From: Merel Bregante

Subject: Re: Fwd: Trilogy-Lovin’ Me/To Make A Woman Feel Wanted/Peace Of Mind

Hey Bob,

Thank you for your words regarding Loggins and Messina. Makes me happy to know that you enjoyed the music we made so damn long ago.

A couple quick notes.

Messina put the band together early 1971. We rehearsed daily for months, finally recording in November of that year. This was Jimmy’s way. Know the song well enough that improvisation could happen inside of TIGHT arrangements. As with all our recordings, when we cut Sittin’ In it was recorded basically live. Some solos. Some bg vocs. That was it. All our albums were cut with intense rehearsals prior to the studio.

Contrary to what some might say, this was purely/simply Jimmy’s band. We worked hard for basically nothing that first year. What we had was music that we KNEW was special – and – we had Jimmy’s promises that WHEN the band was successful, that we would ALL participate in the payoff for the work given. 50 years later, I still realize the truth of his promise.

In 2003 Jimmy brought the original band back together to rehearse and do two shows. This was done without Loggins. It was the last time my dear brother, Jon Clarke, would ever be on stage. It was the ‘best’ we’d ever sounded. We played. It was done.

BTW: though I enjoyed all the music, the specific songs you mention were my favorites as well. Your Mama Don’t Dance? Meh!!!

Be well,

Merel

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Subject: Re: Rod Stewart-1 Playlist

Bob

The first band I ever joined after leaving my high school band in San Diego was The Rod Stewart Band.

Playing any of the early solo songs as well as The Faces songs was an unimaginable treat for a kid in 1988. You Wear It Well and Maggie were two of my favorites so imagine my surprise when this surfing skateboarding lover of P- funk, Aerosmith and Iggy who thought country music was lame found out that Rod was attempting to make a country records when he wrote and Produced those songs….(Thats why they had a fiddle in there).

Weird to think that listeners of popular music back then could love those songs along with so many others that didn’t all sound like the same song. In grade school I would hear Maggie May on the same AM station and Up Side Down by Diana Ross

People often praise me for my work with Was (Not Was), Mick Jagger, Bill Laswell, Bootsy and George etc etc BUT give me tons of shit about Rod Stewart as if he was not credible.

I tell them all they are nuts cuz Rod Stewart made sports arenas feel like someone’s living room every night and those old songs broke the place down like a church. I owe him so much and love him like a big brother SO I’m so happy to see you rocking his catalog. Young artists need to study that music for real.

Stevie Salas

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Subject: Re: The Virtual Rapper

Bob,

The real story is where were the black executives at the table to check out the deal before it was made. As a former Capitol  SVP R&B Promotions & Marketing who is black, I know I would have said it’s offensive or not a good look for the company. I know other black former SVPs at Capitol or any other label who would have raised a flag, thus saving the company the embarrassment, if there is such a thing.

For me that’s the real story.

Always enjoy reading your material.

Best

David

David C Linton

Program Director

91.9FM WCLK

“Atlanta’s Jazz Station”

Atlanta , Ga. 30314

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From: Ralph Covert

Subject: Re: The Virtual Rapper

The labels specializing in “blowing things up from big to bigger” was my experience when I was signed to Universal/Disney. I had been with an indie that specialized in growth and marketing, and after experiencing major label love I would tell folks Disney specialized in “harvesting not developing.” In a way, it’s worse than you put it — they weren’t even really blowing anything up, they were just along for the ride if it happened to occur. (They were lovely people, and treated me well; I’m merely sharing their marketing in action.)

This story captures it perfectly for me. Shortly before they signed me the “High School Musical” phenomenon happened. You may remember that at the time that album shattered all the digital release records. Strategy? Hardly. Someone from Disney TV stopped by the floor where the label lived (complete with a giant painting of Mickey Mouse as the Mod with motorcycle from The Who’s “Quadraphenia” album cover by the elevator) and dropped off the master tape for the HSM album along with the release date. And there it lived, on his desk, under other papers. The TV show aired, HSM blew up, and all the teen girls wanted the music. (The only copy of which was still untouched on his desk.) The urgent phone call came in, he whipped out the artwork as fast as he could, and they released it digitally because it was the only thing they could do after the fact. And that, my friend, was their brilliant marketing plan, to turn on the spigots of money once the cash started flowing. 

I made my “Rhyming Circus” album for them, which I consider my finest Ralph’s World album (my Sgt. Peppers, you will), and it was released in 08 as the economy tanked. They had a 90 show big tent family tour booked, and it shut down after a half dozen shows, reconvening for the last weekend. They paid me (and I paid my band) for the full summer, but that was the start and end of that record. Ah, the rock n roll dream!

Keep doing what you do, it matters. 

Ralph

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From: Jim Griffin

Subject: Re: The Virtual Rapper

And this, Bob: No copyrights for AI or robots or non-human “creativity” – in the US, cannot survive the registration process at the USCO, but the UK says it’s OK as does China. Hell, the UK addresses the issue of “life plus” by assigning it 50 years of term. By treaty we extend reciprocity to other countries, so we have questions ahead of us, profound questions of law and policy.

 

I agree. Copyright is about incentives and machines cannot be incentivized by copyright or money … the US Constitution doesn’t support non-human copyright (remember the macaque selfie denied a US copyright). Will this change or is our course set?

 

Jim

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From: Dan Millen

Subject: Re: The Virtual Rapper

2 things here to respond to:

1. Most pop music is all harmonized and quantized and created by formula anyway. This we know and you’ve covered extensively so ho hum.

2. Regarding cashless – one of my venues is now fully cashless including at the door.

The bar is easy, but I always resisted the door because in the past credit card sales have always slowed entry to a crawl.

Now it’s tap to pay and it’s actually faster than making change, and keeps door staff from being tempted to skim.

I don’t as a promoter, ever hide cash sales at settlements, life is just too short for that and frankly, I didn’t come up in that era, the system was long in place by the time I got in the game.

But now with cashless, and ticketing technology everything runs through the ticketing system, settlements are a breeze.  

Generate a sales audit, plug the numbers into a spreadsheet, receipts if applicable are all digital, and payouts are all digital. Venmo, PayPal, zelle or if it’s a really large number, bank wire.

I resisted for a long time but the tech is caught up and reliable, and COVID made everyone ready for cashless.

Oh one more thing, if you got any juice at the major agencies tell them to start accepting PayPal or Venmo or even credit cards for deposits.

1975 called and wants its checks and bank wires back

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From: TS Bitterman

Subject: Re: Harry Styles At MSG

Security;

Like other workers at many US venues it’s a P/T occasional job without much training & no future.

I worked with an Artist doing a residency at London’s O2 and spent time with some of the security people ( we had a “B stage” and I always met with individuals working security to let them know that at a determined point in the show someone would be moving quickly by them from the stage to the house in the dark).

The question I ask in the US what do you do for a real job?

In the UK, that is the real job, it is a profession and they are trained in many aspects of crowd control including CPR and first aid 

( over here no, but many touring crews are)

I went to the concourse and watched the security welcome guests into the arena and direct them towards there seats, taking time for a quick chat and to present a positive experience.

I saw them working within the audience quelling issues and presenting a face to help, or discourage bad behavior.

…and at the end of night assist ( not yell) guests out and direct them towards the trains.

It’s a much different experience by design.

Cheers, TS

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From: Bob Davis

Subject: Re: Harry Styles At MSG

Can’t tell you how many times I waltzed past $10/hour Rent-a-cops at gigs without my laminate on.  It is a substantial number.

My favorite thing to do was leave my backstage office to go hang out with the FOH gang (sound engineer, LD, etc.) and go back to my office.  Was never stopped a single time.

I also refused to let security search my bag upon entry when I arrived in the morning.  That led to some funny standoffs.

Venue security is notoriously lame.

BD

Retired Tour Accountant

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Subject: RE: Dynamic Pricing

You’re right about acts scalping their own tickets. And it’s as old as the world’s oldest profession.

In my Pace days, working for the legendary Louie Messina, we opened the big indoor/outdoor venue in Camden NJ in 1995. We were advised by the late Steve Greenberg, our consultant,  to use local ticket brokers because “doctors and lawyers and stuff” weren’t standing in line at Blockbuster stores to buy tickets. And they didn’t care what they paid. It was more important for them to be seen than it was for the artist to be heard.

Pennsylvania law (it was essentially a Philly venue) restricted the resale of tickets for more than 10% of their face values in those days. The brokers could get around this by getting “tipped” on top of each transaction and the extra 10 points.

A major act who will go nameless…although there many of them…. went on sale sold out in a heartbeat. Philly, pound for pound, is the best live concert market in the country. Credit Larry Magid and WMMR Radio for that at least in a big part of that anyway. We gave the brokers allotments but they were not returnable the way old LPs were by the record stores. So they had some risk and they got hurt on shows that bombed.

One well known broker called me a week after the on sale of one sellout and said the Washington Post had tickets for our show on sale in little classified ads. 

“You’re holdin’ out on me,” he said.

I told him to buy the tickets from that Post ad and when he got them I’d pay him for them and we could track the locations from the holds once they were in his hands.

Yep, artist holds. 

The main beef by artists in those days was not that their fans were getting jobbed by the scalpers. It was because they weren’t in on it.

Now they can be with a legitimate claim that the market sets the price and why shouldn’t they reap the benefit.

I’m with the acts on this one.

Tom Rooney

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Subject: A new ticket selling model…

Bob, 

I’m a tour manager… a road dog. Lately, I’ve been working with Tommy James & The Shondells. We mainly do one-off’s and weekend warrior stuff. On Tuesday, we played the Oklahoma State Fair. That same night, Pearl Jam was at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. 

On our return flight to New York on Wednesday morning, there were at least a dozen people wearing Pearl Jam T-shirts on board; including the person seated next to me. 

No doubt most of your readers, myself included, have traveled long distances to see a favorite band at some point in our lives, but those were road trips with (or to visit) friends and share an experience. This was not that.

My seat mate explained that she had flown out to see the band because she couldn’t afford a ticket to see them at Madison Square Garden; at least not from good seats. It was cheaper by a couple of thousand dollars, total two days off of work, fly to OKC, book a hotel, bring her dog Maury along, take taxis, eat out and buy a great seat in OKC than to pay for a single ticket to MSG! What was most startling is that she was clearly not alone. As I said, there were at least a dozen others who had likely done the same thing. 

The implications of this are enormous. For one thing, it is an obvious indictment (albeit on a minuscule scale) of the current ticket selling model. On the other hand, it opens up new ways to sell tickets in secondary markets. The same promoter who brought us to the Fair, brought Pearl Jam to the Paycom Center. I can see potential partnerships with airlines and hotels to package great seats and a good hotel room; maybe even dining perks… effectively taking money from one major economy and relocating it to a tertiary market.

Well, I trust you can see why I thought of sharing this observation with you. I won’t take up any more of your time. Stay well and keep writing!

Rich Nesin

P.S. I should mention that this person had never been to Oklahoma before and picked it because she was able to get good seats for the show.

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Subject: Re: China

Absolutely love my new Kia EV6. I got the lowest model, the EV6 Light, without AWD and the larger range. The EV6 was built from the ground up as an EV, and is targeted squarely at the Tesla 3 market. I test drove both the EV6 and the Tesla and my decision was easy. The Kia feels like a luxury auto, while the Tesla felt like a cheaper version of their real car. I’ve got solar panels on my garage that feed my level 2 charger, so the only time I pay for fuel is when I’m on the road, and Kia gave me 1000 free hours of charging at Electrify America chargers. Since I can go from 20% to 80% in about 20 minutes, those 1000 hours will likely last me for as long as I own the car.

So I’m driving a very nice car and not paying for fuel. Why the hell are people so afraid to move away from fossil fuels?

Chris White

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Subject: Re: China

Correct.  We Americans are small minded.

I live in Shenzhen.  Clean. Very little graffiti.  I know of 3 Bentley dealerships.   All the buses are Electric.  The subway is electric.  The train is electric. 

The AQI is always excellent, better than LA.

Oh, that’s because they are oppressed commies!  This is not the USSR.

Every neighborhood has a high end mall.

Oh, the Covid Zero policy is wack, but no one is sick.

You should see the BYD cars here.  Stunning.

By the way, what does BYD stand for?

Build Your Dreams!  No joke

William

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Subject: RE: Mailbag-Cash/Pickleball/More

Our local Greek restaurant in Santa Clarita, which has takeout, had so many overnight break ins to grab cash out of the register that they did away with cash.  They only take credit cards and of course, Apple Pay.  No break ins after that because there is no cash to steal, the only “bread” they have is pita.

Philip A. Wasserman

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From: Jonathan Peirce

Subject: Re: Mailbag-Cash/Pickleball/More

Around 2015 my son (who attended a private school for kids with Autism) was learning how to count money. We had piles of change around, that he would pretend to use. I hadn’t carried cash for years and thought it was ridiculous, but whatever… about a month later I was at a meeting at this school, where a well known director of another big school for special needs was speaking, and one of the things he said was ‘how many teachers here are teaching their kids how to count change?’ After all the teachers raised their hands, he said “YOU’RE WASTING THEIR TIME. By the time they get out of this school, there will be no cash.” They all stopped teaching it the next day.

-I spend a good portion of the year living in Mexico: Cash is still used every day, it drives me crazy.

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Subject: Re: Mailbag-Cash/Pickleball/More

More re: cash. 

Saw a “just married” car driving through my town the other day. Note underneath nuptial announcement had a “Buy them a drink on their honeymoon” with Venmo handle. I laughed and sent them $10. 

No idea who these people are and never will. Nice novelty though.

Yannick Peary

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From: jemail

Subject: Re: LIV Golf

Phil Michelson is a prat. At the Yellowstone Club, which was created in Big Sky, Montana for families who loved to ski powder and morphed into another placeholder for rich jerks and Hollywood posers, Michelson was the first sign of the rot. Bill Gates was a member for a long time before and was pretty much ignored, which I think was fine with him. When Timberlake and Michelson joined they couldn’t resist showing off in Twenty Below, the kids club and diner under the main lodge. One occasion of many:  Michelson was the only adult playing dodgeball with kids aged about 7 -13 yet gleefully whipped the balls as hard as he could (he’s a large powerful man) even at close range When they naturally ganged up on him, and got him out quicker and quicker, each time he’d announce ‘jailbreak’ immediately and resume his position on the court to their boos and disdain. He didn’t care. He wanted to keep playing, despite plenty of bruises on the kids. Giant wanker and bad sport.

____________________________________

Subject: Re: LIV Golf

Hi Bob, thanks for highlighting the LIV tour. Most of your readers don’t know the difference between the PGA Tour and the PGA of America. The PGA Tour is comprised of the guys you see on TV playing golf for money. The PGA of America is comprised of the men and women who conduct the business of golf on a community level, i.e. your local golf course. Most people don’t know the difference between the two organizations and even more don’t care. But for us PGA of America members, it does matter.  I don’t play golf for a living – I teach golf and operate a golf course – but if I did play for a living I wouldn’t go near that Saudi money. Those guys that took that blood money are forever beholden to the Saudi’s and for more than just playing in a LIV event.

You didn’t mention Greg Norman, who’s running point for the LIV tour. Among his many holdings, he also heads an apparel company. You won’t see his label in my golf shop anymore. Not that he needs the money.

Sean McGowan

Head PGA Professional

Quail Valley Golf Course

Banks, OR

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From: JH Tompkins

Subject: Re: The USC/L.A. Times Book

Bob, another great column, but of course not only am I your age and grew up on newspapers (my old man was a journalist and we got NYT, Herald Tribune, Newsday, and World Telegram everyday), I was a journalist before the fall of the alt-weeklies, the circuit where I worked. I teach journalism at the JC level and often have students who have never read a paper – it’s all social media of one sort or another – but there is a place for all of them out there. Still, there’s no way what NYT means to me translates to my students. A quick note on the Ivies’ secret society: I went to Princeton, and for reasons that have little to do with any qualifications other than have been accepted to the place, its opened all kinds of doors over the years. It’s kind of embarrassing, actually, even thought it’s been personally useful from time to time. I read Bad LA – and you’re right, it’s two stories, but even if part 2 is “inside baseball,” the struggle to discover and spread facts that undercut the lies and bullshit that pass for truth is absolutely essential. I don’t think that big city newspapers will have a resurgence – in print or online – but if we don’t find an avenue to educate – in schools, in neighborhoods and communities, on social media, and all the other pipelines for information – we are fucked. Period. People actually believe QAnon. Lastly, Lindsay Graham’s call to riot (that’s what it was, a page right out of the Trump playbook) shows how perilous the times are – not because Trump’s thievery is so godawful (we expect this from him after all), but because there are fascist shock troops – real live fascists, not just wanna-be soldiers wanting to look cool in redneck boroughs – itching for a chance to shoot people. 

Duck.

JH Tompkins

LA

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From: Jon Clancy Webster

Subject: 24 writers

Dear Bob

From afar I would like to stick my oar in.

The USA (like Iraq, Iran and Burundi and a couple of others) don’t pay Public performance royalties (radio play/bars at least) to master rights owners (record companies). The rest of the world does.

As such the dispute about 24 writers on a Beyonce track may seem a little mad.

There are rules that work out the distribution of master rights income on radio play in the rest of the world. It mostly goes labels, signed artists (featured artists) and session guys. This money can be substantial. The rules are arcane but in the UK mean that Rhianna being a Commonwealth citizen (Barbadian) gets paid as a performer every time one of her records gets played on UK radio and throughout the world (but not the USA). Over the years that’s a load of money –  7 or 8 figures in pounds. But American artists do not – that money goes straight to the UK labels concerned.

The original session player of say a drum beat in 1964 does gets paid. (see below)

So presumably the rules/conventions have also worked out that when a sample from a track is used on another track then ALL the writers on the original track get a publishing share depending on the original splits in the song whether they wrote the piece sampled or not. Hence 24 writers.

I was once told by a friend in Publishing that on the day or release of a worldwide smash back in the day there were two writers credited. Six months later that was fifteen as the artist couldn’t afford to pay the wardrobe person etc so gave them a piece of their publishing. More fool that artist.

The last piece of the jigsaw is that of much sampled drum beats etc. If a sixties drum fill gets used on a track then they should get paid performance income when a master is played on the radio with that sample in it. But what happens when a sample is of a sample which is of a sample? How can the splits be worked out? And who knows whether the sample was of the original track or of the track that sampled the original and was a copy?

Of these subjects lawsuits and lawyers get rich!

Best Regards in retirement and glad of it..

webbo

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Subject: Marcus King

Heard of him… have always meant to check him out… listened  to the pod…instant fan!  When he brought up the Tucker and Company thing… I literally let out a whoop in my car! His 2 albums he picked blew me away… I loved it…can’t recommend this enough!

Tom Clark

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Subject: Re: Jean-Luc Godard

Hi Bob,

Thanks for putting the phenomenal 60’s in context (once again) when pop culture moved at the speed of light (like a film projector) and to which global reactionary forces have been pushing back against ever since, desperately trying to maintain a status quo that is no longer relevant. I never met Godard but back in the 90’s my wife and I were getting on the Geneve – Paris train and as we settled into our seats my wife Françoise (who is a French actress) was visibly excited. “Don’t turn around,” she said. “But Jean-Luc Godard is on the train.” I casually walked back down the aisle and there he was, sitting by himself, reading a paperback policier (cheap French crime novels). He had on semi-dark glasses and a rumpled tweed jacket. I told my wife she should go up to him and introduce herself as she’s an actress. “I would never do that,” she said. “Why?” I asked. She looked at me like I was a moron. “Because he’s Godard!” she said. And it made perfect sense. 

From Paris,

Elliott Murphy

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From: stephanie zill

Subject: dumb question

Bob, you probably won’t have time to answer this and I’m sure it’s a dumb question, but why is Morgan Wallen ‘toxic’?  What did he do?  I never heard of him till I heard ‘Wasted on You’ on the radio, I think it’s a really good song, it’s so weird and minor chord-ish.  But what’s wrong with him to make the intelligentsia hate him?

It’s fine if you can’t answer, just thought I’d give it a shot, I figure it’s some inside-baseball type stuff cause I didn’t see anything online when I googled for him.

Thanks & I love reading  your column as always!

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Subject: Re: Lykkeland

Bob,

This Likkeland is Fantastic!

I’ve read you regularly since I first saw you  more than a decade ago as Keynote Speaker at Folk Alliance in 2012 administering a dose of what I’d euphemistically refer to as “tough love” to the thousands of assembled folk artists all aspiring to “make it” in the music world.  I was accompanying my then 13 year old daughter who’d recently uncovered her artistic gifts and was showcasing them for the first time. (I accompanied her on another 200K miles/400 gigs before she could fly on her own as the artist she is and will always be).

How could I ever have predicted that more than a decade later I’d be so excited to respond to your head’s up missive about a non-music related TV series which I clearly would have missed otherwise (largely due to the hoaky translation of the title).

You see I was a freshly minted Naval Architect employed by Mobil Research and Development Corp stateside who was “seconded” (assigned) to  Mobil Exploration Norway Inc. in early March of 1984 to support our marine field operations in the Statfjord Field out of the Stavager office.  I spent the most memorable three years of the 64  years I’ve so far logged to date living in Stavanger, (the first two as  a mid twenties single guy and the third with my future wife to be).

While my wife and I are only half way through enjoying the first season (still set in 1970) of the unfolding story, I can share with you and your readers that this NRK production is 100% authentic in it’s representation of Stavanger (none of this Hollywood practice of filming New England scenes in British Columbia to capitalize on some tax incentive!).  My office in the Crossed Fish Building on the key side, my apartment overlooking Breiavatnet, the pond in the center of town, all look the same as the day I left in December 1986!   And the municipal  representatives and industry captains of shipping and fishing referenced were all still players in the scene during the mid eighties.

I can’t thank you enough for highlighting this production as I would have missed it  for the reason you so often point out….too much content to sift through!

This one head’s up is worth all the Lefsetz Letter subscription fees I’ve paid this past decade.  (LOL!).

Keep doing what you’re doing “till you just can’t do it anymore.  There are many of us who absolutely look forward to your next post, to new thoughts you have to share, no matter where it veers from the current state of the music industry!

Pete Reardon

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From: Peter Burnside

Subject: Re: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Checked with my kids and yea, Tik Tok is the new search engine.  As one said, if you google “wedding dresses” you get ads from dress stores showing size zero models.  If you do on Tik Tok, you get a bunch of people who look like us in dresses talking about where they got them and what sort of deal they go.

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From: Martin Media

Subject: Rushdie attack

Until now, it’s all been fun and games, not much more than talk show fodder. Nobody really got seriously hurt. Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle… but this is going to be a game-changer. The guy may lose and eye and his liver was stabbed with a knife any metal detector would have caught.

I’ve already been getting riders from comics (and bands) requiring metal detectors at the entrances and bodyguards all day and within feet of the stage or else they won’t agree to do the date. Another extra expense the promoter will have to bear, but unfortunately, the time has come. Look forward to hearing your comments on this one.

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Subject: RE: Summer Songs Playlist

Hi Bob,

An addendum to the list of Songs of Summer: The last song on the list is “Piece of My Heart” by Big Brother and the Holding Company, featuring Janis Joplin. That song was co-written by one of my early mentors, Jerry Ragovoy, a great record producer and songwriter. 

The original version of the song was recorded by Erma Franklin, Aretha’s sister, and produced by Jerry and Bert Berns. It was released in 1967 on the Shout label and did fairly well in the R and B market. I urge everyone to listen to this original, which to my ear is much, much better than Janis’s version.

Jerry told me the story of the session. He had assembled what was then one of the great studio bands in New York: Herb Lovelle on drums, Paul Griffin on piano, Eric Gale on guitar and Chuck Rainey on bass. However, for some reason, Rainey was late to the session, so they cut the tune with no bass. After they got the take, Rainey had still not arrived, so Eric Gale overdubbed the bass. I asked him about it later and he said that he played a borrowed bass using a thumb pick. That is the version you hear if you play it now.

Right from the outset, the band sets a slow, spidery groove, steady as a metronome and sitting back on the beat. The musicians are so together, so in the pocket, it seems they must have been rehearsing for weeks. This cool groove provides a sparse, open bed for Erma to tell her tale. Eric Gale does very little on guitar, providing rhythmic chunks on the back beat, while Paul Griffin takes the lead. The pianist combines a gospel feel, with unmistakable countryish, Floyd Cramer-style chordings. After the intro, Erma starts off sounding wounded and hurt, but by the pre-chorus, she gains in strength, showing us that indeed, a woman can be tough. Gale’s overdubbed bass part starts simple, but builds with the track, becoming very active in the chorus and adding to the excitement. A simple, effective horn arrangement and some great background vocals added in make this a true classic, sadly under-appreciated. 

Best,

John Boylan

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Subject: Re: Summer Songs Playlist

Hey Bob: 

Wow great list.  Almost every track has a memory.  In particular Tommy Roe and “Sweet Pea.”  Mom and dad borrowed a camper, the kind that sits atop a pickup, and we made our way to Colorado.  My brother and I would ride in the back (not even legal these days…seat belts, what seat belts?) and listen to the radio as we laid in that bunk bed with the window above the cab. What a perch to see the Rockies.  It was an old camper but it had an intercom so cab and camper top could communicate in case of emergencies.  Bad move. It somehow got stuck on “talk” during the ascent of the Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway and mom and dad heard endless choruses of “Sweet Pea” (different accents and laughter non-stop) and there was no way to tell us to stop until dad got to the the pass of some mountain. They were frazzled but I can still remember the laughter.  It was our last family trip together. 

Jon Erdahl 

3D MediaVentures

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Subject: Liona Boyd…ONJ

Hi Bob,

Not sure if you plan any newsletter re Olivia, but in case you do here goes. 

Olivia and I became close friends after finding ourselves neighbours when we lived in Paradise Cove, Malibu thirty years ago.

I talked to her quite recently and have been in touch with her husband, John Easterling who was caring for her around the clock in the hospital and at home in Santa Ynez. They had adored each other since the day they first met and they shared the deepest spiritual and romantic love I had ever witnessed. Yesterday I was devastated, but not really surprised, to receive a text from John saying she had finally passed. Part of me felt relieved for them both, but the tears would not stop.

Olivia had always been so generous and protective of me like an older sister…. inviting me to stay in her Jupiter house, playing folksongs together, sending me samples of John’s healing Amazon herbs, introducing me to some of her music business contacts, inviting me on Palm Beach shopping trips and offering to sing with me on my song, “Canadian Summer Dreams”. For my producer and I that was such an amazing and unforgettable experience.

I shall always miss her making me a “cuppa” tea, her lovely smile and gentle, loving spirit. The world has lost a treasured human being. Condolences to her daughter Chloe and to her husband John.

RIP dearest, brave Olivia.

Liona Boyd

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From: Eric Frankhouser

Subject: Re: HP Envy 6455e

Ok… So all Apple/Mac all the time… It’s just the way it is if you live your life on the road. PC’s are useless to me out here.

As a TM I rely heavily on iMessage… I don’t want to hear about Whatsapp… I don’t have the time or band with out here to deal with a third party app.

Sure – I get forced into using Whatsapp in Europe, but only for chats with the locals.  I still want our internal tour threads to be on iMessage.

iMessage works, and it works flawlessly across my iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac Book pro.  I can send files/pics to massive text chains and keep everyone moving in the same direction in a seamless fashion.

Truth? If all things are dead equal between a new hire… And one has an iPhone and one has an Android… I am going to hire the iPhone user…

Concerning printers: I rely heavily on Epson WorkForce series printers.  They do the heavy lifting for me on the road. They have proven to be able to take beating.  Printers in production boxes get loaded in and out of a truck everyday, get rattled around,  and get flown around the world… I can’t risk a printer dying on me…  My Epson’s have risen to the challenge.

Like every TM on the planet I also have a Canon TR-150 as my fly date/emergency printer, and it is perfect for the smaller stuff… But when I need to knock out a massive amount of set lists in a short time, the bigger Epson in my work box is the unquestioned go to…

I think printers for TM’s are like guitars for a musician… Whatever your main axe is, you don’t want to leave home without it.  Of course printers don’t improve and become “Vintage,” But they are a vital tool… Even with all of the digital communication tools we have at our disposal like Master Tour.

But… I am an old road dog.  When I started in the biz we were using pagers, and MCI calling cards.  We printed physical tour books for people!

It was a different world then… Not better or worse, just a different reality.

Cheers,

Eric

Eric Frankhouser – Tour Manager

Strict Angel Tour Management

“Tour Management, Logistics and Production since 1993”

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From: Tom Clark

Subject: Re: Trilogy-Lovin’ Me/To Make A Woman Feel Wanted/Peace Of Mind

I remember one of my first concerts… Loggins & Messina at Frost Amphitheater on the Stanford campus…early 70’s.

They open with Same Old Wine…very quiet… just a flute and Jim singing…after the first chorus it’s still quiet and the tune hits a spot where boom it goes electric… I’m not explaining this very well but when they hit the gas like that the song took off…

I’ll be 68 next Thursday… I’ve been to a ton of shows…and I can honestly say nothing for me has topped that moment…I get chills just thinking about it again…Mahalo for bringing this memory back Bob…

Tom Clark

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From: Damon Buxton

Subject: Re: Trilogy-Lovin’ Me/To Make A Woman Feel Wanted/Peace Of Mind

In 1973 a 15 year old me sang “Danny’s Song” to a girl and she fell in love with me. I taught myself to play the guitar by fingerpicking chord charts for Loggins & Messina’s music.

Jim is one of the best guitarists on the planet.

No other band has comforted or inspired me the way Loggins & Messina has. I credit them with making me a musician.

I agree that “Same Old Wine” is still relevant and among their best work.

Thanks Bob.

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From: Eric Altman

Subject: Re: Trilogy-Lovin’ Me/To Make A Woman Feel Wanted/Peace Of Mind

Hey Bob-

 “Same Old Wine” helped me look brilliant to a high school english teacher.  The A she gave me for encapsulating that season’s political circus was totally inspired by playing the #37th or 38th spinning of Sittin’ in its entirety.  The snap of the idea came while standing at the sink doing after-dinner dishes.  Two 25’ coiled headphone cables (resistance, what resistance?) and a pair of Koss headphones turned drudgery into my very own universe as always.

Drove home to Denver from the Boston area a couple of weeks ago, my full metal jacket badass wife doing her thing on her phone, computer, and MiFi beside me.  Headphones on yet again I heard the call to revisit Sittin’ In.  You sum up the album perfectly.  Went on to scan through Loggins & Messina and Full Sail for a while too.  Go back and listen to Pathway to Glory, it ain’t Same Old Wine but the musicianship and production…ahhhhhh.   As is now too frequent, I heard through a friend who was buddies with Larry Sims that that fine contributor passed not long ago.

Listened to you and Marcus yesterday.  Within minutes I thought “Holy shit Bob, you think he’s going to answer that? In testimony to himself he did, in testimony to you I knew he would.  Superb work Bob.

Thank You-

Eric

PS – Moonage Daydream…we’re seeing Jackson Browne thirteenth row at Red Rocks tomorrow night setting a new personal best for fucking ridiculous ticket expenditure.  I went the singer/songwriter route, Ziggy not so much back then.  Came to love bits and pieces of his work over the years and in curiosity and to pay homage we went last night.  Fantastic piece of work and I learned about an artist like I’ve never learned before…and it was hard work viewing.  I’m no fan of “experimental film” but what a pay-off.  I’m sure Mr. Bowie is smiling.

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From: wolfereeno

Subject: Re: Indian Matchmaking-Season 2

Re Indian Matchmaking.  I’ve been in Tech for 30 years and in the middle of the outsourcing revolution.  I’ve had many dozens of people on my teams based in India or in the US on VISA’s and the stories about their marriages are incredible.

Usually it starts with a young guy (sometimes a woman but not as often) in the US on a consulting project and has some chance of being hired full time by his client.  This in itself is an accomplishment as there is much competition to work for the right company, for the right client, and then to be the one chosen to work on-site in the west.  But once he’s grabbed a rung on the ladder, the parents back home get to work. Various details for how matchmaking work seems to vary by location – India is a huge place with many ethnicities and regional customs.  But the biggest lure on the hook after religious and cultural compatibility, is who he works for and what’s his title.  I’ve been asked more than once when hiring someone to bump up not their starting salary or bonus, but their title. One HR person told me they were contacted by a prospective hire’s parents for this very reason.

I can recall the first time one of my star programmers asked for a month off to go home to get married.  I said “Congratulations! Who’s the lucky girl?” to which he replied “I don’t know yet!” — which of course blew my clueless zero perspective mind.  Then he told me the process: The parents get together, sometimes with matchmakers, and put together a one page resume with a picture of the woman, sending maybe 2-3 finalists to the young man, and then plan for his visit where he’d have a date with each and be expected to make a choice.

Then there’d be an incredibly elaborate wedding, sometimes lasting days, involving Elephants, Transvestites (for good luck), and the couple spending a night together to make sure things “Work” with the inlaws next door.  Then the young man would return married and begin the paperwork of bringing his bride to her new country. That would take a few months and frequently coincided with her coming to the East Coast in time to experience snow for the first time.

I have to admit I often had a hard time suppressing judgement and would gently ask, “What about marrying for love?”  The response was always “Love will Come” – a strange bromide coming from a 25 year old.  But hey, I married my HS crush and it was a total disaster so who am I to question thousands of years of tradition.

Also knowing many of these families through several jobs and seeing them grow, I can’t recall a single marriage that failed. I’m sure it’s not that simple and there are many  risks for the spouse coming to a strange land.  But from my experience the inlaws usually visit often, sometimes to stay once kids arrive, and large Indian communities have evolved for more familiarity and support systems.

Anyway, I have to admit in my more recent dating experience I decided that lust at first sight was not the most reliable way to find a compatible match, so I went online and went on a date with the first woman who contacted me that seemed interesting. The end result?  I married a brilliant woman with an MD/PhD who’s funny, talented, and attractive.  If you get out of your own way, love comes…

B in NYC

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From: Richard Griffiths

Subject: Re: Mo Ostin

When I was running Epic backin the early/mid 90s I always knew that if we were competing against Mo to sign an act, we would lose! He was always  a complete charmer as well as brilliant music man.

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Subject: From Scott Borchetta: More Mo Ostin

Hey there,

I’ve been tied up with our Big Machine Music City Grand Prix or I would’ve replied sooner.

One of the biggest treasures of my career was working for Mo at DreamWorks… so many great memories…

In the spring of 1997, after being ‘relieved of my services’ from MCA Nashville, I was being hired by Mo to help launch DreamWorks Nashville.  My first meeting in the 3rd Ave building was very clearly laid out in advance – “Mo’s only got 30 minutes.”  I walk into his office and sat down and it was on…  He wanted to know about everything going on in Nashville.  But, somehow, he knew a lot of inside baseball gossip about Nashville, which I found fascinating. Two and a half hours later after telling me about signing Hendrix, Van Halen, etc, his assistant buzzed in and said, “Mo, Lenny’s been waiting…” Before I got up to leave I asked Mo if, by chance, he had a copy of “Mo’s Songs”… He buzzed his assistant and said, “please bring in a copy of Mo’s Songs for Scott…” He handed it to me… and I handed it back and asked if he’d sign and date it… which he gladly did…

At the time of that first meeting I was still bound by my former MCA/Universal contract… and in the fall of 1997 there was a huge industry lunch welcoming DreamWorks to Nashville… and everyone came in for it.  Mo, Lenny, Michael, all the Universal Distribution people (DreamWorks was distributed by UMG), press, other Nashville label heads, etc.  I was there but they couldn’t announce me because UMG was still being difficult with my contract release.

After lunch I saw Mo get up and walk directly over to UMG’s Zach Horowitz, who was the one holding up my deal, and said, “Zach, we need to get Scott’s deal done… immediately…”

About an hour after the lunch my phone rings and it’s Zach…

He said, “what’s the number?” I said, “Same as it’s always been”… of which Zach responded, “you’ll have a check tomorrow.”

Mo was beloved… but you also didn’t mess with him!

Long before I was in the biz, he was my idol… once in the biz, he was my hero… what I learned from him will always be with me.

Hope you’re well and hope to connect sooner than later.

Best,

Scott