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“You condemn the Jews, with selective memory
Musicians holding flags, mouthing like sheep
Propaganda fueled by the Internet feels so weak”

What kind of crazy, f*cked up world do we live in where Boy George takes a stand when everybody else in music is afraid of rocking the boat?

Then again, Boy George, although successful and beloved by many, knows what hate is all about. And he was involved with Culture Club’s drummer, Jon Moss, who is Jewish.

The oppressed stand together.

Then again, this is how the far left and those on college campuses now see the world, through the lens of oppressor and oppressed. If you’ve got money, you’re guilty. After all, isn’t Israel committing GENOCIDE!

Whatever is happening in Gaza, one thing is for sure, it is not genocide. Which is systematic elimination of an entire populace.

But use whatever word you want. Because it’s no longer safe to be a Jew in the world today. And if you doubt me, just read the news. Then again, most people listen to biased analysis of the news at best, they’ve got no idea what is truly happening in the world, how antisemitism is rampant.

Not that you can find a musician to say this and stand up for the plight of Israel, because they’re all worried about negative feedback. But if you’re not willing to risk being castigated for going against groupthink, you’re not an artist, you’re a pussy.

So I’m scanning today’s Record of the Day e-mail and I see a link to a story in the “Guardian” entitled:

“You say genocide, I say war’: Boy George releases pro-Israel song, We Will Dance Again – Culture Club singer sings ‘I stand with the Jews / I don’t feel brave, I just need to behave like a human’, in song defending Israel’s response to Hamas attack”

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jul/27/you-say-genocide-i-say-war-boy-george-releases-pro-israel-song-we-will-dance-again

This is confounding on two levels, not only that Boy George is taking a stand, but that the link is to a story in the “Guardian,” which has famously taken the side of the Palestinians.

So I click through to read the story and…

After reading it I go to the Apple News and see that this story has been covered in many publications all over the world, but not in “Billboard,” the supposed Bible of the American music business, nor on the insider site HitsDailyDouble, which is owned and run by Jews.

We call this assimilation. If you’re not willing to stand up for your identity, your uniqueness, then you’re more concerned with fitting in than standing up for what is right.

The worst are the Jewish Millennials and college students, busily castigating Israel and defending the Palestinians. Not quite as bad as gays for Palestine, but the truth is younger Jewish generations have become complacent, they think they’re fully assimilated, embraced by Christians and Muslims and the rest of the non-Jews in America, and the world.

Antisemitism is always boiling just beneath the surface.

You know who knows this? GENTILES! I want you non-Jews to think back on your life, how many times have you been in a group where Jews are not present where antisemitic comments have been made, about Jews being cheap, loud, it goes on and on… As for Jews themselves, it still happens in my circles, especially when someone gets frustrated, they’re quick to blame the Jews.

Then there are the videos all over TikTok of interviewers asking protesters, usually college students, what “From the river to the sea.” means… And they can’t answer the question, they have no idea, all they know is Palestinians are dying and the Jews are rich…

Yeah, and Hamas wants all Israelis gone, and they’re hiding in tunnels underneath hospitals and schools so when these locations are attacked, they can say how bad Israel is.

I don’t want to defend the government of Israel. It’s completely f*cked up, the religious Jews have too much power and Netanyahu wanted to neuter the Supreme Court and when it comes to the West Bank… The settlements shouldn’t even be there.

But make no mistake, the goal of the Palestinians is to have Israel gone. As for all the bozos talking about a two-state solution, that’s been offered numerous times, and ultimately, the Palestinians always say no.

The facts don’t reach the populace, maybe music will.

“You say genocide, I say war
When you’re attacked, that’s what the army’s for
Does it get ugly? You bet it does
When I know you wanna kill
Every last one of us
Every last one of us”

Here Boy George succinctly says what highfalutin’ editorialists take paragraphs to explain and do not nail.

Israel was attacked. Why is it only Jews cannot defend themselves?

“You never mention October 7
Youngers raped against trees
Murdered brutally
For the crime of dancing”

Yup.

“But if you’re ever confused
I stand with the Jews
I don’t feel brave, I just need to behave like a human”

It’s very simple.

Boy George is putting his beliefs on the line. He’s standing up for what he believes is right. Which musicians used to do on a regular basis, before they were fearful of alienating a potential customer.

I could stay silent, I know my inbox will go wild, that I will lose subscribers, but I need to acknowledge Boy George’s stand here, he’s unafraid, when so many are somnambulant sheep.

This is the power of music, not selling clothes and perfume. The Kardashians are two-dimensional, and too many musical artists are too. They think it’s all about financial success. That’s hollow, it comes down to who you are!

And I am a Jew…

Do I go to synagogue every week?

No.

Do I light the Sabbath candles?

No.

Do I keep Kosher?

No.

Do I speak Hebrew?

No.

Do I believe there’s a God in the sky who knows whether I’ve been naughty or nice?

No.

But I do know the rest of the world defines me as being a Jew. Someone who doesn’t conform. Who is loud and has an opinion. And I know even if I try and behave like them, they still see me as the other, a Jew.

And Israel was established as a homeland for Jews, after they’ve been kicked out of all the other countries, it’s our only refuge.

But they want to take that away too.

There’s a ton of Muslim countries and land. Funny how none of them will take the Palestinians in, allow them to be citizens.

But no, a country the size of New Jersey must go.

As for all those Democrats refusing to fund Israel… Just so you’ll look good to potential voters, so you can possibly win elections?

I could point you to a ton of videos of people speaking the truth, from Jews like Garry Kasparov to noted left winger Van Jones…

But you won’t listen to them.

Maybe you’ll listen to Boy George, who unlike the Palestinians is not preaching hate, he hopes for a better world, one where we all dance again.

“But trust me, we will dance again
We will dance again
We will dance again
And there will be no war”

It’s not Israel attacking the surrounding countries, but the surrounding countries attacking Israel. Can’t you see?

No. You’re wearing blinders.

Maybe Boy George can wake you up.

Maybe you can see that when people say they don’t hate the Jews, that they only hate the Zionists, that this is cover for antisemitism.

We’re fighting for our survival.

And the worst thing is Jews not in Israel have their heads so far up their a*ses that they don’t realize this, they don’t realize the water is boiling and they’re the frog.

And who do they expect to rescue them? Zohran Mamdani? Ilhan Omar?

How come you can’t say anything negative about other ethnic groups, but it’s open season for Jews?

It is.

And if you don’t know this, just check the statistics.

Jews make up only 2.4% of the population, but they account for 70% of hate crimes.

Read how antisemitism has surged here:

https://www.hstoday.us/featured/the-new-front-of-terrorism-rising-antisemitic-violence-reshapes-global-security-threat/

But you’d rather pine for the Palestinians who’ve perished as a result of the activities of Hamas, blaming it all on Israel.

That’s a misreading of the facts, maybe Boy George will set you straight.

I hope so.

Business is good, but it’s meaningless. You can look at the concert grosses and be stunned that this many people are paying this much money to go see these acts, but really, it’s about the audience, not the performers.

Now in the sixties, venues had seats. Even clubs. Into the seventies too. And then they were ripped-out in the name of the experience, even though despite denials it was mostly about squeezing in more paying patrons, you were all in it together, but you might not be able to see over another person’s head, you might be jostled, elbowed…

But this was mostly at clubs. Which are selling atmosphere.

Now everybody is selling atmosphere.

Back in those seated days, there was a clear division between those who were on stage and those who were not. The musicians were icons, delivering sounds with messages, they were leaders, and never cartoons, unless that was the essence of their act.

Now the business was confounded by the internet. Used to be you had wealthy corporations using their relationships to deliver a small amount of product through anointed channels…radio, TV and most especially retail. There was a focus. Now that that apparatus is gone, all we hear about is gaming the system. Getting on playlists, going viral on social media. There’s almost no focus on the music itself, if anything the records are mostly me-too, because commerce rules. Which it always did, except for the explosion in the sixties and seventies.

So if you’re a young person today, you go to the arena show to hang with your friends and shoot selfies. Eliminate the smartphone, employ Yondr sleeves, and you’re undercutting the experience, because it’s not about the music, but the feeling you get being there amongst your brethren, and how you can employ the videos and photos you shot at the gig thereafter.

It’s a top-heavy business, because the idea of a developing act… You didn’t mind that the club was half-full, or the theatre, because you were there at the advent of a phenomenon, you bought in early, the act was special in more than image.

Today, nobody wants to see an unsigned, unfamous act without traction. Great doesn’t come up from the bottom. It’s anointed online, you hear about it on the internet, word spreads like wildfire and the act may even play arenas on the first tour. People get caught up in the mania. The old school loner, sitting at home with his records, that’s passé.

You see the audience now has a voice. Which individuals express ad infinitum. Which traditional purveyors just can’t understand. Not only are supposed icons criticized, people are building their own personal “brands’ online. They’re participating. This is what the media and oldsters miss. They just want to shut down social media, they just want youngsters to put down the smartphone, they don’t understand that culture is now built online, by individuals, many individuals, and the gatekeepers of yore are history.

You bring your own personal brand to the show, and then you burnish it online thereafter. You purchase special clothes for the gig, put on makeup, shoot photos that can be posted across the internet. You don’t go home and play the records of the act you just saw in your bedroom for days, no, you immediately go online to share the experience, show that you were there and what a great time you had. It’s nearly equivalent to what car you drove in the old days. In a world of Uber and Waymo, not only do youngsters forestall getting their driver’s licenses, they don’t care about cars at all.

But they do care about their online identity.

What did we hear about the Taylor Swift Eras tour? Not much about the music, but the audience! All about the friendship bracelets, it was a cultural rite, and if you were a woman in the demo and didn’t attend you were a lame outsider, an outcast.

Look at the Sphere. The acts play on a short riser on the floor, they’re dominated, overwhelmed by the visuals. It’s not about the act so much as the experience.

Now one of the great things about streaming TV is it only goes one way. You watch it in small groups, if not wholly alone, and then… Nothing. You can tell people online that you saw a show, but you can’t interact with the show itself. There’s a division between the performer/show and audience that is no longer evident in music.

And it’s funny to see Netflix try and compete with YouTube. You can’t be all things to all people. Netflix is in the phenomenon business, like the music business of old. YouTube is about audience participation. What makes Netflix special is the audience can’t participate, leaving the platform special. But whipsawed by Wall Street, Netflix keeps changing its formula to appease investors and confound subscribers. Why do I need podcasts on Netflix? Stuff that anybody can do, meanwhile, these same people can’t make a high quality show. As for games… That’s its own universe elsewhere, who needs Netflix for games?

No, Netflix is special. Netflix is the Beatles of streaming. And having earned this status, it just doesn’t know what to do. Which is simple, just make more great shows.

This is not HBO Max or Peacock or Prime… Netflix is for everybody. With something for everybody. You feel good about the service, you are not angry someone else has a subscription. Basing your business on a few hits, like HBO, is an old model. Today it’s about serving everyone with a plethora of material, which is the essence of TikTok.

So when it comes to music, the scene will only become healthy again when the acts are innovative and separate from the audience. A great example being Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails. Who is this guy and what are they doing? He’s different from you and me, and he’s making music others are not. That’s a big draw.

When the music connects, which is not an easy task.

As for the vaunted rap battle between Kendrick and Drake, that’s a long in the tooth cartoon that’s so last century, pro wrestling for a small audience. It’s a walled garden, whereas truly great, innovative music, converts outsiders, spreads further in the marketplace.

So to truly stand out today, you’ve got to stand apart from the audience. This is the draw of Bob Dylan’s concerts. He neither speaks to nor connects with those in attendance, who make up their own story. Is it a joke on them or genius? Take your pick, Bob certainly ain’t gonna tell you.

And in an audience first world, arena shows must have production. Attendees don’t care if the music is on hard drive, as long as they’re wowed by what they see on stage.

As for superhero movies… Every ounce of audience enthusiasm has been drained. The interest, the debate, it’s been wrung out. But not understanding the audience, studios keep doubling down and are confounded when the umpteenth derivative sells not at all.

Whereas Christopher Nolan’s “Odyssey”… Most people have never read the ancient tome, they’re enticed by spectacle, something new. Nolan is seen as an auteur who maintains a distance from the audience. He’s not a wannabe musician begging for attention online.

As for those complaining…

Let’s be clear, there are few truly great musicians out there, few great artists. So your lack of success isn’t based on marketing, but the work itself.

Furthermore, what sells online is life, connection, personal story, all of which used to be the domain of music, which has now abdicated this power. A post on TikTok is straight from the heart, a song on the radio may have been written by many and mixed to death. The public wants raw and immediate, which is why some of the best tracks in history…the songs were written in minutes and the records made in a few hours, if that.

So, if you want to be successful in any artistic endeavor today, you must first think about your audience.

And if your specialty is voluminous sharing, maybe you shouldn’t be a musician at all, you should be an influencer. Successful influencers make more money that musicians!

Find what you’re great at. If you’re not great, do something different.

Your greatness must attract an audience, not your marketing. There must be an inner mounting flame that resonates with the audience. After all, it’s the audience that makes hits and stars today, word of mouth is everything. And word of mouth is not about your overwhelming marketing, but the music itself.

So despite the revenue, as an artistic medium, music is in a bad place. I mean when you’re secondary to your audience… You’ve got to transcend your audience! And focus on music! As soon as you start selling perfume and clothing you’re no different from an online influencer, just with less credibility, and in art, it’s all about honesty and credibility.

So we’ve got a world where many play and few triumph. And those who triumph today don’t do so consistently, and then proceed to sell fewer and fewer tickets.

Music is a business, like it was before the Beatles.

The fact that people listen and go to the show…that does not mean music drives the culture. It comes down to the art itself and how it affects the audience. It can’t be grist for the mill, it’s got to stand outside the mainstream, that needs to be its draw.

Look at Coachella… Tickets sell without a lineup announced. Because it’s not about the music! Sampling by grazing stages… You’re inherently better than the acts performing, because you are in control, you possess the off button.

And if you’re growing your hair and getting tattoos to be a rock or metal act… That’s got nothing to do with the music itself. If you had short hair and no tattoos and dressed in preppy clothing, the audience would be confounded, believing that it must really be about the music for you, otherwise, since you’re not playing the game, why are you doing this?

It is not the same as it ever was in music. Just like it’s not the same as it ever was in TV or movies. No one will tell you network or basic cable is where it’s at, no one is proud of the ancient edifice, but in music…everyone believes they’re on the cutting edge, driving the culture, when in truth the cutting edge is online, that is where culture is developed and spread.

And then you have everybody in Hollywood bitching about the Paramount/Warner Discovery merger. They’re so out of touch, it’s incredible. These outfits are merging because it’s bad business, this is consolidation in the face of a changing landscape, where individuals have the tools to play online. I laugh at the Hollywood insiders… You think the world is the same as it was in the pre-internet era, the seventies?

The landscape has changed.

And this upheaval permeates all walks of life.

But everybody in a position of power insists there be no change.

Even though the audience is in control today, and the issue isn’t distribution, but how do you create something great enough to titillate people and have them spread the word?

I know, there’s a lot here. But the world is in incredible upheaval, a passing of the torch from one generation to another, akin to the youthquake back in the sixties. The youngsters online have already moved on, and they’re not coming back. Telling them to get offline is like the record labels telling traders to get off Napster. They wouldn’t, BECAUSE IT WAS JUST TOO GOOD!

Is your music as good as the feeling one gets participating online?

Probably not.

You may be making some money, but don’t expect it to last for long, because most probably…

There’s no there there.

The audience is in control. The sooner you realize this, the sooner you can revamp and address this new world accordingly.

Tune in July 25th to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.

Phone #: 844-686-5863 

If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz

They should show this in schools. To illustrate how you can survive marching to the beat of your own drummer.

Until you don’t.

I’d never even heard of this movie, but a reader recommended it and after the Thai show we watched was just too weird to continue, I pulled it up.

Now the story is simple. André delayed his colonoscopy and when he finally got it he found out that he had terminal cancer.

But the essence of the story is not André’s cancer journey, but André himself.

I’m watching the Burning Man documentary on HBO, and the guy who started it, Larry Harvey, had never paid taxes. He was living outside the system. And when André appears on screen you think the same thing, this is an oddball who found his place in San Francisco, amongst like-minded people, far from the scrutinization of the east coast.

But this is untrue. Turns out André has a career in advertising and…

André is the weirdo in your high school class, not the checked-out stoner, but someone who was smart who didn’t care whether he fit in.

Then again, André did plenty of drugs. Did they cause his cancer?

André tried it all, he was living life to the fullest, until…

The story is so whacked that I don’t want to reveal any of it because I don’t want to ruin it.

André and his friend go to a bar and start talking to the bartender, Janice, and…

Then a whirlwind trip begins, all based on André’s eccentricities. You can see how he could rub you the wrong way, but he’s not negative, he’s not cutting, and it’s not exactly that he’s outrageous, just that he’ll say the unexpected thing, make jokes, color outside the lines.

We’ve squeezed this behavior out of younger generations, it gets no applause in society at general. Now it’s all about being a business person and becoming rich. The business itself isn’t even that important, as long as it pays. The goal is to separate yourself from the hoi polloi, live on a higher level, all while boasting of your achievements to the rest of the world, acting superior, letting others know they are inferior.

But it didn’t used to be this way. Certainly not in the sixties. It was the love generation, we were all in it together. Equals. As for business…those were the corporations funding the war machine. Finance? Who knew exactly what they did on Wall Street, I certainly didn’t. But I knew the movies and the music and the culture, culture was everything.

But André wasn’t even born until 1968. While most of his brethren have sold out, André has not, he’s remained curious and questioning, left his hair long, he looks like a homeless person.

But he is not.

Don’t judge the book by the cover. André drives a Tesla.

Now the “New York Times” has a policy of reviewing every movie that plays in the city. Check the paper on Friday, the reviews are endless, they all run together. They reviewed “André Is an Idiot,” but I don’t remember it. No, films like this depend upon word of mouth.

And I’m telling you, you’ve got to see this movie. A documentary. Unlike the exploitive ones now all over streaming TV. Shot in a first class manner.

It’s not only André, but his relationships. Especially with his best friend Lee. Male friendship like this is never depicted on screen. Two regular guys, not setting the world on fire, but not living on the street, who talk to each other every day and do things together, know each other by heart… Normally we’re exposed to winners and losers, but André and Lee are in the middle, just like you and me.

And you’ve got some new age philosophy. And you’ve got family values. This is a family story that Hollywood never gets right, if it even tries.

André is magnetic, he’s funny. The story itself will crack you up.

And then there’s the cancer thread…

This is what it’s like living through the Big C. The chemotherapy, the caregiving, the false hope…

First and foremost, “André Is an Idiot” is an American story.

Watch it.