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The State of Spend
Post Covid
I thought it was only me.
Having immune issues, I was locked up longer than most. And honestly, it took me a full year to recover. To not be anxious out and about. To decide to go out and about.
And I know a lot of people who died. I found this was uncommon. Maybe it's because I reach more people than most. Lisa's father died early in the pandemic and now I think about him more than I did when he was still alive. And that Tom was, very alive, and very current, I could discuss the day's issues with him, he was the family patriarch.
But now he's gone.
And not only Adam Schlesinger, but Jerry Blair, who was only 60, his wife convinced him not to get the vaccine. And then Neil Lasher too, who like Tom passed before the vaccine came on board.
Not that I want to relitigate the vaccine. I also don't want to relitigate the cause of the pandemic. Whether it was a lab leak or a wet market... It's all in the rearview mirror now. And isn't it funny that all these people who propagate the lab leak theory are not anxious about preparing for bird flu or some other new virus?
But that's one thing I've learned in the past couple of years. We're all not on the same page. Sometimes I'm wrong, but one thing is for sure, the people who e-mail me are not. I mean you have to be willing to re-evaluate your precepts. But this is anathema to most. It crumbles their identity.
And I'd say I don't want to get into politics, but it is a snapshot of today, and that's why I'm writing this missive, to delineate how things are different.
It's been five years, and David Bowie isn't even around to weigh in on it. But seemingly every media outlet has. There's a recounting of the facts, the effects on children, questioning whether choices were correct and...
That's not what I'm thinking about.
I'm thinking about how no one goes to lunch anymore.
I'll be honest, I'd rather not, I don't want to kill that much time. But it turns out neither does anybody else!
I thought it might only be me. But I was with a Silicon Valley lawyer a couple of weeks back and he said the same thing. All these peripheral social activities...they no longer happen. Sure, you'll get together if necessary, but if it's casual, if it's not productive, no way.
And my older sister weighed in that she doesn't go out as much either. On the weekends they'd go to a restaurant, now they stay home and watch streaming television.
Which brings us to another change in the post-Covid landscape. The death of the movie business. Once people got out of the habit of going, they wondered why they were still going in the first place. Sure, some teens still participate in the submarine races in the darkened theatre, and if it's a hit film, a cultural signpost, people will go to see "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer," but how many of those are there?
You may have seen last weekend's grosses. Which are down 7% from last year's anemic total. Who needs a remake of "Snow White"? Not many. Turns out they want something original, but for that they go to Netflix, et al. And if a show sucks, it doesn't tank the service, there is always something else to watch...which is not the case in the movie theatre.
And, of course, everything is on demand these days. People want it when they want it, and films don't start when you get there, never mind having to schlep there.
But this generates boomer outcry. That's another thing that happened post-Covid, the baby boomers became the older generation. Despite having smartphones and hip clothing, they're anti-tech, the smartphone is the devil, they wonder why things can't be the way they used to.
This has been shocking to me. My friends I've known for decades. They're constantly defending the past. Movie theatres, bookstores, physical media... When the truth is the younger generations have moved on.
And then there are the boomers who believe in old media when the youngsters don't even partake. I'm talking about news media here.
And speaking of news...
Covid finally killed the magazine. It started with the 2008 crash, but now... Maybe you can be "The New Yorker," and charge your dedicated fan base a fortune to subscribe, but the casual buy...
It just doesn't work anymore. It's not worth that much an issue and...
Apple News+ has revealed that most of the writing in these rags is not only substandard, but piss-poor. When you see it all right next to each other... You've got hacks writing about that which they do not know.
I've given up renewing magazines. One after another has folded before my term has expired. And sure, I'm missing something, but I'm getting a whole hell of a lot else in return. Info online, even TikTok. That's another thing the boomers hate, but if you want to know what is going on in this country, you need to tune in.
But then you'd have to question your anti-internet, anti-social media bias, and you don't want to cave, because it's part of your identity.
And DeJoy slowed down the mail to where you don't want to drop anything in the box, and you don't expect anything in return, except junk mail. If I'm looking for deals, once again I'll go online, at least they're au courant.
And now that the news cycle is so accelerated, the aforementioned "New Yorker" looks out of time and date. It's so combed over, so edited, that it's got no visceral element. Today it's all about being immediate. Which doesn't mean you can't fact check.
Which brings us to newspapers. Print is now on its last legs. Do you know how I know this? Because stories that appear in the app might not make it into the physical newspaper FOR WEEKS! Never mind all that never makes it at all. We're all checking our news apps all day long. News is no longer a once a day affair. Whether it be the physical newspaper or the 7 o'clock (or 6:30) TV news broadcast.
But now I've listed so many changes that you're pissed off. You believe in the past.
But soon you will be in the past.
That's another post-Covid element, I'm closer to the grave. And so many changes I attributed to my age, but really they're society broad.
A lot of this is acknowledged by all, like people wanting experiences more than assets. But those invested in the old paradigm are flummoxed...you mean people won't be impressed if I own this or that?
And bragging has just become amplified. Everybody's begging for attention.
And oldsters don't want to admit that we no longer live in a pyramid world. Where there are stars at the top and everything else below... No, the world has been flattened.
And more than ever, you're hearing about crazy people doing crazy things. If it bleeds, it leads used to be the credo of the 10 o'clock news, but now you're confronted with the bizarre all day long, wondering if you're normal or just out of the loop.
And you never know if something is a fad or here to stay. Today I saw someone with a tattoo over the back half of his head, half of his entire skull. Have we evolved to the point where we accept everybody and everything or will there ultimately be consequences? Will the next head of Microsoft have a neck tattoo? A face tattoo?
This is where my ancient mores come into play. If it's permanent...
That's what we always used to be threatened with in high school, that some misdeed or misadventure would go on our permanent record. Now we're leaving bread crumbs 24/7 online, which most people don't pay attention to until... We gain some notoriety, and then our entire past comes back to haunt us.
And then they say religion is dying, and just recently they said religion is coming back. It's kind of like Woody Allen's "Sleeper," where it turns out in the future that chocolate and smoking are some of the best things for you.
We're in uncharted territory culturally, not only politically. But those with their hands on the reins refuse to admit this.
Kind of like the movie actors. They've all realized they're not the stars they used to be, they're all on TV, and if they're on social media they're revealed to be no different from you and me.
It's kinda like the entire world digested a Devo album.
Then again, Devo would have no chance today. You don't want to be too outside, the mainstream will reject you. But what is the mainstream's power anyway? Everybody is trying to get to the top of the aforementioned pyramid which no longer exists.
But time keeps marching on, change keeps happening and one thing's for sure, since lockdown arrived five years ago...
Things are different.
--
Visit the archive: lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, Unsubscribe
To change your email address this link
Having immune issues, I was locked up longer than most. And honestly, it took me a full year to recover. To not be anxious out and about. To decide to go out and about.
And I know a lot of people who died. I found this was uncommon. Maybe it's because I reach more people than most. Lisa's father died early in the pandemic and now I think about him more than I did when he was still alive. And that Tom was, very alive, and very current, I could discuss the day's issues with him, he was the family patriarch.
But now he's gone.
And not only Adam Schlesinger, but Jerry Blair, who was only 60, his wife convinced him not to get the vaccine. And then Neil Lasher too, who like Tom passed before the vaccine came on board.
Not that I want to relitigate the vaccine. I also don't want to relitigate the cause of the pandemic. Whether it was a lab leak or a wet market... It's all in the rearview mirror now. And isn't it funny that all these people who propagate the lab leak theory are not anxious about preparing for bird flu or some other new virus?
But that's one thing I've learned in the past couple of years. We're all not on the same page. Sometimes I'm wrong, but one thing is for sure, the people who e-mail me are not. I mean you have to be willing to re-evaluate your precepts. But this is anathema to most. It crumbles their identity.
And I'd say I don't want to get into politics, but it is a snapshot of today, and that's why I'm writing this missive, to delineate how things are different.
It's been five years, and David Bowie isn't even around to weigh in on it. But seemingly every media outlet has. There's a recounting of the facts, the effects on children, questioning whether choices were correct and...
That's not what I'm thinking about.
I'm thinking about how no one goes to lunch anymore.
I'll be honest, I'd rather not, I don't want to kill that much time. But it turns out neither does anybody else!
I thought it might only be me. But I was with a Silicon Valley lawyer a couple of weeks back and he said the same thing. All these peripheral social activities...they no longer happen. Sure, you'll get together if necessary, but if it's casual, if it's not productive, no way.
And my older sister weighed in that she doesn't go out as much either. On the weekends they'd go to a restaurant, now they stay home and watch streaming television.
Which brings us to another change in the post-Covid landscape. The death of the movie business. Once people got out of the habit of going, they wondered why they were still going in the first place. Sure, some teens still participate in the submarine races in the darkened theatre, and if it's a hit film, a cultural signpost, people will go to see "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer," but how many of those are there?
You may have seen last weekend's grosses. Which are down 7% from last year's anemic total. Who needs a remake of "Snow White"? Not many. Turns out they want something original, but for that they go to Netflix, et al. And if a show sucks, it doesn't tank the service, there is always something else to watch...which is not the case in the movie theatre.
And, of course, everything is on demand these days. People want it when they want it, and films don't start when you get there, never mind having to schlep there.
But this generates boomer outcry. That's another thing that happened post-Covid, the baby boomers became the older generation. Despite having smartphones and hip clothing, they're anti-tech, the smartphone is the devil, they wonder why things can't be the way they used to.
This has been shocking to me. My friends I've known for decades. They're constantly defending the past. Movie theatres, bookstores, physical media... When the truth is the younger generations have moved on.
And then there are the boomers who believe in old media when the youngsters don't even partake. I'm talking about news media here.
And speaking of news...
Covid finally killed the magazine. It started with the 2008 crash, but now... Maybe you can be "The New Yorker," and charge your dedicated fan base a fortune to subscribe, but the casual buy...
It just doesn't work anymore. It's not worth that much an issue and...
Apple News+ has revealed that most of the writing in these rags is not only substandard, but piss-poor. When you see it all right next to each other... You've got hacks writing about that which they do not know.
I've given up renewing magazines. One after another has folded before my term has expired. And sure, I'm missing something, but I'm getting a whole hell of a lot else in return. Info online, even TikTok. That's another thing the boomers hate, but if you want to know what is going on in this country, you need to tune in.
But then you'd have to question your anti-internet, anti-social media bias, and you don't want to cave, because it's part of your identity.
And DeJoy slowed down the mail to where you don't want to drop anything in the box, and you don't expect anything in return, except junk mail. If I'm looking for deals, once again I'll go online, at least they're au courant.
And now that the news cycle is so accelerated, the aforementioned "New Yorker" looks out of time and date. It's so combed over, so edited, that it's got no visceral element. Today it's all about being immediate. Which doesn't mean you can't fact check.
Which brings us to newspapers. Print is now on its last legs. Do you know how I know this? Because stories that appear in the app might not make it into the physical newspaper FOR WEEKS! Never mind all that never makes it at all. We're all checking our news apps all day long. News is no longer a once a day affair. Whether it be the physical newspaper or the 7 o'clock (or 6:30) TV news broadcast.
But now I've listed so many changes that you're pissed off. You believe in the past.
But soon you will be in the past.
That's another post-Covid element, I'm closer to the grave. And so many changes I attributed to my age, but really they're society broad.
A lot of this is acknowledged by all, like people wanting experiences more than assets. But those invested in the old paradigm are flummoxed...you mean people won't be impressed if I own this or that?
And bragging has just become amplified. Everybody's begging for attention.
And oldsters don't want to admit that we no longer live in a pyramid world. Where there are stars at the top and everything else below... No, the world has been flattened.
And more than ever, you're hearing about crazy people doing crazy things. If it bleeds, it leads used to be the credo of the 10 o'clock news, but now you're confronted with the bizarre all day long, wondering if you're normal or just out of the loop.
And you never know if something is a fad or here to stay. Today I saw someone with a tattoo over the back half of his head, half of his entire skull. Have we evolved to the point where we accept everybody and everything or will there ultimately be consequences? Will the next head of Microsoft have a neck tattoo? A face tattoo?
This is where my ancient mores come into play. If it's permanent...
That's what we always used to be threatened with in high school, that some misdeed or misadventure would go on our permanent record. Now we're leaving bread crumbs 24/7 online, which most people don't pay attention to until... We gain some notoriety, and then our entire past comes back to haunt us.
And then they say religion is dying, and just recently they said religion is coming back. It's kind of like Woody Allen's "Sleeper," where it turns out in the future that chocolate and smoking are some of the best things for you.
We're in uncharted territory culturally, not only politically. But those with their hands on the reins refuse to admit this.
Kind of like the movie actors. They've all realized they're not the stars they used to be, they're all on TV, and if they're on social media they're revealed to be no different from you and me.
It's kinda like the entire world digested a Devo album.
Then again, Devo would have no chance today. You don't want to be too outside, the mainstream will reject you. But what is the mainstream's power anyway? Everybody is trying to get to the top of the aforementioned pyramid which no longer exists.
But time keeps marching on, change keeps happening and one thing's for sure, since lockdown arrived five years ago...
Things are different.
--
Visit the archive: lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, Unsubscribe
To change your email address this link
Culture
Don't expect a plethora of protest songs to show up.
I was just reading about the Kennedy Center honoring of Conan O'Brien, who got the Mark Twain Prize over the weekend. You'll end up seeing it on Netflix, because that's where comedy now lives, HBO squandered its lead, had its eye off the ball, the same way WB/Discovery lost the NBA. If you focus on ratings, if you focus on sales as opposed to soul, you may lose what you've got.
Assuming you're selling culture at all.
We've got some culture left in the music business. Mostly metal and hip-hop, which are to a great degree cartoons. Get your tattoos, fire up your anger, it's hard to take seriously, you know this is true when even Questlove questions the future of hip-hop. As for metal... Once upon a time, metal was mainstream. Been humming a new metal track to yourself recently? You haven't been shaken all night long in eons. Then again, by today's standards, AC/DC is not metal. It's not fast enough, the singer is too palatable.
But the above is not the culture I'm speaking of.
So the comedians took the stage at the Kennedy Center and lit into Trump. They poked the bear, in this case the masturbating bear. As for the consequences? THEY DIDN'T GIVE A SH*T!
Then again, honesty and speaking truth to power are the essence of a successful comedian. If you haven't got an attitude...
Forget clips of new musical acts on social media, the highlight of this past week has been Bill Burr, testifying in support/promotion of his new special on...HULU?
There's a lot to poke fun at these days.
Then again, the audience is fractured. I realized this watching Bill Maher's "Real Time" this week. I didn't agree with a lot of what smug Bill had to say, as well as Ezra Klein. I felt like I was on the left wing island alone, everybody else had taken the last boat off.
What I'm saying here is we are not all on the same page. I know that's not news, but when I was growing up, in high school and college, ALL the youth were Democrats. You could literally point out the Republicans on campus.
But not anymore.
The ethos today is not speaking truth to power, but hating your brethren and asking WHERE'S MY MONEY!
That's what everybody is wondering...WHERE'S MY MONEY!
It's the essence of the social media influencers. Maybe if you're a woman you want the clothes and cosmetics they're hawking, but talk about empty...
It's head-scratching if you're a boomer. You lived through JFK, proffering what you could do for your country and...
Now it's WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR ME?
That's the underlying ethos in the culture, and it permeates music too.
The number one topic of discussion in music, something that crosses all genres is...SPOTIFY IS RIPPING ME OFF, STREAMING SUCKS!
Were musicians saying this in the sixties and seventies? If they were it didn't filter down to the press. And most musicians were ignorant of the workings of the business anyway. Today the first thing you do is buy Don Passman's book. And then you complain.
Now if you were alive back then you knew that if you had success, you renegotiated with the label, got more of the money. And the irony is today it's identical, but instead of getting the money from the label you get it from the promoter. And one thing is for sure, there are still a limited number of huge acts, but everybody bubbling under can't stop complaining.
Hell, I'll throw a bomb into the square. I saw this guy Ted Gioia bitching that Daniel Ek has made more money than any musician. Let's just assume it's true. I hate when someone testifies outside their area of expertise. So you know music, do you know business? How about all the people in Hollywood who invested in tech during the aughts and the teens? Talk to Troy Carter or Guy Oseary. THAT'S WHERE THE MONEY WAS! As for Ek... He came up with an idea and worked extremely diligently and hard, against long odds, to establish a company that saved the recorded music industry. And now his goal is saving Spotify itself, diversifying it since streaming music doesn't scale. Ek is more innovative, and may have worked harder, than any musician this century. But somehow he's not entitled to success and cash? They don't say the same thing about the Silicon Valley titans...
Oh, that's right, IT'S MUSIC!
Now if you go back to the past, the mantra was MUSIC SHOULD BE FREE! I'm not talking about Napster, I'm talking about the SIXTIES!
Anyway, with income inequality the best and the brightest don't go into music, the odds of success are too long.
And the goal of those on the bottom who enter the business is to GET RICH!
Where in this narrative is taking a stand, speaking truth to power? NOWHERE!
Now of course I'll get e-mail from twats with their protest songs. You've got no traction, never mind a crappy song. It's your job to become famous, it's your job to promote yourself, JUST LIKE DANIEL EK!
Now I'll get e-mail saying I'm hating on musicians.
Oh, that's right, music is a team sport, you're either pro-Spotify or anti-Spotify, you either hate Ticketmaster or you're the devil too. Never has ignorance reigned to this degree.
Then again, Ezra Klein did a podcast with pollster David Shor...
"Democrats Need to Face Why Trump Won": shorturl.at/N2XDs
Here's the nougat:
"The story of this election is that people who follow the news closely, get their information from traditional media and see politics as an important part of their identity became more Democratic in absolute terms. Meanwhile, those who don't follow politics closely became much more Republican."
Klein amplified this on Maher's show... Most people don't follow the news.
And they're getting their info from questionable sources online.
And you expect these people to rise up and revolt?
No, they're on the potential money train.
How about the fact that the Kardashians have made more money than almost all musicians? They figured out an empty paradigm that the musicians want to emulate. They don't want to live in a hippie house in San Francisco, they want to parade in Prada on Necker Island. Or St. Bart's. Or some place the average person has never even heard of!
They want to be in the gossip pages. They want to have FUN!
It's not like these people are intellectuals, discussing the details of the day. It's not like they're Bob Geldof, standing up for the oppressed. Oh, if Bob Geldof puts on a show they're going to be the first in line to ask for a slot, for all those views, the worldwide promotion...
You can attack me, but you're missing the point. The point is music has become what it once was, before the Beatles...ENTERTAINMENT! And there's a business in that, but it does not drive the culture.
If you want to know what is truly going on watch a comedy special.
And those pale in comparison to the news...but just like Daniel Ek and Spotify the mainstream press has been denigrated to the point that people excoriate it and won't read it.
Meanwhile, it appears that the only outfit that will stand up to Trump is the "New York Times."
That's right, Columbia caved, Paul Weiss caved. Everybody is surrendering to Trump. And in each and every case it's about THE MONEY! Yes, the head of Paul Weiss said if he didn't agree to give $40 million worth of free legal services to the government, the firm would go out of business. All lawyers believed that Paul Weiss would beat the charge, but it was all about the business.
Everybody is compromised, no one has a backbone.
Sure, there are exceptions.
But if I hear one more person complain about taxes... It's not your money. Sans your taxes there are no roads... Oh, you want those gone like the Department of Education?
Everybody's so self-centered, everybody's so ignorant.
Yet oldsters are just waiting for one of these musical stars to dig down deep and stand up to Trump.
Forget whether they hate Trump or not, if they're even aware of what's going down, they're not doing anything unless it PAYS!
And there you have America's culture in a nutshell.
Read it and weep.
--
Visit the archive: lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, Unsubscribe
To change your email address this link
I was just reading about the Kennedy Center honoring of Conan O'Brien, who got the Mark Twain Prize over the weekend. You'll end up seeing it on Netflix, because that's where comedy now lives, HBO squandered its lead, had its eye off the ball, the same way WB/Discovery lost the NBA. If you focus on ratings, if you focus on sales as opposed to soul, you may lose what you've got.
Assuming you're selling culture at all.
We've got some culture left in the music business. Mostly metal and hip-hop, which are to a great degree cartoons. Get your tattoos, fire up your anger, it's hard to take seriously, you know this is true when even Questlove questions the future of hip-hop. As for metal... Once upon a time, metal was mainstream. Been humming a new metal track to yourself recently? You haven't been shaken all night long in eons. Then again, by today's standards, AC/DC is not metal. It's not fast enough, the singer is too palatable.
But the above is not the culture I'm speaking of.
So the comedians took the stage at the Kennedy Center and lit into Trump. They poked the bear, in this case the masturbating bear. As for the consequences? THEY DIDN'T GIVE A SH*T!
Then again, honesty and speaking truth to power are the essence of a successful comedian. If you haven't got an attitude...
Forget clips of new musical acts on social media, the highlight of this past week has been Bill Burr, testifying in support/promotion of his new special on...HULU?
There's a lot to poke fun at these days.
Then again, the audience is fractured. I realized this watching Bill Maher's "Real Time" this week. I didn't agree with a lot of what smug Bill had to say, as well as Ezra Klein. I felt like I was on the left wing island alone, everybody else had taken the last boat off.
What I'm saying here is we are not all on the same page. I know that's not news, but when I was growing up, in high school and college, ALL the youth were Democrats. You could literally point out the Republicans on campus.
But not anymore.
The ethos today is not speaking truth to power, but hating your brethren and asking WHERE'S MY MONEY!
That's what everybody is wondering...WHERE'S MY MONEY!
It's the essence of the social media influencers. Maybe if you're a woman you want the clothes and cosmetics they're hawking, but talk about empty...
It's head-scratching if you're a boomer. You lived through JFK, proffering what you could do for your country and...
Now it's WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR ME?
That's the underlying ethos in the culture, and it permeates music too.
The number one topic of discussion in music, something that crosses all genres is...SPOTIFY IS RIPPING ME OFF, STREAMING SUCKS!
Were musicians saying this in the sixties and seventies? If they were it didn't filter down to the press. And most musicians were ignorant of the workings of the business anyway. Today the first thing you do is buy Don Passman's book. And then you complain.
Now if you were alive back then you knew that if you had success, you renegotiated with the label, got more of the money. And the irony is today it's identical, but instead of getting the money from the label you get it from the promoter. And one thing is for sure, there are still a limited number of huge acts, but everybody bubbling under can't stop complaining.
Hell, I'll throw a bomb into the square. I saw this guy Ted Gioia bitching that Daniel Ek has made more money than any musician. Let's just assume it's true. I hate when someone testifies outside their area of expertise. So you know music, do you know business? How about all the people in Hollywood who invested in tech during the aughts and the teens? Talk to Troy Carter or Guy Oseary. THAT'S WHERE THE MONEY WAS! As for Ek... He came up with an idea and worked extremely diligently and hard, against long odds, to establish a company that saved the recorded music industry. And now his goal is saving Spotify itself, diversifying it since streaming music doesn't scale. Ek is more innovative, and may have worked harder, than any musician this century. But somehow he's not entitled to success and cash? They don't say the same thing about the Silicon Valley titans...
Oh, that's right, IT'S MUSIC!
Now if you go back to the past, the mantra was MUSIC SHOULD BE FREE! I'm not talking about Napster, I'm talking about the SIXTIES!
Anyway, with income inequality the best and the brightest don't go into music, the odds of success are too long.
And the goal of those on the bottom who enter the business is to GET RICH!
Where in this narrative is taking a stand, speaking truth to power? NOWHERE!
Now of course I'll get e-mail from twats with their protest songs. You've got no traction, never mind a crappy song. It's your job to become famous, it's your job to promote yourself, JUST LIKE DANIEL EK!
Now I'll get e-mail saying I'm hating on musicians.
Oh, that's right, music is a team sport, you're either pro-Spotify or anti-Spotify, you either hate Ticketmaster or you're the devil too. Never has ignorance reigned to this degree.
Then again, Ezra Klein did a podcast with pollster David Shor...
"Democrats Need to Face Why Trump Won": shorturl.at/N2XDs
Here's the nougat:
"The story of this election is that people who follow the news closely, get their information from traditional media and see politics as an important part of their identity became more Democratic in absolute terms. Meanwhile, those who don't follow politics closely became much more Republican."
Klein amplified this on Maher's show... Most people don't follow the news.
And they're getting their info from questionable sources online.
And you expect these people to rise up and revolt?
No, they're on the potential money train.
How about the fact that the Kardashians have made more money than almost all musicians? They figured out an empty paradigm that the musicians want to emulate. They don't want to live in a hippie house in San Francisco, they want to parade in Prada on Necker Island. Or St. Bart's. Or some place the average person has never even heard of!
They want to be in the gossip pages. They want to have FUN!
It's not like these people are intellectuals, discussing the details of the day. It's not like they're Bob Geldof, standing up for the oppressed. Oh, if Bob Geldof puts on a show they're going to be the first in line to ask for a slot, for all those views, the worldwide promotion...
You can attack me, but you're missing the point. The point is music has become what it once was, before the Beatles...ENTERTAINMENT! And there's a business in that, but it does not drive the culture.
If you want to know what is truly going on watch a comedy special.
And those pale in comparison to the news...but just like Daniel Ek and Spotify the mainstream press has been denigrated to the point that people excoriate it and won't read it.
Meanwhile, it appears that the only outfit that will stand up to Trump is the "New York Times."
That's right, Columbia caved, Paul Weiss caved. Everybody is surrendering to Trump. And in each and every case it's about THE MONEY! Yes, the head of Paul Weiss said if he didn't agree to give $40 million worth of free legal services to the government, the firm would go out of business. All lawyers believed that Paul Weiss would beat the charge, but it was all about the business.
Everybody is compromised, no one has a backbone.
Sure, there are exceptions.
But if I hear one more person complain about taxes... It's not your money. Sans your taxes there are no roads... Oh, you want those gone like the Department of Education?
Everybody's so self-centered, everybody's so ignorant.
Yet oldsters are just waiting for one of these musical stars to dig down deep and stand up to Trump.
Forget whether they hate Trump or not, if they're even aware of what's going down, they're not doing anything unless it PAYS!
And there you have America's culture in a nutshell.
Read it and weep.
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