I woke up with the song “Head and Heart” in my brain.

In case you don’t know, the “hit” was by America, it appeared on their second album, “Homecoming,” which contained “Ventura Highway.”

But the song was written by John Martyn.

What stunned me was that neither recording sounded like the version in my head. The song had become my own.

And then my brain told me to listen to “Easy to Slip,” an unknown Little Feat track that has gained some traction over time with inclusion in greatest hits/repackages, but when it opened the band’s second album, “Sailin’ Shoes,” I didn’t know a single soul who knew it, never mind owned the album. It wasn’t until the band’s third album, in my eyes its best, “Dixie Chicken,” appeared that the band had any penetration into the marketplace, which was cemented by the follow-up, which gained airplay with a Billy Payne song, “Oh Atlanta,” which was kind of surprising for the Lowell George-led band. But it was “Easy to Slip” I sang skiing the bumps at the ‘Bird, and my friend Al started singing it too, in his own way, even though he’d never heard the record.

And I could have written a whole essay about the foregoing. First and foremost about John Martyn, who’s dead and gone, who succumbed to the effects of drugs and alcohol according to Wikipedia, which they say is as accurate as an encyclopedia, then again no one buys those anymore since there is Wikipedia. And I’m thinking of all the acts from back then, the late sixties and early seventies, that all dedicated music fans knew, even if they didn’t own the record, like the Incredible String Band, and how no one mentions them anymore. They weren’t big successes back then, but unlike the tripe of the late seventies and eighties they were original and valid and they’re all sitting there on Spotify to be discovered. Then again, go down that rabbit hole and you’ll be alone, when today it’s all about being a member of the group, it used to be about being an individual.

So while I’m listening to Alexa spew these songs I’m reading the MacKenzie Scott article in the “New York Times,” inspired by her philanthropic giving. I found it astounding that she’s already given away more than Eli Broad in just a few years. And I’m thinking how admirable Scott is but as I plow into the article, I realize she’s a kiss-ass. Never mind her real last name being “Tuttle.”

There’s a game. I don’t know if it’s identical from when I went to school, but I can’t see how it could have really changed. You do the work, suck up to the teacher and if you continue on this path you get good recommendations and you get into a good college. You don’t make any waves, you don’t get detention, you’re calm and studious, you do what’s expected.

I hate those people.

If you’ve been following the education beat, and I guess I still do, even though I’d never ever want to go back to school, you know that all the colleges are getting rid of standardized tests.

But it was standardized tests that saved us. Those who colored outside the lines, those who were independent thinkers, who questioned authority. Bottom line, we could ace the SATs and get into superior universities based on that. But now it’s all soft credits. They say it’s to help the underprivileged, but it’s killing the originals, the people who change society, for the better. You grade-grub, you get good recommendations from your teachers, and you get into these prestigious schools as an automaton. No wonder the greats drop out. Steve Jobs. Mark Zuckerberg. To be successful, to push the envelope, not to make a lot of money necessarily, but to change the world, you’ve got to do it your way, a different way, that resonates, that gives people what they want even though they don’t know it.

Like Elon Musk.

This guy is insane. His personal life is a travesty. He gets in trouble with the SEC. But he spearheaded Tesla and SpaceX, never mind PayPal.

And just recently he bought a big chunk of Twitter, and a couple of days ago he tweeted…, let me find it:

“Most of these “top” accounts tweet rarely and post very little content. 

Is Twitter dying?

TOP 10 most followed Twitter accounts: 

1. @BarackObama 131.4M 

2. @justinbieber 114.3M 

3. @katyperry 108.8M 

4. @rihanna 105.9M 

5. @Cristiano98.8M 

6. @taylorswift13 90.3M 

7. @ladygaga 84.5M 

8. @elonmusk 81M 

9. @narendramodi 77.7M 

10. @TheEllenShow 77.5M”

That’s the dirty little secret of today’s online world. It’s all statistics, rankings, no one pierces the surface and asks what the numbers really mean. If someone is rich, you can’t question their motives, their intelligence or how they made the money. If someone has a zillion followers or a zillion likes they’re perceived to be a big, influential star, you can’t pierce the veil and garner the truth.

So Elon Musk is stating the truth. Never mind fake followers, most of the big “stars” with big followings rarely post on Twitter, which is really the only valuable social network, because it’s based on information, it’s INFORMATIVE!

On Facebook and Instagram you can see what people have done, you can watch them shine, but if you want reality, you need Twitter.

And I’m not gonna try and convince you, it’s just that everybody who uses the service knows this. If you post what you’re doing on Twitter, no one cares. Add to the conversation, deliver facts, analyze, it’s a treasure trove of not only information, but inspiration, Twitter makes you think. The world runs on Twitter, but too many people are out of the loop.

These are questions that need to be addressed. And here we have the largest shareholder in the company asking them. Musk is not a drone. He’s revealing, and calling out truth. He wants to improve the service, not have it rest on his laurels. And, ironically, it’s his Twitter feed that gets the above info noticed and spread. As in he’s got an identity, he’s not shaving off his rough edges, and therefore he’s interesting to follow.

Like artists.

John Martyn and Lowell George were originals, far from me-too. They were part of the music scene, but they were not compromising, duplicating what the hitmakers did in search of a hit.

You’ve got to go your own way and blow institutions up. Music was famous for that, but it hasn’t really changed in twenty years.

And then we’ve got SNL… For all the ink you’d think everybody watches it and it affects the culture at large, but nothing could be further from the truth. Now in truth, broadcast TV is irrelevant, but if this were fifty years ago artists would be poking fun at an establishment production, and remaking it in their own hip way. But no, today all the automatons report what was on SNL like it’s manna from heaven.

Meanwhile, everybody talks about “Squid Game” and “Tiger King.” One thing you can say about both of them is they were originals, you’d never seen them before.

Now I’m not saying to go against the grain just for the sake of going against the grain.

And I’m not talking about holding back the future, trying to restrain people in their activities.

I’m talking about moving forward, cracking jokes… For all the standups out there irreverence has never had a smaller role in our society. God, if you make a joke the media police will come out and get you. Never mind if the joke fails. That’s right, you’ve got to miss a lot to hit.

But in truth, we’re all on our own path and no one is paying attention to what we’re doing unless we’re unique and different. Everybody’s fighting for attention doing the same damn thing, and that’s what the institutions like. Go to a record label with something that doesn’t sound like what’s on the radio and they’re not going to sign you, never ever.

For all the risk we hear about in Silicon Valley…

Most of that is funded by VCs.

No, true risk is personal. Something that you decide to do as an individual. It’s the only way to the top of the heap. The only way not to be a drone. Sure, you can make a ton of bread being a VP at a bank, but money is only one metric, and a far cry from importance from someone’s brain.

All these jokes about the liberal arts… English and art majors are derided, but these are the people creating the culture we indulge in. We live for the movies and the music and television, our gadgets, tech is just a tool. Isn’t that what Steve Jobs said?

But Steve Jobs is dead.

As is so much of what he represented.

You can have rough edges in pursuit of truth. Single-mindedness is the key to success.

It’s great that MacKenzie Scott is giving away all that money.

But I’d rather hang with the dead Lemmy and John Lennon than be a cog in the wheel of a corporation. We venerate those who Think Different. And those who Think Different don’t have to convince us they’re right, they don’t spam for attention, their work speaks for itself.

In order to make a difference you need to be different. You can’t be scared. But too many are.

That’s it.

Hayes Carll is an award-winning singer-songwriter from Texas. We discuss how he performed virtually during the pandemic, as well as what it’s like to be a touring musician singing his truth today and the tension between needing to have a presence online yet still focus on the work. Hayes also describes what it’s like to pursue songwriting excellence as opposed to fame. This is the other side of the music industry, someone who has a presence in the landscape yet has to work for a living, who is known but is not famous enough to survive on recording income and sponsorships. Hayes is authentic, you’ll enjoy listening to him.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hayes-carll/id1316200737?i=1000556513509

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/6c7551cc-1293-41c4-be69-d4dc622763b0/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-hayes-carll

https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast/episode/hayes-carll-202144435

Hey Bob,

You may not know it, but I’ve long admired your writing.

So it was that I was quite taken aback when a friend of mine in the States mentioned that you’d written a piece entitled ‘Living In A Fantasy’ – taking inspiration from my 1980 song.

It’s a beautifully written article (as always) and I find it so very humbling that my words and creativity have such an effect on people.

When you’re creating songs you never think of the effect, just putting down emotions as they come to you, trying to describe to yourself how you feel, to let it all out, air your thoughts. It’s a very cathartic exercise, rewarding and satisfying too.

I have had a very long career, which is still going strong even though I’m now I’m in my 74th year.

I’m living these days near Sydney in Australia, still writing songs, making records, still performing gigs and tours with my voice as good as ever – and remarkably I’ve still got all my hair!

I feel blessed by my life as a songwriter, even more than my success as a singer, and articles like yours make it all worthwhile.

So, thank you!

Leo (Gerard Hugh) Sayer.

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

Subject: Leo Sayer video from Jack Tempchin

Hi Bob

In the year 2000 I had a birthday party every Monday night at “The Joint” on Pico and Sepulveda.  I had “special guests” drop in and play with my core band.

Here is one night when Leo Sayer played.  He was incredible.

There is backstage footage.  Terry Reid, Waddy Wachtel, Rick Rosas, Bernard Fowler and Phil Jones and I were the band.

There was always a cast of characters backstage.

I had it all filmed and recorded and this year they are being posted.

Leo Sayer blew my mind.  I had no idea from his records how great a singer he was.

thanks

(I read you every day)

Jack Tempchin

It’s all about the personal.

This is a must for skateboarding fans, for everyone else? I don’t know. Felice watched it separately and loved it. But one thing’s for sure, this is a movie about skateboarding, too often docs focus on the penumbra, not the core, like music documentaries that don’t feature the music, but you’ll see Tony skate and you’ll gain insight into who he is.

Which he had no idea of until he went into rehab after three failed marriages. Two of which are essentially skipped here. But I guess that would be a different movie.

So what you’ve got here is a “mistake” whose mother is 43 years old when he is born and whose siblings are twenty years his senior. Who discovers skateboarding and never lets go.

Most people don’t have a passion, something they’ll sacrifice everything for. So they don’t understand the single-mindedness, the dedication of those who do. Furthermore, these people following their desire ultimately do it for themselves, because the accolades ring hollow.

This is very different from the mainstream paradigm, which is all about finding a way to get rich. Tony Hawk and his brethren in this flick just love to skateboard, they do so when no one is paying attention, they do so even though they’re now in their fifties and sixties.

So Tony’s father supports his passion. Like one of the skaters in the film, I can’t imagine my father doing that. His father creates the organization to oversee skateboard competitions but having a father with sharp elbows makes it hard to be one of the group at the competition.

Males… There is rarely an accurate portrayal of them. There’s all this talk about nerds and metrosexuals, but they are the minority. Being a male is being a part of a giant pecking order, with people always trying to push you down. If you’re accepted, you move up the ladder. But to be accepted oftentimes you have to shave off your rough edges, take on the group’s identity as opposed to your own, being different is anathema. But if you go your own way and raise your head it’s going to be chopped off, not only by the obvious bullies but most males, even those who appear to be gentle. And this isn’t only in sports, but in jobs, cars, men compete until they die. As if someone is really paying attention. Ultimately no one cares what car you drive, what house you live in, even about your accomplishments, because they’re focused on themselves and there’s always someone there to replace you. The hordes move on, where does that leave you?

So Tony makes it to the top and then the bottom falls out of skateboarding. A dance music promoter told me the music peaked every few years and then faded away, only to return once again. The Prodigy is big and everybody’s into the music. Then it goes back to the hard core and waits for ignition again.

They thought skateboarding was forever, but it turned out it wasn’t. That’s what’s hard to understand, you’re making bank, people are cheering for you and then nobody cares, you’re a has-been, Tony became a video editor, still skated while his then wife supported the family as a manicurist. And there’s so much pressure to give up and go straight. Your significant other is usually only supportive to a point. Girls talk and consensus is you’re a loser. But skating touches Tony’s soul, it keeps him centered, it makes his life worth living, so he refuses to give it up. You can only survive if the public acknowledges your work, but that isn’t always the case, or as with Tony, your job disappears.

And then years later it’s resuscitated by the X Games.

I don’t think young people today understand the power of television, the power of mass media. That was the goal, to get airtime, so everyone could see you. To a great degree that paradigm is dead, because nothing reaches everybody, except maybe the Super Bowl, which is why ad time is so expensive. Now being on TV is no big deal, there are too many outlets and you’re competing with YouTube and social media, which are infinite. Same deal with radio, the younger generations don’t listen to it, and the younger generations are the ones who move the needle on music.

Now if you go back to the early nineties it was a big deal that there was even a second ESPN. The X Games blew up extreme sports, supported the culture, which got very little promotion in the straight media but had huge impact amongst the demo. Which is always the case, those in charge can’t see, never mind feel, the change.

Tony’s father articulates something that stunned me in this world. That unlike the boomers, these competitors actually root for each other. It’s oftentimes more important to have a good time than to win.

And skating could be done anywhere. You didn’t need an ocean or mountains and snow. And with skating there was a culture, with apparel, the right shoes, shorts and t-shirts. And an attitude. This culture was supported by magazines and videos, back when information used to be scarce, outsiders found a world where they could be accepted. And it grew and grew. However ultimately Gen-X’s kids rebelled against snowboarding, an outgrowth of skate culture, and went back to skiing. Everybody focused on money, screw your passion. So once again, the progenitors, the lifers, are left alone, doing their own thing, which they continue to do whether anybody is paying attention or not.

Maybe they know something the rest of us do not. But you see the skaters in this movie decades later and you wonder how they make a living. There’s enough money for Tony, but a lot look bedraggled, only a few people can triumph financially in niche sports, maybe only one, and that’s Tony.

Who has it all, takes advantage and realizes it’s not fulfilling. I know, it sounds like a “Behind the Music” episode, but musicians are different, they take the stage, it’s about performance, being larger than life, whereas Tony is so normal and nice.

That’s what shocks you when you meet him. I’ve met a ton of celebrities, and they carry their charisma or send a message you should treat them differently. Tony is like your next door neighbor, home from spending time doing something you’re unfamiliar with. He never boasts. He doesn’t raise his voice. He’ll treat you like an equal, which is shocking. He’s not the usual celebrity.

But he is the usual star inside. That one-minded focus, that dedication, leaves blind spots. Tony goes on record that he has an intimacy problem. Most people won’t even admit that. You’re surrounded by people but you don’t know how to deal with people. This is something you’ll find if you meet your musician heroes, at least the aged ones. They did this because it was their only way out, their only way to meet people who wanted to be with them romantically, the only way they could have friends. But usually they only get the surface, the adoration, being put on a pedestal, people don’t know them and oftentimes the performers don’t know themselves.

So today it’s all about showing your trappings, trying to get clicks, accolades. There are so many more opportunities than there were in the pre-internet era, but success is on a smaller scale than it ever was, at least in terms of reach, you might still be able to make money.

But the image you present is not real. Scroll through Instagram, you’ll instantly feel inadequate, everybody’s toned and beautiful. Then again, every once in a while one of the posters will put up a picture without makeup and they’ll look completely normal, not special, not beautiful.

And why spend time making TikTok videos if people aren’t going to see them? Everybody believes they’re one click away from going viral. And if they go viral people will know them, they’ll get paid and their life will work out. But this is not the case. It’s the carrot dangled before you, but if you think being famous solves all your problems, you’re dead wrong, you probably don’t even know anyone truly famous.

No, in the end you have to become a fully developed person, engage the world just like everybody else, do your best to be real, to reveal your truth, which is scarce in today’s society but is what we’re all looking for.

So on the surface, “Until the Wheels Fall Off” is a skateboarding movie. But underneath the rolling wheels it’s a human story, about society, the individual.

Now on a skateboarding level, nothing is left on the cutting room floor. It’s all there. For you to learn and salivate over.

But on a human level…you’ve got to watch and connect the dots, figure out how the pieces fit together, try to figure out who these people are, what truly motivates them.

And Tony Hawk has suffered for his sport, his success. His body is bruised and broken, hell, he broke his femur just before this flick’s release. But he will not stop. These people will not stop. They keep skating. As Rodney Mullen says near the end it’s the intangibles that keep them going, pushing the envelope, he wishes the average person could see them, but they can’t. This is the nirvana. You pay a huge price for it, but it’s rare and elusive and most people don’t get there. It’s an inner feeling, not something you wear, an amount in your bank account. It’s about being alive, self-satisfaction, happiness, a structure to your life. It’s available to everybody but few want to pay their dues and carry the costs of achieving this heightened state.

But one thing is for sure, you can see it in this documentary. You can feel it. Tony Hawk is just the spearhead of a cultural movement. It’s more of an attitude than a performance. Skateboarding was outside. Tony’s told me he’s thrilled it’s in the Olympics, and I can see that it makes it more permanent, so the sport has staying power. But you can never buy back your outsider status. There is a cost to being co-opted, there is a cost for everybody being in on the joke and the story. Freestyle skiing was an outlaw sport. Now bump skiing is in the Olympics with man-made moguls and everybody replicating the same turns and tricks. It’s become what the original freestylers hated, it’s no longer free.

But those there in the beginning, they still remember. And what’s stunning about the skaters in this movie is they’re still the same people doing the same thing. Usually sports or arts activities are a whim, something you do for a while before you go straight. But not these guys, this is who they are. Watching them will have you pondering who you are. And that’s the most important question in life.

On HBO: https://bit.ly/3uepEGA