I spent all day listening to the radio trying to discover something new, that I wanted to write about.  Even though I’ve got two satellite services, and jumped between them, I found nothing, it was depressing.  Maybe it’s because the deejays were programming what they thought we WANTED to hear.  That doesn’t interest me.  Just play what you’d spin at home.  Imagine I’m living in a picture frame on the wall, just observing, just listening.

That’s what’s wrong with America.  The POSTURING!  Everybody’s so worried about their IMAGE!  Then again, did you read that 22% of the public judged a man negatively if he was seen with an overweight woman?  That study was paired with another with one that said Americans were no longer so concerned with being fat.  Survey: Some Americans OK With Being Fat  Seems they can accept themselves, but not others.  Or maybe it’s a different group.  Maybe the thins hate the fats.  But those skinny women in "Us" never touched my soul.  Being a size 0 doesn’t mean you stand for anything, would be any fun to be around.  That comes from the INSIDE!  We crave authenticity.  We slide right off of slick surfaces.  We need something to hook into.  Two dimensions give us nowhere to insert ourselves, we need three, to get our hooks in.  But everybody in America is afraid of revealing their true selves.  Unless it’s on reality TV, for a paycheck.  But the people on those shows have no talent.  We’re interested in people who RADIATE an innate honesty, people who reach out and grab US!

I was coursing through the iTunes Music Store Celebrity Playlists.  The celebs seemed most worried how we would PERCEIVE them.  This was just another piece of the publicity puzzle, selling their latest project.  Just further evidence of the unending artifice.  That has us turning our backs.  But I ultimately found some honesty.  Where I didn’t expect it.  First with Steve Perry.  Lord only knows why he’s here, the guy won’t even go on the road, I don’t think he’s promoting anything, and I was never a Journey fan to begin with, however I do admit to a fondness for his solo hit "Oh Sherrie".  I was stunned that Steve put TLC’s "Waterfalls" first on his list.  I mean this is the whitest guy on the planet.  But, I too liked "Waterfalls".  And there was "Can’t Find My Way Home", a true classic that’s on its way to being forgotten.  But the keeper was by the Eels.  A track entitled "In The Yard, Behind The Church".  "Jeannie’s Diary" is the most-played track in my iTunes library, with 214 complete spins.  I’ve come to learn that E is, as Steve puts it, SINCERE!  And I’m looking for sincerity.  And, Steve had that great Filter song, "Take A Picture".  But he turned me on to two more winners, the System’s "Don’t Disturb This Groove" and Kasabian’s "Club Foot".  Oh, I thought I’d given Kasabian a chance, but I needed Mr. Perry to pick out a track.  And the System cut seems so LEFT FIELD!  But that’s when I knew that Steve was a music lover, that I’d like to spend an evening playing tracks with him.  Who knew?

But even more authentic was Jeff Daniels.  Who admitted to only attending ONE Lakers game (aren’t the celebrities given free tickets with the title to their new house in the Hollywood Hills?)  The kind of stuff Jeff likes is the kind I desire in the middle of the night, when I’m alone.  I felt I could be his friend, because he understood MOOD!  The winner he hipped me to was Kelly Joe Phelps’ "Hard Time Killin’ Floor Blues".

But the guy who turned me on to the song I’m writing about, is the same guy who turned me on to James McMurtry’s "We Can’t Make It Here", Stephen King.  Hell, I’m not even a King fan.  But this guy doesn’t give a shit about his image, he’s pure Maine.  Just a guy from one step beyond the borderline, who couldn’t posture if his life depended on it.  And, Stephen’s known for going for the hard stuff.  But, there were quiet things.  By acts like Donna the Buffalo.  Have you heard their "Love and Gasoline"?  Magic.  And, be sure to check out Chuck Prophet’s "Rise".  But you’ll have to either buy all of the above or steal them.  You can get Tim Easton’s "Carry Me" for free.  On his Website, timeaston.com.

"Carry Me" is not the best track I heard today.  But it resonates, because of the pure AUTHENTICITY!  I’ve been in this club.  With empty seats.  As someone I’ve bought the record of plays all the tunes I know.  With no auto-tune, no tapes, no backup singers, just himself and his guitar.  Goes straight to the gut.

Go to: Tim Easton and download and listen to "Carry Me".  A bunch of times.

In today’s L.A. "Times" Kristin Hersh talked about giving her new music away for free on the Web, this being the only way she could spread the word.

I got e-mail from a manager today whose act gave away their tracks on MySpace last month as a Christmas gift and saw SALES of their album go up.

I was downloading live tracks from the Bruce Hornsby fan site bruuuce.com and I noticed they were providing Bruce’s video for "Fields Of Gray".  I started to watch it.  And suddenly realized the video era was over.  Oh, you might shoot a live show and put it up on your Website, but no real act is going to authorize the spending of more than their album budget to promote one track.  What with actors playing roles and special effects swirling.  The MTV era is finally done.  Video is dead.  It’s about the MUSIC now.

Although Tim Easton is giving his music away for free, you can buy it too.  Works both ways.  But what really inured me to this guy was, despite being on New West Records, he WROTE HIS OWN BIO!

Yup, click on "Press Kit" on his site, and download the PDF.

I’ll clue you in.  I NEVER read the bio.  A piece of trash written by some low level writer trumpeting how the act is unique and is the greatest thing since sliced bread.  The bio is for newspaper reporters, for TV hosts, real fans don’t want the canned story, they want the true info.

It’s a lonely world we live in.  One in which we’re made to feel inadequate 24/7.  We’re not good-looking enough, not rich enough, not THIN enough.  Doesn’t matter DNA, doesn’t matter birth circumstances.  You’re either a winner or loser.  Tough nuggies.

But the public is starting to reject this paradigm.  They’ve had enough and are yelling back.  Via their medium, the Web.  Celebrities are to be mocked, Top Forty music is to be listened to and disposed of.  People are searching for something more real, that touches them.  Stuff like Tim Easton.