most are not funny but they are giving it a go spilling their guts. I’ll attend 4 to 6 open mics a week. You sign up and hope you’ll get picked to perform for about 2 or 3 minutes in front of a booker or as I like to refer to them as “gate keepers”. If they like you can come back next and they will put you up. You are not guaranteed a slot with national touring comics. Often times at mics you have to pay $5 just to go up. Frequently there are house rules.. you must be “clean”.., I find it funny that black comics can say the “N” word while if a white comic says it they are expelled. I’m 73 years old and it’s a world I’m still allowed to play in. I’ve made some great new friends while my record friends are dying off. I’m going to stick at it till I can no longer do it. Jeff Laufer dba Barney Kugel -- 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
Whistler
https://shorturl.at/sCAbP I thought I just ate too much crap. Holidays are free days. When I throw off the reins and eat whatever I want. Potato chips especially. Felice buys those Kettle Sea Salt ones. Actually, they're always in our house. She has amazing self-control. She can eat just a few, and she does this every day. Me? If I start, I don't stop until I'm satiated. Although I knew we were going to Gregg and Monica's later, so I held back, and then they had the same chips there! Along with some tortilla chips, which now outsell potato chips, did you know that? Kind of amazing, like Modelo being the best-selling beer in America. Funny how people hate so many ethnicities, but they LOVE their food. And there was some fried chicken and bowtie pasta, something else I avoid except on special occasions. And I was satiated, but full to the brim, when the pie and ice cream was served. Oh, what the hell. It's a holiday, right? And I'm sitting there watching the fireworks... The San Fernando Valley might be the best place in America to view them, because all across its expanse people are setting them off for hours. Actually, the highlight was a set of drones creating a picture of the American flag over Burbank. And we're sitting there discussing the state of our nation and then... Suddenly I didn't feel so well. We had to leave. And when we got home I prayed to the porcelain goddess. And drank some Sprite (the sugar free kind, it's almost as good as the real thing, although the 7-Up version tastes better), since it's supposed to settle your stomach, and then I got into bed where I started to shiver and shake, cold as f*ck, trying to gear myself up to throw off the covers and put on some clothes, which I ultimately did, but still unable to sleep I got up, went into the living room and cracked Ann Patchett's latest, "Whistler." I guess I'm wary of someone whom everybody loves. You can't find a single person to say anything negative about Patchett, and women start to rhapsodize about "Bel Canto"... Furthermore, she owns her own bookstore in Nashville, and every Friday on TikTok she talks about books, saying "If you haven't read this book, it's new to you." That endeared me to her. Because if you're not hip to a record, people castigate you, but Ann is saying right up front that it's all right to be out of the loop. The first of her books I read, "State of Wonder," I didn't get. I don't mean it was bad, but Patchett's books always get great reviews, and this was not satisfying. There was plenty of plot, something lacking in too many well-reviewed books, but somehow it didn't hook me. And I've read better out in the wilderness writings. Then again, that's the thing about Patchett. She's not hoity-toity, I wouldn't exactly say she's middlebrow, but she's not lowbrow and not highbrow. As in she's not playing to the reader and she's not trying to impress the reader either. Meaning her books are very readable, they tend to cut like butter. And I found "The Dutch House" to be great. Loved the concept. People move and change, but the house they grew up in remains the same, containing all your memories. "Tom Lake" had less gravitas, but the summer setting and the summer stock theatre, the light feel resonated with me. The disconnection into your own world. So I was going to read Patchett's latest, "Whistler." But first I dove into "John of John." This is author Douglas Stuart's third book. The debut, "Shuggie Bain," was a sensation. The follow-up, "Young Mungo," was not as well-received, but "John of John" has gotten great reviews, however... One of the main themes of "Shuggie Bain"... Let's just say homosexuality played a big part. And when "John of John" started the same way... Now I know this makes me look homophobic, so I'll double down. When a highly reviewed book is set in Africa or India... I've learned to be hesitant. Oh, I've read a number of these books, and they've been great, but so many I've started and just haven't been able to get into. Maybe it's because I can't relate. Then again, I'm always wondering if reviewers are bending over backwards to be inclusive. And what women want is not always what I want. A lot of description and...women seem to tolerate a lot of stuff I won't. Not that you can say any of this out loud. I'm caught between the left and the right. Then again, can I say that trans women should not be allowed in women's sports? Oh, there are some where their strength makes no difference. As for said strength, you have to start taking hormones before you're a teen for there to be a level playing field, and science isn't even so sure about that. But that's a litmus test. You're either with us or against us. You're either an enlightened Democrat or you're a backward, heinous Republican. Of course Trump and his cronies have tilted the scales far in the wrong direction, but on many issues you can't even have a discussion on the left. So there you have it. I'm biased. But I'm reading "John of John," and so much is in Gaelic. And it wasn't so easy to read, and my eyes were rolling into the back of my head, so I decided to crack "Whistler," which I just got. Now if it had just been an issue of too much food, I'd feel fine today, two days later. But I'm still not on an even keel. So rather than go into the salt mines, I laid on the couch and finished "Whistler." I'd like to say I enjoyed the last half of the book as much as the first, but... This is a small story. But almost all of us are living small lives. And those living big lives are oftentimes so busy impressing this upon us that it seems they lose the intimacy of every day activities where no one but your immediate circle is paying attention, knows your stories. And these stories are what glue us together. I grew up in a house of five in a split level and in retrospect, I feel like I lived through a war. Daphne never has kids and this is one of the reasons, her upbringing. I wonder if that played into my decision too. I guess I wanted to escape the paradigm. But her younger sister Leda goes the other way, she has children and she becomes a therapist. And at this point, therapy is seen as kind of a joke, kind of like rehab. Cross a line and they send you to jail for a while and then you return supposedly fixed. There's no focus on what you learn there. But therapy when done right.... Most people are putting up a front, they're afraid if there's a crack in the facade they'll be judged. But beneath the surface... And there's a lot beneath the surface in "Whistler," as there is in all family stories. And oftentimes you're not exposed to the details until decades later, when you're an adult. So what we've got here is a story of seemingly well-adjusted adults who've coped with a lot of what seems routine today, but really is not. Like the fallout of divorce. Now Daphne opines that their mother's remarriage and subsequent birthing of two boys makes her more independent. But the girls she teaches in school... The emotional cost of divorce is understated and underrepresented. And actually, there's a gay theme in "Whistler" too. Which enhanced the story as opposed to detracted from it. Didn't bother me in the least. But I'm through trying to prove I'm not homophobic, at least in my reading habits. So if you pick up the book you'll find the picture of a horse on the cover. This is Whistler. I don't think I'm giving too much away. But Whistler's appearance, and the story surrounding him, is the weakest part of the book. You could say it was integral, but it was in his story that the book dragged the most. So if you’re a fan of Patchett, dive right in. If you're looking for a summer beach read that is not lightweight drivel, that has some substance, this is better than the overplotted tomes. "Dutch House" and "Tom Lake" were better, but "Whistler" is worth reading. https://www.tiktok.com/@parnassusbooksnashville/video/7640140575315987742 -- 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
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