Individuals matter.

Jimmy Iovine willed Interscope to success.

And Steve Jobs did the same with Apple. But now he’s gone and Apple is hurting.

APPLE WATCH

Tech is about a level playing ground, albeit an oftentimes expensive one. Everybody gets to eat at the buffet, as long as they can afford the entry ticket. But please explain to me the three different Apple watches that work exactly the same, that are evanescent products with a useful life of two years at best. Sure, iMacs came in different colors, but they were all the same price. Fashion is subsidiary in tech, it’s the cherry on top, never the whole enchilada. Functionality comes first, and a $10,000 Apple Watch works no better than one for $349. Which is why Apple has only sold 2,000 copies of the 10k Edition in the U.S. Proving that the bad press the company got is not worth the extra revenue.

How did they get it so wrong?

By not having a visionary who could say no.

Unless you’re making clothing, fashion is a feature, not the essence.

APPLE WATCH 2

Yes, Steve Jobs never employed research, but he also developed products he thought the public would want to buy. Only early adopters want the Apple Watch, and there’s no word of mouth. Publicity will get you started, word of mouth will make you triumph.

The Watch was dead from the get-go.

Maybe it should have been introduced as a hobby, like Apple TV. So people would have low expectations and know they were along for the journey.

The Watch tells time poorly and has a steep learning curve for uses you’re not sure you need. Sound like a winning product to you?

Of course not.

Steve Jobs didn’t play in all arenas, only ones in which he could win.

The Apple Watch proves there’s no vision in Cupertino, not that we can see.

And no one who can say no.

APPLE MUSIC

Me-too is usually death. Its success is predicated on market share in a world where there’s little penetration. Which is how Windows 95 almost put Apple out of business. And the truth is streaming music adoption is still low, so Apple has a chance. But it’s a little more complicated than that.

You see streaming has already won, on YouTube, it’s just that that’s free to the customer. So if you’re not free, you’ve got to be a whole lot better, and Apple Music is not.

So…

Once again, Steve Jobs only introduced a product when he knew he could win. Design did not sell the original iPod, however appealing it might have been, but functionality/usability. The iPod was the first MP3 player that transferred tracks at high speed, FireWire instead of USB. Furthermore, the software eliminated stupidity. That’s right, you just plugged your iPod into your computer and the software, i.e. iTunes, took care of the rest.

There is no great advance in Apple Music. Even Songza had hand-curated playlists. So the company’s only hope is it’s so early in the game that they can end up winning.

One can argue that Apple should have truly differentiated its product. Maybe by giving less. No playlists, but easier functionality.

FUNCTIONALITY/USABILITY

This was Steve Jobs’s credo, make it easy to use, with no flaws. Apple Music is MobileMe on steroids. And there are so many options included that functionality is crippled, users are overwhelmed.

MobileMe sucked and heads rolled.

Whose head is rolling for the bugs in Apple Music? Someone needs to be fired, someone needs to take responsibility. People are afraid to download the software for fear of it screwing up their library. I’m still waiting for a fix to library corruption, but Apple is mum.

Not only is there no admission of fault, there’s no manual. Steve Jobs may have put up a press blockade, but he was unafraid of explaining his product, which Jimmy Iovine and his cohorts did so poorly during the WWDC presentation.

Jimmy Iovine. He succeeded by being a friend to the artist, by working relationships. At first the money was Ted Field’s, but it turned out Jimmy just needed that to get him started. Jimmy’s biggest triumph was the 9/11 TV broadcast. Give the man credit.

But Jimmy’s no visionary. He had one success, with Beats headphones. You’ve got to have two to prove it’s not luck. Jimmy failed with Beats Music. Disastrously. Unless you say selling to Apple was a victory.

Steve Jobs had multiple victories, the original iMac, the iPod, iPhone and iPad, never mind the Apple II and original Macintosh.

But now the company is running on fumes.

Because it needs a Steve Jobs and all it’s got is Tim Cook, a supply chain expert.

Let’s investigate what has been achieved since Steve’s death.

A smaller iPad, whose sales have now been cannibalized by a larger iPhone.

A larger iPhone, after Samsung cleaned Apple’s clock with bigger handsets for years.

Software releases are hitting deadlines, but there are so many bugs loyalists are frustrated. And I used to be a loyalist.

There’s a fiction that corporations rule in America.

The truth is it’s all about individuals. Sure, a group can effectuate the vision, but it always comes from one person, maybe a team of two, certainly not a committee.

Jeff Bezos is Amazon.

Mark Zuckerberg is Facebook.

Larry and Sergey are Google.

Daniel Ek is Spotify

Evan Spiegel is Snapchat.

Who is Apple?

This was the one that broke him in the U.S.A.

Donovan’s gotten a bad rap, ever since that Bob Dylan movie, where the bard from Hibbing cuts him down.

At this late date we can see Mr. Leitch was no match for Zimmy. But that does not mean he was not great in his own right. In 1965 Dylan made it to number two with his iconic “Like A Rolling Stone,” but “Sunshine Superman” topped the chart a year later. That’s right, in the summer of ’66, when the tide turned and the youth took over the nation, even though we didn’t realize it until two, maybe three years later, after the Summer of Love, after Woodstock.

Now Donovan was not completely unknown, everybody paying attention, the old folkies, not the AM denizens, was aware of “Catch The Wind.” Some knew “The Universal Soldier,” but now Donovan had switched labels, to the CBS powerhouse Epic, and he changed his sound, went electric, and got the big push.

And sure, the lyrics of “Sunshine Superman” were important. But really it’s the sound of this record. To hear this coming out of the speaker, and at this point there was usually only one, in the dashboard, in the transistor, at home, was to be transported, set free, feel good. Today’s music is too often exclusive, it’s people singing about how much better their lives are than yours. But “Sunshine Superman” drew you in, addicted you to the radio, made you want to buy the record, made you want to go to England. Today everybody wants to stay home, watch television, there’s a fiction that it’s the same everywhere, but the truth is foreign countries are still that, foreign, i.e. different, and what was happening in the U.K. in the midsixties was far more exciting than what was happening in the U.S., at least musically, they were breaking down boundaries, they were testing limits.

There was that bass intro.

And then the harpsichord.

And then that screeching GUITAR!

A magic elixir that immediately enraptured you. A one hit listen. That needed no time to build, that grabbed your mind and your body and took you away.

Sunshine came softly through my a-window today
Could’ve tripped out easy a-but I’ve changed my ways

HUH?

Today if you’re not on the road to victory, you’re not even playing. That’s right, everybody’s a winner, being a person is not enough. In this land of income inequality the rich are pulling away and either you chase them or are forgotten. Hard to imagine there was a whole decade based on setting your mind free, bonding with your brother, becoming your best self. And to many the road was paved with drugs. Which we all heard about, but refrained from, for fear of becoming addicted, until…everybody was doing them and we did too. Our parents may not have known what taking a trip meant, but we certainly did!

It’ll take time, I know it, but in a while

PATIENCE!

That’s another thing that’s out the window. Everything worth having doesn’t come easy. You’ve got to plot, you’ve got to wait. But that does not mean you cannot believe.

You’re gonna be mine, I know it, we’ll do it in style

Style… It’s so important today, how you look. But that’s not what Donovan’s singing about, he’s talking about attitude, something inside, you can be a king if only you decide and stop trying to convince everybody else.

‘Cause I made my mind up, you’re going to be mine

The key line, the most famous, he was emphatic, he was sure, he was empowered and so were WE! Back then you held back, you didn’t want to appear aggressive, have desires that were too big, but when it comes to love we’re all looking for confidence and security, and listening to “Sunshine Superman” we got it. COME ON, if you’re a guy from the era and you didn’t use this line to get up your gumption…you never played.

And there’s a whole story, standing on the beach at sunset, we did not know that this song was about a real person, Linda Lawrence, who Donovan eventually wed, years later, this was before the internet when we knew everything about everybody, we thought Donovan was singing METAPHORICALLY!

Now the weird thing about “Sunshine Superman” is it’s a period piece, a curio from the sixties. But at this distance, it doesn’t sound dated, but otherworldly. Play it for a young ‘un and they’ll say they’ve never heard anything like it, unless they’ve heard it already!

So it’s the summer of ’66. The radio is populated by the legendary Lovin’ Spoonful cut about the season in the city. The Troggs had their legendary hit. The Stones and the Beatles were prevalent, with “Mother’s Little Helper” and “Paperback Writer” respectively. Paul Simon had a huge hit with Garfunkel, the downcast “I Am A Rock,” but the Cyrkle also had a hit with an upbeat cover of his and Bruce Woodley’s “Red Rubber Ball.” And in the mix, was this chart-topper, “Sunshine Superman.”

Maybe it was the Zeppelin element. That’s right, both Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones are on “Sunshine Superman.”

Maybe it was Mickie Most, who was now working with Mr. Leitch.

Whatever it was, “Sunshine Superman” is lightning in a bottle. Hearing it back then made you feel powerful, that you were living in a world of possibilities, where there was plentiful opportunity provided by like-minded people.

It still does.

Rhinofy-Sunshine Superman

1. Karma exists. It may not be instant like in that John Lennon song, but it happens. May take a long time, might not be easily seen, may not be visible to anybody but you, the one who was scathed, but it’s real.

2. Niceness triumphs. Although no one can be nice all the time. And sometimes you have to push back. But if you’ve got the option, be nice, people appreciate it.

3. Be yourself. We’re all individuals. That’s what attracts others to us, our uniqueness. Don’t try to imitate someone else, focus on your strengths and heighten them. Everyone can’t do everything. Don’t try to fit your square peg in a round hole. But your trapezoid will appeal, if you just let it shine.

4. You can’t please everybody. It’s a phony concept that flames out. Be thankful you’ve got your group, your friends, your family, your fans. There are those who would appreciate you whom you’ve never met, focus on meeting them, not those who don’t care.

5. Education is everything. And it doesn’t have to happen in school. But at this late date we can understand why reading, writing and ‘rithmetic are so important. Yes, in the internet era, reading and writing are everything (typing too!) As for math… You can’t do a deal without knowing the numbers. And everybody wants to do a deal.

6. Learning is lifelong. You keep gaining insight and then you die. Life is a puzzle, one in which you’re constantly delivered new pieces. And you can’t figure some stuff out until you get this new information. Which is why age equals wisdom and the young may have their youth, but the old have all the happiness.

7. Possessions mean less as you age. You can’t take them with you. Furthermore, we’re evolving into a no possessions era. One in which you can rent a ride and you don’t even have to own a car. Experiences are everything.

8. No one has the answers when it comes to love. There’s no perfect partner, if you’re looking for one you’re doomed. The key is to play. Relationships are the salad dressing of life, without them it tastes very bland.

9. Do the right thing. Not only will it make a difference, you’ll feel better about yourself.

10. Time starts accelerating sometime in your late thirties or forties. If you’re not paying attention, if you’re not steering, chances are you’re not gonna get where you want to go.

11. Inspiration comes from displacement. Get out of your comfort zone, the rewards are legion.

I was just getting ready to e-mail him about our lunch. Literally. My plan was to get off the phone and then send him a note. Circling back after he reached out multiple times before I went to Paris. And while I was on hold, I found out he died.

Talk about eerie. I’ve never had this happen to me before. People speak of missing out on saying goodbye, of their destiny being changed in seconds, but…

I didn’t know what he wanted. To be honest, I’m always anxious when bigwigs track me down, I feel inadequate, and I frequently avoid the meeting, I don’t quite know what to say.

Although I know Jerry. We aren’t best friends, but I know him. I went to lunch with him at Il Piccolino, where he literally ate the Jerry Weintraub special. And Jerry was warm and open from the get-go, treated me like an equal, brought me into the family, and I marveled at his style.

I’m not talking east coast style, which is sartorial and pecking order, but west coast style, where it’s all about being part of the family, where the majordomos take care of each other. Jerry Weintraub established the paradigm. At least in the music business.

You see it was about favors. There’s nothing Jerry wouldn’t do for you. He was wired in every facet of life. If you needed a doctor, if you needed a connection, he knew who to go to and opened the door. It’s those who give who are larger than life, who have power. That’s Irving Azoff’s specialty. And David Geffen’s too. You’ve got to be magnanimous.

But you’ve got to fight for what you want too.

Jerry reached out to me when I wrote about his book. He invited me to the premiere of his movie. He always included me, never talked down to me, and I was looking forward to our lunch to cement the bond further. Maybe he had an opportunity for me. I was now ready.

But it will never happen.

And this ends up looking more about me than him.

But that’s who Jerry was, a supporting player. And the more you support, the longer you last, the bigger you are.

People like Jerry never retire. The game is in their blood. Hell, he just launched a show on HBO.

And he changed the concert business irrevocably. So far in the distant past that unless you were there, you’re probably unaware. Live Nation is just the last iteration of what Jerry started. Local promotion was on its way out when Jerry got involved. And the old players hated him for it. If you’re not despised, you’re not making a difference. But those who make a difference last, they are the legends.

And what I also loved about Jerry was the intimacy. He’d tell you stories about himself and his family that your best friends wouldn’t. Their screw-ups as well as their triumphs. He was Big Papa, but he had his limits, you could go too far.

Jerry won at the game of life. He had love, happiness and money. And although he complained about his aches and pains, his back was a constant frustration, I thought he’d be around forever.

But he’s not.

So let this be a warning to you. Seize that opportunity. Say yes. Make it happen.

Jerry always did.

And I didn’t. Which is why he’s now gone and I feel so empty.

“Jerry Weintraub’s Book” (11/1/10)

“More Weintraub” (11/3/10)

“Lunch With Jerry Weintraub” (12/6/10)

“Jerry Weintraub’s Movie” (3/23/11)