Hulu trailer: https://t.ly/Lb0A9

We finished this off in two nights. Will you enjoy it? I’m not sure.

This is completely out of my wheelhouse. I don’t watch the English dramas on PBS, I haven’t read the book it is based upon, but I was fascinated by the fact that it was set in the Cotswolds, the weekend getaway of wealthy Londoners, the northwestern Connecticut of England.

But I had a different vision in my mind. I thought it was less tony, less upper class. But in this show, the houses are huge and far apart. Giving the impression you have to be uber-wealthy to live there. I’ve got a friend with a house there, but I’ve never been.

Now the reason I was in is because the main star is David Tennant, who is always great, playing a role a bit out of character here. Tennant is usually intense, cerebral, one step removed. He was best in “Broadchurch,” but he’s got a slew of credits.

So, Tennant, as Lord Tony Baddingham, runs and owns an independent TV network in the Cotswolds named Corinium. It’s part of ITV, but it’s regional…I’m sure if you live in the U.K. it’s clearer, but you don’t have to know the ins and outs of the English TV landscape to understand what is going on.

And oh, I forgot to mention it’s set in 1986. Which is very interesting. Because it’s not only pre-internet, but pre ubiquitous cellphones. You’re watching and thinking…why don’t they just call him or her? And then you realize they can’t. And that we used to live this way. And didn’t know any better.

So Tony hires Declan O’Hara a BBC interviewer, for Corinium, promising him not only money, but freedom, throwing off the chains of the bureaucracy.

Aidan Turner as Declan is a true believer. His job is everything.

But this means his marriage to Maud, (Victoria Smurfit), suffers.

And this is where the show gets interesting. Maud is an elegant babe. And she needs the reflection, the interest, the body of men to reinforce her identity, her good feelings. But she’s also wrestling with the fact that she’s aged, and her looks won’t take her as far. She’s vain, nearly petty, but her challenges are realistic.

Claire Rushbrook as Lady Monica Baddingham, Tennant’s wife, is perfect. She’s put on the marriage pounds, but she’s insightful, supportive, everything you’d want in a wife. But Tony is sticking it elsewhere…

You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone. You think your new squeeze will deliver everything, but when you get there…

MP Rufus Jones as Paul Stratton is revealed to be having an affair with Sarah, (Emily Atack), but the end result is he leaves his wife and marries her. And she’s still trying to climb the ladder, she’s not really that interested in him, not really interested in him at all. She’s a sexpot trading on her feminine wiles, is that enough to get her where she wants to go?

And then there’s Katherine Parkinson as Lizzie Vereker. She’s got a self-centered nitwit of a husband, who anchors the afternoons on Corinium with a talk show, but he’s a narcissist who’s paying her no attention and she becomes focused on Freddie Jones, played by Danny Dyer, a tech tycoon who is married to Valerie (Lisa McGillis), whom he met in high school. Danny is rich via tech, yet he’s one of the most human characters in the show, but will Lizzie break her marriage bonds?

And everything is anchored by Alex Hassell as Rupert Campbell-Black, a gold medal showjumper from a blue chip background who beds everything in sight. He looks just like Tony Robbins, I couldn’t get the resemblance out of my head.

And Rupert is the desire of all the women And he’s got an inappropriate crush on Declan’s daughter Taggie. That’s the only thing that really doesn’t ring true, you can’t see it, she’s just so young.

Now if I were better educated in English literature, and TV shows, I could place “Rivals” in the canon. But I’m not. So…

It plays like farce. But not all the time.

There are very human questions.

The underlying rivalry is between Rupert and Tony. Both lords, but Tony only went to grammar school.

And then you throw Cameron Cook in the mix, the American TV programming whiz who is strong and independent but ends up in beds… Cook is played by Nafessa Williams, who played Robyn Crawford in the Whitney Houston biopic.

So what we’ve got here is a lot of characters. A lot of desires. Chance meetings. Plotting. Wins and losses.

It’s a community.

There’s one scene, a New Year’s Eve party, where everybody’s in their cups dancing and at first you judge these upper class twits…but then you ask yourself, is it really all just about fun?

You’ll be intrigued by the plot. Will Declan be able to interview who he wants, will he get to ask the questions he wants.

Does Tony/Tennant hold the ultimate Trump card, promising freedom but always withholding it.

And does Rupert have a heart, or is he just a cad. Hell, he admits he’s a rake.

So they’re out in the English countryside. It’s beautiful. And unlike in Southern California, it rains, so you get that interior vibe, inside in the semi-dark, reading, talking.

And people drop by unannounced, which never happens in the city.

And boys need to triumph. Have a leg up.

And at the end of the day, what’s important? Your job? Your relationship? The money? What are you willing to sacrifice, what are you willing to forgive?

Maybe they make shows like this in America. But I haven’t watched a network drama this century. But the ones I saw before that were constrained. Limits are tested in “Rivals,” characters do things people on American TV did not, at least when I watched it.

And they exist outside the boundaries of society. They’re caught up in their own little world. That’s another question that comes up, morals.

Now maybe in the old days, viewers would be hanging on every word of “Rivals.” As it is, the show has great RottenTomatoes numbers: 94/91. But almost nothing reaches all the water coolers these days, never mind that people bring their own water bottles to work, if they even bother to go into the office.

But you can watch it all at once now on Hulu.

If you miss it will you survive?

Absolutely, this is not “Squid Game,” this is not a societal event.

But despite these characters being so different from us, in many ways they’re just the same, facing the same interior battles.

And there are enough plot twists and surprises to keep you watching.

One episode will tell you whether this is up your alley or not. Two to get the complete feeling.

Don’t shoot the messenger, I don’t write about everything I watch, but there’s something at the heart of this show, or maybe it’s that there’s so much in this show…it ultimately resembles real life.

Come for the tales of managing the Yardbirds and Wham! Stay for the story of skiffle as the key driver in the ensuing British Invasion. You’ll be intrigued.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/simon-napier-bell/id1316200737?i=1000676939877

 

 

 

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/5c4f92f2-c45b-480b-80e4-6177f1a87001/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-simon-napier-bell

 

Netflix trailer: https://t.ly/htQAG

This is a great series, which I would have said was fantastic, but the ending, although a great wrap-up, was not whiz-bang. “Murder Mindfully” is an 8 on an absolute scale. One in which “Murders in the Building” is a 3. One in which “The Bureau” is a 10 and “Spiral” and “A French Village” are 9.5’s, even though I hate giving that .5 rating, splitting hairs, it’s just that I want to state how hard it is to achieve a 10, nearly impossible.

And yes, all four of the foregoing series are foreign. So if you hate subtitles you can stop reading now.

But unlike the latter three, “Murders Mindfully” is not a straight drama, it’s a drama with both serious and light tones, a good bit of comedy, if not the laugh out loud kind (no, I won’t use the word dramedy, which is an execrable Hollywood term that renders anything it is applied to mediocre and not deserving of attention).

“Murder Mindfully is a Mafia show. You know, drug-running. And ultimately the battle is between the Serbians and the Russians.

Oh, did I state this was a German show? Yes, a German comedy. Not what you’d expect, but it delivers.

But not wholly in the first episode. I did my research, there is no critics’ rating, sans studio/streamer hype the critics don’t pay attention, but the public gave it a 91 on the Popcommeter, and whenever anything is in the 90s you have to pay attention, assuming there’s not a concomitant terrible rating on the critics’ Tomatometer. Kind of like “The Offer,” which has 96 on the Popcommeter, yet only 57 on the Tomatometer. My inbox is filled with hosannas about “The Offer,” however it’s gotten some of the worst reviews ever, writers reviled it, if for no other reason than it bore little resemblance to reality. In other words, the wisdom of the crowd is not always right. But when it comes to a foreign series… Then again, are the foreigners rating it, are they to be trusted? I don’t know, I’ll just say there’s very little info about “Murder Mindfully” out there.

But a reader hipped me to it.

This is the yin and yang of publicity/marketing today. You love that I found out about it, but any effort you put into making me find out about it failed, assuming Netflix put any effort in at all.

So, the star is Tom Schilling. Who reminded me of Peter Schilling. Who are both German, but not related. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say “Major Tom” wasn’t playing in my head during the series.

Which is only eight half hour episodes, not a huge commitment. You’ll start…

And not want to stop.

However the first episode is all set-up. The deets are laid out, but the intrigue…you’re not exactly hooked. But when you tune in to the next episode… You go on a ride that will have you smiling, marveling that you’re experiencing something so great that almost no one is aware of. You can own it, like you owned bands back in the day, before they broke big.

So Tom as Bjorn is a lawyer. In a firm where he’s the rainmaker but they won’t let him make partner. They want his money, but not him. This is the ethos of rock and roll, the lack of acceptance, even though this is not a rock and roll show.

And the client that rains down all the money is Mafioso Dragan Sergowicz. Who is caught in a pickle… Well, that’s putting it mildly.

So what you’ve got here is the classic work/home balance issue.

Bjorn Diemel is bringing home all the money, driving a BMW, living in a great house, but he’s never home. His relationship with his wife has flagged and he’s constantly missing commitments with his young daughter.

So, his wife sends him to mindfulness classes.

I feel the same way about mindfulness that Bjorn does. What a bunch of crap. He hesitates going in to the appointment, professes it to be hogwash, but the bearded teacher instructs Bjorn in the process and…

Bjorn starts to employ it.

And the amazing thing is you’re watching the series and you start to buy in too. Live in the moment. When you have no choice, smile and let the situation play out. Yet, by time it’s over I can’t say I’m so convinced.

So Dragan has to go into hiding and the police are looking for him and all eyes are on Bjorn, the lawyer. He’s the intermediary. He’s trying to hold it all together, while trying to figure a way out of the entire enterprise himself, while trying to reunite with his wife and daughter after separating at the beginning of the series.

And it turns out he has history with the woman cop.

And all the tropes are there. The crooked cop, the double-dealing, the intimidation, the brute force. How is Bjorn going to cope with all of it? VIA MINDFULNESS!

So he’s making choices he never would have made previously. He’s becoming aware of his own power. But he also finds out not every strategy is a winning one. How is he going to escape?

And the Russian mob boss rings true.

And just like in “Donnie Brasco” the life of a Mafioso looks boring, never mind your body and life being in danger.

This is not heavy watching. But it is intelligent watching. It’s not so complicated you can’t follow it, but you can’t always predict what is going to happen, and how Bjorn is going to cope. And sometimes the situations are…just downright laughable.

When I think of all the series I’ve seen in the past month I’d recommend “Murder Mindfully” first. It doesn’t ask much, but provides plenty. It doesn’t eat up your life, but will get you thinking, it will stay with you.

And it will make you forget what’s happening outside your door, on your phone.

It’s very German, yet the concept of Mafia shenanigans is universal.

You’re gonna dig this, trust me

“‘When I look at the media landscape right now, the people who are going independent, whether it’s podcasting or streaming, that seems to be where the action is,’ he said Tuesday.”

https://shorturl.at/13PRo

Is this like refusing to sign with a major label?

The election taught the news business that not only was it out of touch, it had lost control of the viewing/reading public. People had detached and gone to podcasts and social media.

TV is produced. Very professional. Great sets, great makeup, and always short-form. Even long-form is short-form. “60 Minutes” will give you twelve minutes, Joe Rogan will give you HOURS! Sure, we all want to graze for the headlines, but if we want to go deeper…

Top Forty and the Spotify Top 50 are like grazing for headlines. Only it’s worse in the music business, BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE DON’T CHECK THEM OUT WHATSOEVER!

Think about that, your primary product is ignored by most of the available customers.

Now this works if you’re Mercedes-Benz. As a matter of fact, MBZ has gone further upscale, they’re removing their cheapest offerings and focusing on the profit of expensive models.

We can’t do this in music, where every song is worth essentially the same.

But is Top Forty CNN?

Absolutely. The major labels devote an inordinate amount of money and time on terrestrial radio. This is what they know. It reaches the most people. But that audience continues to drop. The ratings for CNN, MSNBC and even Fox are anemic. But online?

A million people watching a cable news channel is about average. By October 29th, Joe Rogan’s podcast with Trump had 38 million views. Apples and oranges. Even online influencers, constantly derided by the mainstream media, reach many more people than the old guard does.

But what are people consuming?

Well, as stated above, longform. People want to sink their teeth in. You may be focusing on the hit single, but never has the hit single meant less.

Let me explain. A hit single is always a driver. But if there’s not a lot of material underneath, a story, people are not going to be invested, they’re going to move on. What does it take to get people invested?

So the major labels sell hip-hop and pop. And let’s be clear, there’s a huge audience for those. But the biggest act in recorded music today is in country, Morgan Wallen. And seemingly every act of stature wants in on that world, from Post Malone to Beyoncé. What is going on in the country world?

Authenticity. Credibility.

Oh, don’t tell me about beers and trucks and… Of course there’s a lot of country music that’s a trifle. But almost all of it is relatable. It’s not I’m richer than you living a better lifestyle, let me tell you about it. It’s earthier. Rootsier.

Is this what the public really wants? Are the major labels delusional?

Now one of the creators of magic in podcasts is they’re off-the-cuff, unedited, the exact opposite ethos of the major label work, which is rewritten and remixed to death. Good luck even finding a mistake. But it turns out mistakes are not the turnoff the industry believes, mistakes make you human, other people love vulnerability.

Harris was afraid to commit a faux pas. She was scripted, hard to penetrate. Trump was all over the map, lyin’, cheatin’, hurtin’…and the people loved it! They overlooked the flaws and saw someone living in the moment, just like them. Making mistakes just like them. They could relate.

Don’t bark back. Trump won.

I’m not saying no one wants hip-hop and pop, I’m not saying no one wanted Harris, but I am saying the major labels’ focus is wrong.

But if they change the focus…

They’re lost. So they keep doing what they do, over and over again.

It’s not like the signposts are not there. Zach Bryan sold out arenas and could have sold out stadiums BEFORE HE HAD A SPOTIFY TOP 50 HIT! How did people find him?

Obviously not via the usual avenues. The word was spread by the public. Which is hard to manipulate. So what you need is something that spreads, and me-too doesn’t spread.

Now let’s be clear, Bryan is his own worst enemy and has been recently blowing himself up, in a bad way, but the paradigm sustains.

Chris Stapleton… Shows that you don’t have to be a teenager to succeed. You don’t have to look like a movie star. It’s about what you hear as opposed to see.

Music did not move the needle whatsoever for Harris. Why? Because nobody singing was credible. Or they’d lost their credibility along the way. They were seen as icons, not relatable people. And in the internet world we’re all in it together. Have airs, tell us what to do, and people will tear you down and not believe.

Now will Chris Wallace be able to make it in the podcast/streaming world?

Well, unlike a good musician, he doesn’t know who his fans are, he has no mailing list, data is everything.

And he’s 77 and appeals to an aged demo, the average age of a cable news viewer is over 65. Are these the digitally-savvy people?

Well, you’d be surprised how many boomers listen to podcasts. And everybody’s always looking for something new and good. The dirty little secret is most podcasts suck. Two or more people bloviating about their personal lives. Where’s that at, if you want me I’ll be in the bar.

So if you’re good…

But Wallace knows it’s about longform. The quick hit does not bond you to people anymore.

And Tucker Carlson does not get as much ink as he used to when he was on Fox, but he has finally figured out a way to reach a substantial audience online, to become part of the conversation.

And it’s no longer about the chart anyway. Yes, the three big cable news networks arguing over ratings is akin to the moribund major labels manipulating the “Billboard” chart. As if anybody but the act itself cares what is number one. How are people even going to find out, it’s printed in the newspaper, but they don’t read the newspaper! They really only care about chart position when their favorite act implores them to buy excess vinyl or files to make them number one, talk about a spiral to the bottom, screwing your fans.

Wallace is jumping into the abyss, with no safety net. As the story has played out today, some people say he was going to lose his job in a cutback, but he jumped before he was pushed. The music industry used to jump all the time, it’s been staid since…

Certainly the nineties. Formulaic divas and formulaic hip-hop.

But the story of the past few years is indies. Oftentimes built live. The recordings are nearly superfluous.

How do we regain the power of music as the foremost art form?

Oh, let’s be clear, there’s a music business. But if you want to know which way the wind blows, you’re not going to listen to a record. That’s not where the people are at. And Kendrick dissed Drake and Questlove said it was the end of hip-hop, an insular battle that is ultimately meaningless.

Now in truth people are jumping, taking risks, doing something different, all the time, as we sit here. It’s just that one day you wake up and see that they control your business, that they have stolen it while you’re asleep.

And that’s a good thing, it reinvigorates the industry.

Now in truth the election illustrated that America is a vast country where people get their news and information from a cornucopia of outlets and there is truly no center.

There is no center in music either. Like I said, number one really doesn’t matter.

And that’s a good thing.

Want to win in the new world?

Be you, authentic. Don’t look at what other people are doing, speak from your heart. Being able to play your instrument helps. And being able to write songs with melody and changes does too. If your audience can sing along, that goes a long way to embedding you in their heart. Sure there are songs that are great to dance to, but most of them are inherently dispensable. Hell, the music is just the grease at an EDM show.

We have to sell the music as paramount.

And that needs a refocus, a redirection.

By the big boys (and girls!)

The little ones are already doing it.