There aren’t going to be any jobs.

Did you read Farhad Manjoo’s article in yesterday’s “New York Times”? All about Amazon’s distribution, now moving to drones? If you get your package via drone, and the costs drop as distribution becomes more efficient, not only do all those delivery people lose their gigs, and the people in the warehouse, which runs on robots, too, but so do the people in physical retail, which can no longer compete.

Sounds good, very efficient, BUT WHERE IS EVERYBODY SUPPOSED TO WORK!

The good news is you can have instant access to products at a cheap price.

The bad news is you can’t afford to buy anything.

Been to a mall recently? Absolutely horrifying. There’s no one there! I went to the Westside Pavilion for a movie and the place was empty and half the food stalls had closed and I know that’s anecdotal, but look at Nordstrom’s numbers and Macy’s too, the latter is closing so many stores…

But you hear the canard that manufacturing must come back to America. That people need to be put back to work at high-paying jobs.

But I hate to tell you, even if they open those factories most of the jobs will be automated, never mind what labor there is driving costs up untenably. Do you want to pay more for a flat screen so Americans can go back to work? We live in the least altruistic society ever, it’s all about me, all the damn time, no one wants to sacrifice. If you think people care about poor musicians, you probably didn’t live through Napster, as for YouTube…the public LOVES IT!

And it gets worse… The triumphant companies making more money with fewer people are dominating in a way that will ultimately hurt the little guy.

Kind of like Apple Music, overpaying for exclusives. Myopic musicians like the cash. No fan ever liked an exclusive. But, the truth is there are no exclusives for developing artists, certainly not those who are not major label priorities. It’s going to be harder to make it. If Apple Music with no free tier succeeds it’ll be good for the top line performers, but bad for those on the bottom.

The winner take all economy is leaving the rest of us out. It’s not only Facebook decimating MySpace, there’s room for less art, you can make it, but no one will see it.

And it’s only gonna get worse. Elizabeth Warren castigates the Silicon Valley titans for their egregious behavior, but the two candidates running do not.

And right now it looks like Hillary’s gonna win.

So it’s gonna be the same as it ever was. With the rank and file losing out. Remember when the rank and file bitched and started the Occupy movement? It’s the media that killed it, saying there was no message. Oh, there’s a message all right. The oligarchs and the monopolists are making life hard for the rest of us. They give us free products in exchange for our privacy and expect us to be happy. And if we dare to push back, with Adblock Plus, they cry foul.

Let’s not even get into Trump. He’s a bozo who’s left rationality behind. But one thing’s for sure, his supporters are angry.

It’s this anger, on both the left and the right, that should be addressed.

But it’s not.

Because the educated winners who made their own bucks feel entitled and don’t want to give up anything and they’ve convinced the underclass that the problem is not them, but the supposed “takers.” And if the rich pay more in taxes, what’s gonna happen when you become rich? Even though the odds are low, it’s this dream that keeps you moving forward.

The discussion is all wrong. It shouldn’t be about immigration or trade… We should acknowledge the change in our society, how it’s become automated, and we should ask how we lift up all players, give them a platform to survive and hopefully thrive.

But no, you’re not making it because you’re just not working hard enough. Even though I had rich parents who gave me not only tutors, but flew me around the world to show me how the other half lives. And then I worked hard to get into a good school and… I started my own business and made a billion. I’M ENTITLED TO IT! I’M SMART AND YOU’RE NOT!

And you’re frustrated and on drugs since my buddies at the pharmaceutical company forced supposedly non-addictive Oxy down your throat and now you’ve switched to heroin and…

It’s not a level playing field folks. And those in the media are envious of the billionaires, which is why Henry Blodgett started “Business Insider,” so he could sell it, why Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher left the “Wall Street Journal” so they too could become rich… Either you’ve won and have circled the wagons or you’re one of the small cadre with a chance of succeeding because of your relationships and status or…

You’re completely left out, like you and me.

Think about it.

“Think Amazon’s Drone Delivery Idea Is a Gimmick? Think Again”

My Own Worst Enemy – Spotify

My Own Worst Enemy – YouTube

This is the best Aerosmith song in decades!

I discovered it via “Release Radar,” Spotify’s new, algorithm-driven, customized new release playlist.

That’s right, Spotify. No, I don’t get paid by them. Yes, the site is imperfect, but not only is it the best streaming service, it’s got a free tier so we’ve all got access, we can all participate, we can all be part of the group, and in this social world that’s everything.

It was a stealth release. “Release Radar” that is. There was a press release last week and then…nothing. Spotify’s got some of the worst marketing of all time. But, the service…

The word is out on “Discover Weekly,” the playlist custom-tailored to you based on what you’ve listened to. And although I’ve discovered a lot of good stuff via “Discover Weekly,” most of it’s far from brand new, and it’s the new stuff I hunger to be exposed to.

And, so far, “Release Radar” is far superior to “Discover Weekly,” the hit to shit ratio is so much higher. With “Discover Weekly” I just click through to find something good, with “Release Radar” almost every track has me listening through.

And my customized new release playlist started off with…

A transcendent version of “Send In The Clowns” by Bryan Ferry, who even knew it was out?

And a new cut by Jamestown Revival.

And a good Florida Georgia Line cut with Tim McGraw.

But it’s the Steven Tyler cut that closed me.

I was aware the album was out, the hype reached me, Tyler’s got a way of promoting without looking like he’s doing so, but going country is still a cheap shot and the initial single, “Love Is Your Name,” didn’t reach me.

But “My Own Worst Enemy”…

You see we don’t know where to start, we might not even know the album is out, and if we do, what track do we listen to?

Lord knows how the algorithm picked out “My Own Worst Enemy,” but it’s looking like the machine is gonna beat the humans, not for the first time, after all, didn’t that IBM computer win on “Jeopardy”?

Now the haunting acoustic intro of “My Own Worst Enemy” sets the mood. This is late night swamp music, when the iPhone camera is clicked off and illicit things happen and you experience the highest highs and the lowest lows of life.

And the stunning thing is…it sounds exactly like Tyler! Like he stepped right out of “Get Your Wings.”

But, the song…it’s more than serviceable, but it doesn’t close you.

And then… At 1:15, after the chorus, when the keyboard kicks in, when the rest of the band kicks in, this is the “Dream On” formula, the whole thing is amped up, reminiscent of what once was but without being a remake.

And the chorus could be better, but then there’s that twist at the very end, when he sings he was wrong, he’s his own worst enemy, you’re intrigued.

And then the strings kick in, Tyler’s vamping, and you’re telling yourself, THIS IS GOOD!

And the accordion adds texture, but what puts it over the top is…the searing guitar solo at 3:40, just when the song fades out, just when you think it’s done, this is the Guns N’ Roses trick, this is what made those Aerosmith records iconic, the wailing on the six string, you’ll be sitting at home blown away, this is the Aerosmith sound you LOVED!

How did this happen? How did Steven Tyler do everything wrong to do everything right? Going on “Idol” for the dough, eviscerating his credibility, his foibles now all over the tabloid press. And Hootie went country but he was so much younger, and every other rocker with a deal has gone Nashville, Tyler was through the door so late that…

Nashville is not embracing him.

But if you’re an old, dyed-in-the-wool rocker…

This is a REVELATION!

Turns out “My Own Worst Enemy” was produced by T-Bone Burnett, with Tyler’s help, demonstrating that the Alpha Band player via the Rolling Thunder Review movie soundtrack guy most memorable for his work with Counting Crows…STILL HAS IT!

And the song was written by Tyler with the Warren Brothers, whoever they are, it’s not a complete song for hire, it’s not just the Nashville formula.

And you’re gonna put this on and say I’m wrong. And if you’re a wanker you’re gonna click off. But if you’re open to being closed you’re gonna let “My Own Worst Enemy” play through and…

Goddamn it, you’ll discover, IT’S GOOD!

P.S. Be sure to hang on through the fade-out, all five minutes and eleven seconds of this cut, it’s like “Sister Morphine,” “Moonlight Mile,” “November Rain,” but it’s BRAND NEW, and isn’t that what we’re looking for, a way to be turned on to the best of what’s coming out, as we march forward in this incomprehensible world we inhabit?

Me On CNNi

I can’t look at myself on screen and maybe you’ll find it painful too! I swear the hair I’ve got left has gone gray since the surgery and…when did I get so old?

It’ll happen to you, isn’t that what our parents said?

So I don’t believe in self-promotion and if you want to skip this clip it’s fine with me.

But this is me. And people are clamoring to see it, so I’m sending it.

P.S. When you see me reach my right arm behind myself at the beginning of the clip…I’m adjusting the volume, there’s a speaker in my left ear.

P.P.S. And you’ll notice I’m not moving my left arm. That’s right, the doctor says not to let my elbow leave my side.

From: Adam Lewis
Re: CNN

Great job. Love that I am waking up in the Ukraine and am seeing you!

Come a long way from the Xerox mailers.

Best,
A

You’ve got to understand, I’ve been locked inside the house for months, staring at the four walls, there are only so many books you can read and so many movies you can see. Your mood starts to sink and you lose touch with reality and…

They called me to be on CNNi tonight.

Actually, that’s wrong, no one calls anymore, they e-mailed.

And twice in the ensuing recovery I’ve had to say no, after all, I was in a sling. But tonight… At 10:45? To discuss the Ed Sheeran/Marvin Gaye lawsuit?

Why not?

They send a car. Which is important, because driving is an issue.

And the woman had picked me up before. And she’s a bit of a terror on the road. That’s one thing about professional drivers, they want to get you there on time, their gig depends upon it. She asked me who’d set the pickup time, CNNi or me. I said CNNi, so if we were late, which we wouldn’t be, it wouldn’t be on her.

We got there early.

Security is heavy. There are two sets of doors and you can’t break through either without a button being pressed. And when you’re inside… Everything at a TV station is focused on what’s on camera, the rest is pretty basic, everywhere I’ve ever been on. Hell, the desk is on a platform and there’s little else, even on “Weekend Update” on SNL!

So I went to makeup, you always want makeup, otherwise your head is gonna shine, baby boomers all remember Nixon in the Kennedy debates…

So…

You learn to be nice to everybody. And when you are, they’re nice back, and they tell amazing stories.

The makeup person is married to a nurse. And although off at midnight, she’s got to be back at 7:30! And she lives in Long Beach! And she’s got a sleeve tattoo. Her dad had a problem with it but it’s a generational thing, I know that, so I’m not gonna judge.

And then there was a young woman photocopying. I don’t know what got the conversation going but it turns out she goes to USC and she’s an intern. She’s studying journalism. And she turned out to be Jewish. She told me her father was the executive director of the Temple in Atlanta. I had no idea, but then we started to bond. She said she didn’t go to summer camp, a rarity amongst Jews, but she was a member of the youth group, of NFTY, and all these memories came flooding back, I just wrote about that the other day!

And then it was time.

Now the anchors are pros. They walk the line from relaxed to professional, off camera to on, so seamlessly. They make you feel comfortable, they tee it up…

And you go off.

You’ve got to be knowledgeable, but you’ve also got to be good entertainment.

And when we were done they wanted to continue to talk to me, said I was fascinating, and for a boy who’s been locked up inside for months that was music to my ears.

So I was jazzed, got my makeup removed, and got into the limo and got the above e-mail, from the Ukraine, was my driver Ukrainian?

I thought maybe, she was blond, had a heavy accent, so I asked her.

She was Iranian. She got out in 2002. She was only one when the Shah was deposed. Her father was Greek, so the Greek government aided their leaving, they got into Germany as refugees. And then through a religious program, since she was baptized, she got passage to the USA, to Tucson.

SHE DIDN’T SPEAK A WORD OF ENGLISH!

She stayed with a member of the church for a week. Then they got her an apartment and a gig watching children and she enrolled in college.

HOW DID YOU DO THIS, YOU DIDN’T SPEAK ENGLISH!

She shrugged her shoulders and said she picks up languages easily, she learned the game in Germany, the tricks.

And needless to say, after a year or so in Tucson, having switched to a job as a caregiver, she wanted out.

So she went to Houston.

HOW? WITH WHAT MONEY?

The church was long gone, financially anyway. She’d saved. And, oh yeah, a congregant had given her an old Dodge, so she had wheels.

But Houston was disappointing so she moved back to Tucson.

And then she decided to decamp to Los Angeles. She had an aunt there, but she didn’t contact her.

And she had a baby…

Whoa, how did this happen?

From Germany, another Iranian refugee, they were in love, he came over.

And I’m thinking she’s living on the bottom, just driving to make ends meet, but then she tells me…SHE OWNS THE COMPANY!

I figured she’d left college in the dust, a long time ago. But no, she got a business degree from CSUN. Working as a caregiver along the way. And she decided to start her own business with her own car to get ahead. And she took ads everywhere, she gained traction by pricing her services low, after all, she owned the car, and it was a recession, and after a year and a half, it worked!

Now she’s got four cars and multiple drivers and the CNN account…

And the trigger was software, she invested $2500 in software that linked everything, that gave so much information, and then her business burgeoned. Others said she was nuts, but she wanted it.

And now…

Was she a citizen?

Yes.

Who was she gonna vote for?

Well, at first it was Trump, now she’s not so sure. It’s the first time she can vote and…

Trump is a businessman.

And my head is spinning. These are the immigrants Trump’s people want to keep down? These industrious people who are contributing to society? Hell, buying software, aiding the bottom line?

This woman made something out of nothing. She’s an upstanding American citizen.

It was heartwarming.

It was a revelation.

And, oh yeah, where there’s a hit there’s a writ. Since the “Blurred Lines” case everybody’s come out of the woodwork, the line has been moved too far to the right, we’ve got to move it back. I think the “Blurred Lines” case will be overturned on appeal, after all, it’s about the sheet music, the notes on the page, and they’re not the same, and you can’t copyright feel…

And Zeppelin won the “Stairway” case and…

Sometimes there’s blatant infringement. But there are only so many notes, and so many ideas, and ideas have to come from somewhere.

And there’s so little case law, because so few of these cases come to trial.

It’s just that…

Musicians used to let stuff slide.

They don’t let it slide anymore, certainly not the heirs.

It’s a rough and tumble society, money is not free and opportunities in music have evaporated so it’s not hard to see how we’ve gotten to this coarse, litigious point.

But that’s a dead end.

Innovation is the way out.

New stuff constructed on the building blocks of the old.

We don’t want to inhibit forward movement, we want to encourage it, and now too many people are afraid, just ask the major labels.

P.S. Forget the court of public opinion, these cases turn on legal precepts. Furthermore, so many have come out in defense of Ed Sheeran. Will two lawsuits in a year hurt his career? Probably not, because those who want to believe, will, fans are everything, and he’s got ’em. It’s not about haters, but lovers. And if you’re an upstanding, forthright citizen who doesn’t take more than your fair share of the pie…people are with you.

From: Adam Lewis
Re: CNN

The one thing I have learned from travel is that CNN goes everywhere. Luckily Fox has no reach overseas.

All is well. Hope the shoulder gets better.. Best of luck with the rehab..