“Cody Townsend’s Line Of The Year”

Greetings from Aspen, Colorado, where we’re in attendance for the 19th annual AspenLive conference, wherein old buddies reconnect and we discuss the music business on the slopes because we’re incapable of talking about anything else and we cement bonds that last a lifetime.

Truly. Almost my entire social life is based upon AspenLive people.

And what do you do in Aspen?

SKI!

At least I’m hoping to. I’ve had a resurgence of ankle pain as I’ve tried to get in shape for the season. Who knew that twisting it on Labor Day weekend would continue to be a factor as the months have ensued. And I live to ski, it’s the most important thing to me. (Other than Felice!) And as the years pass and I get older and it takes longer to heal I figure I’d better get my days in. I got 48 last year, 46 the year before. That’s right, with a laptop and an iPhone I can be ANYWHERE!

And there is a nexus between being in Aspen and the subject of this missive. You see a ski video is going viral as we speak. You need to watch it, even if you don’t ski, it’ll thrill you.

I saw it yesterday. I haunt the ski sites. I was stunned that Cody Townsend could hold it together. That’s right, it’s not the speed that gets you, it’s the anxiety.

I figured no one would care but me. But today the clip is blowing up. It’s all over social media.

So, the perpetrators of this stunt won.

And you will never forget it.

And I wonder why we no longer have viral tracks in music.

Well, we have them, but they’re so few in number. The last one I remember is Avicii’s “Wake Me Up.” You forwarded it to somebody and they couldn’t help but send it on themselves after being infected by the music in one listen.

Then there was that CeeLo novelty track before that.

And Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” before that.

That’s right, Taylor Swift may own the news cycle, but “Shake It Off” never went viral. You didn’t have to tell anybody about it. It was decent, right up the middle, a hit. I expect nothing less from Max Martin, but that’s the point, it was what I expected, not a surprise.

And PSY’s track was not a surprise, the video was. It’s easier to create great video than great music.

But the first time we heard the Beatles… Either you know what it was like hearing “I Want To Hold Your Hand” emanating from the tiny speaker or you were not alive and I pity you.

The labels try to manipulate virality. But it’s all in the service of money. We don’t have enough one listen tracks, stuff that makes our heads blow off, that we can’t forget.

Need another example?

“Sexual Healing.”

And it may have taken you a listen or two to embrace it, but you knew “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was different and important as soon as you heard it.

Today everybody puts money first and tells you to listen to their endless opus multiple times to get it.

I want you to hit me with your best shot. I want you to surprise me. I want you to illustrate that life is not boring, that music is not me-too, that testing limits pays dividends.

PLEASE!

P.S. Ignore the YouTube counter, this clip is on multiple sites.

P.P.S. Technology is good, without it we wouldn’t have the POV video.

P.P.P.S. Stay until the very end to hear Cody whoop and exclaim. That’s what being alive is all about. That’s what going to the show should be all about. We’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden.