1

Deadheads are like the Democrats. There’s an orthodoxy. If I write about the band I hear from all these Gen-X’ers setting me straight, even though I saw the band way before they did.

Even happened last night. People were boasting how long they’d been into the Dead. They first saw them in ’78!

I saw them in ’71. Would have seen them in the winter of ’70 if the New Haven Railroad ran after midnight. Because the Dead headlined the Fillmore starting just then, and played until the sun came up.

I saw them at Watkins Glen, I saw them at Boston Garden and the reason I’m mentioning all this is because I plan to get heretical, I’m going to tell you…

DEAD &COMPANY ARE BETTER THAN THE GRATEFUL DEAD EVER WERE!

It’s kind of like the Stones. They used to play for an hour and a half. Somewhere in the middle of the show they’d lock on, and then they ultimately lost it. The Dead? They’d play for four hours, one hour would be unlistenable, one hour would be great and two hours would be so-so. I only saw them be good from start to finish once. And just like Dead & Company, on this last tour the Stones were great from start to finish too. In some ways, these are the good old days.

Sure, I miss Jerry. Sure, it would be great to have new material. But if you were there…

They were a west coast thing. They meant almost zero in the east. The first three albums were nearly complete stiffs everywhere. I got in with “Live/Dead” in ’69, that was the first package to actually get good reviews. For me the highlight was “St. Stephen” into “The Eleven,” but there was a whole side of Pigpen and “Turn On Your Love Light” and…McKernan died of substance abuse before it was hip, most people have no idea who he was, never mind being in the Grateful Dead.

The breakthrough was “Workingman’s Dead” in the spring of ’70, with “Uncle John’s Band.” Crosby, Stills, Nash and sometimes Young ruled. Acoustics and harmonies were everything. Who knew the Grateful Dead could do this?

Joe Smith told me he did, he signed them, asked them to make one for him after all those financial losses. Who knows the truth, Jerry’s not the only one who is dead, Phil is too, as well as Joe.

That’s still my favorite LP. It’s sparse, it’s airy. “New Speedway Boogie,” that’s the sh*t, that encapsulates Altamont more than the Stones movie.

But only months later came “American Beauty,” which is when the masses started to glom on. I love “Box of Rain,” but I never need to hear “Ripple” ever again, even though Norah Jones did a good version last night.

As for those Deadheads… Too many middle class kids afraid of danger, when in truth the Dead were the most dangerous of the San Francisco groups. But sometimes the audience eclipses the act. The scene becomes bigger than the music. To the point where those not interested are turned off, but if you were there ’til the end last night…

2

The War and Treaty are just one or two exposures away from being huge stars. Used to be it took a hit, but now you can be known by many without one, like Brittany Howard, or Billy Strings, who performed last night. This duo, and only in Nashville can you be over 21, kills every time I see them. And it was a treat to see Mick Fleetwood and Stewart Copeland pounding the skins. How many more times am I going to see Mick live? The band’s history and he’s pushing 80.

Speaking of being on the verge of stardom, Marcus King…whew! He was playing those leads seemingly without effort, and he’s only 28… The popsters are nominated for Grammys, along with the aged, but it’s King and his brethren who are carrying the flag of authenticity, of skill, of music today.

Wynonna Judd… When was the last time we saw her? She emerged from the wings and triumphed. If you had hits once can you have them again? Let’s hope so.

Now I’m skipping over performances that I found blah…

My Morning Jacket with Maggie Rose? You could b.s. with the crowd an really not miss anything.

Ditto on Vampire Weekend. Too weak for the more dynamic, full-bodied sound of the Dead.

And it was great to see Bela Fleck, but almost all of the quiet performances in the middle of the audience didn’t translate. You couldn’t hear a pin drop because there was so much shuffling and talking. This is first and foremost a networking event. They say it’s about charity, and that’s true, but where else can you get all these titans in one room? You can do a year’s worth of business in one night. That’s one of the reasons I live in L.A.

Man, let me list the other performances that didn’t move me.

Maren Morris delivered the material directly, but there was no soul.

Sierra Ferrell’s true country voice stood out, but it couldn’t conquer the rabble-rousing.

Hornsby? Love him, did well, but man on piano in a cacophonous cavern…doesn’t work.

But Dwight Yoakam?

His was my favorite performance of the night. Because his did have soul, and attitude. There was that freight train running down the track quality the Dead had when they got it right. Dwight lifted the energy in the room.

The complete surprise? SAMMY HAGAR!

What’s Sammy doing at this show? But Sammy’s performance swung. There was a groove. Sammy even picked up his Les Paul and threw off some notes. You got the energy of a performance, you were more than watching, you were involved.

But not with Billy Strings. Who is all about his playing but was mostly singing.

And then…

3

Musicares is normally endless. Doesn’t run on time and ends after midnight, when more than half the audience is gone.

But looking at my watch… Not only had the evening been a seamless production, by time the speeches began it wasn’t even eleven.

Woody Harrelson did the intro. He told a meandering story and endeared himself to us like always. Likes to come across as a stoner doofus, but it’s not long before you realize there’s intelligence and talent underneath. He spoke of the first night he saw the band, at Shoreline, doing drugs and talking with Jerry while the band was waiting for him to come out for the encore.

And Woody had a punchline, but I’ll save it for when you hear him tell it live.

And then Mickey Hart evidenced a spryness and intelligence that you wouldn’t expect from an 81 year old.

As for Bob Weir… He said he was dyslexic and proved it. He said he’d have trouble with the teleprompter but the end result was him endearing himself to us, demonstrating that you don’t have to be good in school to be successful. Hell, most musicians aren’t.

And then…

Dead & Company.

This is not guaranteed. The honoree does not always play the show.

But…

Now this is not the aforementioned Stones. There’s not a dramatic start, a flash from black to white. Instead, the members were there on stage in the bright lights and the playing began and…

I’d be lying if I said it was marvelous. The vocals were not perfect and I was talking with Steve Boom and Daniel Glass and then…

Must’ve been about ten minutes in. My head popped up, I recognized it, THIS WAS THE DEAD!

The Dead were anti-stars. It was about creating an environment more than a performance. Sometimes Jerry would be walking around on stage, not even looking at the audience. Seemingly in search of that one element that would lift the music.

This is not how it usually is. Normally the building is dark, the only lights are on stage, you’re there to worship at the feet of icons, your eyesight is focused.

But not the Dead. The Dead were reinventing it every night. There was no formula. Back in the day, it would start with the New Riders, Jerry would play pedal steel, which he had a new fascination for. There’d be a break and the band would come out and it would start…slow. Everybody hunting for the groove. There was no pop, there was an evolution.

Now ultimately, the scene superseded the music, the band. It was about being there, even if you were outside the building. But there was none of that if you were there early. Just the band and its fans, the music and the feeling. There were no hits, no showstoppers. Eventually “Casey Jones” and “Truckin’,” but…those were new once too.

So the lights are bright last night. And the band has locked in. In a way that no one else does. Back in the sixties they called it psychedelic. Now they call it jam band. But not only does it evolve from the Dead, it’s truly nothing like the Dead. Because the Dead were the progenitors. They were creating the music, not imitating. There was no form. They existed in a world unto themselves, and either you were hip to it or not, interested or not.

“So “Althea” runs into “Sugar Magnolia” and it’s clear, there will be no breaks, this will not end, this is a journey, and we’re just along for the ride. They’re not playing to us, but themselves. They’re locked together, making this sound, that is new and alive, not just replication of a record.

And it eventually evolves into “Touch of Grey,” the band’s only hit, pushed over the transom by Clive Davis and MTV.

But it’s not the “Touch of Grey” of the record. It’s got the same words, the same changes, but it’s been transmogrified into something different.

And every time you thought it was coming to a conclusion, it was not.

They’d sing:

“I will get by

I will survive”

And that would be a great way to end this piece, but it didn’t end the performance, which settled into more solos, more trading of vocals between Weir and Mayer…

This is the Grateful Dead.

And you can’t get it anywhere else. Can’t even get it on a record, never mind cover versions. Because it’s got to do with the players themselves, and not only the chemistry between them but the trip into nooks and crannies, the surprises, while…

The song keeps trucking along. Lifting you higher and higher.

Tomorrow night they’re going to honor the Spotify Top 50. And there’s money there, but if you want the heart and soul of music you should have been there last night, for Dead & Company’s performance.

And you can go to the Sphere and see them, you should, it’s worth the trip. And it’s different every night, you can’t box in the Grateful Dead, and some nights are better than others, but that’s just like…

Life.

Forget the experts in their tie-dye, keeping you away with their bloviations about this show and that. The Dead were always a big tent, they were never exclusive. They were there when you were ready. Ready to light the fuse and see where the rocket went. Sometimes over on its side, sometimes into the stratosphere.

And you don’t have to be on drugs to get it.

You’ve just got to surrender. Your preconceptions. Your trappings, your beliefs, and go for the ride.

Because when they get it right, it’s great.

And you can’t get it anywhere else.

That’s what the modern music business was built upon. Not hit songs, but culture. Created by those left of center, who liked the money but oftentimes couldn’t read a royalty statement, assuming there was one. It was just about you and your buds, traveling across the country, getting high and playing music. Veritable outlaws.

That spirit’s been gone for a long time.

But it was in downtown L.A. last night. 

Tune in Saturday February 1st to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.

Phone #: 844-686-5863

Twitter/X: @lefsetz

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

1

“And what it all comes down to

Is that everything’s gonna be fine, fine fine”

Nobody walks in L.A. Not that Missing Persons took the stage. Dale and Terry Bozzio have been divorced for eons.

But we’re still here.

Broken, battered and excoriated. Prior to the fires L.A. was considered a hellhole.

But if you lived here…

We’ve been home for a month, in shock. It’s like a death in the family. Traffic has been light, until the recent rains you never knew if conflagration was just around the corner.

But these shows were booked weeks ago, on the schedule. Fundraisers sans politics. No elected officials. No politics. Just people, performers and LOS ANGELES!

If you don’t live here you don’t get it, if you’ve only visited here, you don’t get it. But if you live here, even though you complain about the traffic…there’s nowhere you’d rather live. But it’s an internal feeling as opposed to a communal one. Although Randy Newman wrote an ironic song, there is no I Love L.A. campaign, that’s for New York, other places that have to convince themselves they’re the best. California knows… Maybe it’s not the best city in the world, but living is easy, it’s a giant suburb, no one’s in your face and the weather…

And even though they’re part of the same nation, the people in Los Angeles are different from those on the east coast, especially the natives. They’re always friendly, but they don’t immediately invite you over for dinner, everybody’s in their own silo living their own life.

But last night…

Sure, Green Day started the show, with Billie Eilish sitting in, but the first peak came when Billy Crystal took the stage. Appearing everywhere usually with no edge, this was different. Billy was in his sweats, the same clothes he left his house in that fateful day. It was personal. That set the tone, it was personal for everybody in attendance.

And then…

“I’m broke, but I’m happy

I’m poor, but I’m kind

I’m short, but I’m healthy, yeah

I’m high, but I’m grounded

I’m sane, but I’m overwhelmed

I’m lost, but I’m hopeful, baby”

“Jagged Little Pill” came out thirty years ago this June. And although Alanis’s second LP made a dent, and she had that phenomenal soundtrack song “Uninvited” thereafter…she hasn’t topped the charts since. But “Jagged Little Pill” is so iconic. It evidences the values of L.A. In that you come from the hinterlands to make it. Oftentimes broke, but super-hungry. And few triumph, but those that do maintain a base in L.A. Sure, they might have more than one house, but they’re Angelenos, through and through. Like Joni Mitchell, she’s lived in L.A. for decades. Because once you’ve gotten a taste…it’s hard to leave. It’s just too comfortable, just too good.

So Alanis is no different from 1995. Her hair is still long. She’s smiling and moving her body like in the videos…

But you’d expect…I don’t know, “You Oughta Know,” with maybe Flea coming in from the wings to replicate his bass part. But when I heard that intro…SHE’S PLAYING HAND IN POCKET, MY FAVORITE SONG!

I immediately jumped to my feet, thrust my arms in the air and sang along.

And I wasn’t the only one. We’d all lived through the experience. This was not a gig for kids, we remember the nineties.

And I’m looking at the assembled multitude and I can’t stop smiling, we are here, we will survive, I’m tingling while I write this.

“And what it all boils down to

Is that no one’s really got it all figured out just yet”

Ain’t that the truth, but as we stood and shook, sang at the top of our lungs, one thing was for sure…WE’RE GONNA! We’re gonna figure it out, we’re gonna rebuild, the rest of the country is gonna hate us, but it’s clear…WE’RE GONNA GET THE LAST LAUGH!

2

And then Anderson.Paak comes out wailing on the drums, with Sheila E. out front doing the act she did with Prince back in the day. The energy is palpable. And it’s good…

But then came the second highlight of the night. From the side of the stage came…DR. DRE??

You’ve got to know what Dre means to L.A. You’ve got to know he’s out of sight. Sure, he played the Super Bowl, but he doesn’t go on tour, he’s an elder statesman. And his hair has touches of gray, but he’s out front on the mic and…

WOW!

Even if you hated rap you got it. This was the essence, from the Palisades to Altadena to Compton… This is L.A.

And when they went into “California Love”… You knew it was coming, but still it was shocking, 2Pac was not there, but I’m sure he was in the sky with his arms crossed, happy. There was a sensation of triumph, but sans compromise. There was no pandering, they were doing it their way.

Which is our way.

Then Joni Mitchell did a low-key “Both Sides Now” and Dawes came out and played an energetic “Time Spent in Los Angeles.” They were not as big as the rest of the acts on the stage, but born Angelenos.

And then came the transplants, Stephen Stills and Mike Campbell to do “For What It’s Worth,” not that stinging single of Buffalo Springfield, but the more energized take Stills has performed recently at the Bowl and the Greek. And the one thing that no one ever acknowledges is how great a player he is, and he’s going at it with Mike and then…

Graham Nash comes out and they do “Teach Your Children.” Not one of my favorite Crosby, Stills & Nash songs, but it sounds close to the record, as if there was a direct line from ’69 to ’25. But then I went to Wikipedia and… Stephen Stills turned 80 on January 3rd. Graham Nash is going to be 83 in February. Seeing them there on stage…

Stills has been there and done that. He shows up now and again, but… What is his life about? You’ve proved your mettle…some acts have a need to stay current, but when you’ve been to the mountaintop, what do you have to prove?

And it wasn’t clear everybody there knew “For What It’s Worth.” And I’d say it was a changing of the guard, but it was more akin to a last hurrah. Times have moved on.

The younger generation dominated at Intuit, but over here on the other side of SoFi…

3

Which is when the action switched to down the block. Starting with Rod Stewart.

That’s the kind of night it was. Talent didn’t appear in order of star power. You could be a heavyweight and play early.

Rod joked about playing a new song and went into “Maggie May”…

And his hair still stands up, and he got the notes across with his sandpaper voice, but the backup band…was women straight out of a Robert Palmer video and youngsters. Everybody delivered, but Wikipedia told me Rod turned 80 on January 10th. He’s not trying to look young, he’s had no plastic surgery, although his legs are super-skinny, but…this ain’t gonna go on for much longer folks.

And then back to the Forum. From this point on, the venues switched off. At Intuit there’d be a bit of fire footage, an introduction and…

This is when I looked at my watch.

It was too late on the east coast. We were in it alone…same as it ever was.

We’ll tune in early for the east coast events, but when we rev it up on the west coast…the rest of the country is turning in. They’ve got no idea what is going on out here, they don’t even think about us. But as evidenced by the performers on stage, the people in the audience…

THIS IS WHERE IT’S HAPPENING!

It’s a hiding in plain sight secret.

And at the Forum John Mayer took the stage acoustically. And after playing his songs “Neon” and “Gravity,” he intro’ed the song from the legendary transplant who stayed here, never went back to Florida…

“She’s a good girl, loves her mama

Loves Jesus and America too

She’s a good girl, crazy about Elvis

Loves horses and her boyfriend too”

Tom Petty didn’t live on the westside, but Encino. The San Fernando Valley, which was never and still is not hip.

Sure, Tom ultimately decamped for Malibu, but…

“It’s a long day livin’ in Reseda

There’s a freeway runnin’ through the yard”

I remember using my mother’s Redken shampoo. Right there on the plastic bottle it said it was made in Van Nuys, California. Seemed exotic in the tub in Connecticut, but if you’ve ever been here… That’s where they used to make Camaros, there’s nothing special about Van Nuys.

And there’s nothing special about Reseda, even though it’s suburban sans industrialization.

It’s like an inside joke. Tom was encapsulating Southern California. It’s not special, there’s very little history, everybody moved here and established roots and…

“All the vampires walkin’ through the Valley

Move west down Ventura Boulevard”

That got a hoot, that’s the main artery in the Valley, there’s not a soul who doesn’t know it, hasn’t driven down its endless length.

We were all singing along…

“And I’m free

Free fallin’

Yeah, I’m free

Free fallin'”

Yes we were. That’s the essence of SoCal, the lack of constriction, the FREEDOM!

4

And then back to Intuit for Earth, Wind & Fire and this is when it became clear you had to be there. It’s one thing to watch it on the big screen, it’s quite another thing to be in attendance.

And then back to the Forum for the Black Crowes. And watching the now gray-haired Chris Robinson on stage… It was a lesson in rock performance, rock charisma.

And then the Crowes backed up John Fogerty who always kills, but then…

Slash came out with his top hat and he and Rich sat down with their acoustics as they and Chris performed GOING TO CALIFORNIA!

Even Robert Plant got it:

“Made up my mind to make a new start

Going to California with an aching in my heart

Someone told me there’s a girl out there

With love in her eyes and flowers in her hair”

There most certainly was, and still is.

They were standing on a hill, in this case a stage, in my mountain of dreams… That’s the L.A. landscape, the mountains and the canyons. The wilds. The possibilities. Nature.

And earlier Pink played  “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You” after doing a very good version of “Me and Bobby McGhee.”

How strange, two Zeppelin songs and neither Robert nor Jimmy were there, never mind John Paul Jones.

And I’m thinking about seeing the band on their last tour in the summer of ’77 in this very building. But Jimmy was 81 on January 9th, he’s never going on tour again, we’ll be lucky if we see him live much at all.

Gracie Abrams and Tate McRae did not work at all on the big screen from Intuit. It almost looked like they were embarrassed to be there, with all the legends showing us how it was done.

And Katy Perry couldn’t get the tone right.

But Jelly Roll killed. The energy was palpable, even though it was from a distance.

He played his recent hit, “I Am Not Okay,” the one he talked about on Howard Stern, but he followed that up with… HOLLYWOOD NIGHTS!

In those Hollywood Hills…

This Bob Seger song was unavoidable on the radio of the seventies, the five rock stations in Los Angeles.

And sure, Travis Barker was pounding the skins, but Jelly Roll was truly carrying the weight. This portly 40 year old putting to shame the popsters in the Spotify Top 50. Jelly Roll had been around the block, experienced the challenges of life, you believed he believed in what he was singing. It didn’t seem that the young audience at Intuit even got “Hollywood Nights,” that was nearly fifty years ago, then again it’s hard to judge audience response from a TV screen. But Jelly Roll…he was not a break from the continuum, but right on it, in the tradition.

5

Gwen Stefani and No Doubt evidenced energy. They did “Don’t Speak,” the girls were on her side.

But not like they were with Stevie Nicks…

Man, you should have seen the faces. Every woman standing, smiling, singing along at the top of their lungs.

Stevie is a woman who made it in a man’s world without sacrificing, without playing by their rules, she was a beacon for women then and still is. The highlight was “Landslide”… And you’re never going to hear Fleetwood Mac perform this again, so this is as good as it’s going to get.

As for the Nirvana tribute… It represented Dave Grohl’s re-emergence from his self-imposed exile. This was an unbilled surprise, but really it was time for Dave to take the front of the stage with the Foos. This seemed like a baby step.

As for the Chili Peppers…

They are California. And they demonstrated this by playing “Dani California,” “Californication” and “Under the Bridge.”

But by this time people had started to leave. Grohl et al… This was more punk than mainstream, and L.A. is a punk town, but not everybody is a punker. Then again, that’s what’s great about L.A., all this music, all these people, they can coexist.

Then again, maybe people were worn out. They could only handle so many peaks. This was not your average concert. This was household names, one after another, performing only a couple of songs, which most knew by heart…this was the concert of your dreams.

And there was no hang whatsoever. You were too busy watching. I did got to the bathroom at one point during one of the Intuit transmissions, but otherwise I was eyes front and ears open.

How much money will be raised?

Well, the final numbers are not in, but…

Ultimately it was not about the money, it was about the healing. Bringing us all together, seeing each other, acknowledging the city we love and giving us all hope.

We will rebuild. Not quickly, but faster than you expect.

Those outside the state will say we’re crazy for building in fire areas. They’ll talk about stringent California building codes. They’ll keep poking holes.

Just like they do with anything that is great.

We know this.

Most people are afraid to pick up and come here, leave their past behind and search for their dreams.

But we did.

Some of us made it, some of us did not.

But ultimately it didn’t matter. 

Because we’re here.

AND WE AIN’T GOING ANYWHERE!

Are you watching this Hulu show “Paradise”?

I take notice of the volume of hype. If a show is reviewed everywhere, that means the producer/distributor has a lot invested in it, and I need to pay a modicum of attention.

I usually look at the last paragraph of the review. And maybe the first. Oftentimes that’s all you need to tell you whether it’s the worth the investment of your time. And if I’m getting a good feeling, I’ll go to RottenTomatoes for the ratings…well, oftentimes the foreign shows don’t even have ratings, but if it’s a popular American production, you’ll see numbers right away, which can fluctuate, up or down, but right this very second “Paradise” has a 79/80, and you know my threshold is 80, so…

I won’t watch anything week to week. It’s a lousy experience. And I did a bit of research and found out that all eight episodes of “Paradise” were presently available, but when I pulled up the show on Hulu this turned out to be untrue. But, without something more pressing to watch, I said what the hell.

We actually watched a movie the night before, “Number 24” on Netflix. Being a Norwegian production, the critics haven’t weighed in yet, but the audience score as I write this is 95. Does this mean you should watch it? I wouldn’t put it at the top of your list, but I will say it’s worth watching because…

It’s about the resistance in World War II. Norwegians who decide to fight against not only the occupying Nazis, but the Norwegians who are complicit with them. This is something I always think about. There is this organization of rich Republicans and entertainers in Northern California called the Bohemians. I’ve been invited to attend a few times, but I won’t. Because when the revolution comes, I don’t want my name on that list. They did not forgive the Norwegians who became Nazis, they shot them. Are they going to shoot those who did what was expedient, for the perks, when the revolution comes to America?

One thing you need to know about revolution. It happens instantly. That’s what we learned with the Arab Spring. One spark causes an entire conflagration, like the fires in SoCal.

So in “Paradise”… I don’t want to ruin the surprise, so I’ll just say something fishy is going on, and they can only depend on one person, Sterling K. Brown as Special Agent Xavier Collins, to figure it out and save the community. Because Xavier always does the right thing. Even if his father doesn’t like it.

I know almost nobody who does the right thing anymore. Everybody’s scratching for an edge. There are people stealing the identities of fire victims for the benefits. And the icons of yore have turned out to have clay feet, at least their present day descendants.

I know if I say anything negative about Trump I’ll get negative feedback and lose subscribers, but when you heard about the plane crash last night was the first thing you thought about DEI? I mean we can debate DEI programs and implementation, but it is not the root of all evil. Trump and his minions sacrifice credibility.

Then again, it’s a team sport and just like in major league sports, everybody’s looking for an edge, stealing signs, trying to make a fair fight less fair.

So who do you believe in?

Used to be the musicians. That was their power. Speaking truth, standing up to power. But we haven’t had that spirit here in the twenty first century. Sure, there are brain dead people who still believe in these sold-out performers, then again, Rick Beato posted his podcast with me on YouTube and the comments are filled with misinformation. The top one just now was demanding that Spotify pay a penny a stream. Forget that there is no per stream rate, but if there was and it was one cent, Spotify would be out of business nearly instantly. The math doesn’t add up. Spotify does not take in enough cash, nowhere near this. Nor do the rest of the streamers. But these wannabe musicians want theirs. That’s what it comes down to, they believe they’re entitled.

But underneath this constant jockeying for position whilst employing falsehoods is an incredible desire for honesty and credibility. Because we all need someone and something to believe in.

It got so bad that in the past couple of decades people have believed in brands more than bands. We can argue Apple vs. Android. It’s like a religious war. But the acts are niche cartoons, not worth spending your time picking apart. You’re a fan of BTS, good for you, I don’t care and I don’t want to talk about it, that’s how most people feel.

And Biden and Harris sacrificed all credibility and their support teams never blew the whistle. It’s kind of like these inane confirmation hearings going on in the Senate as I write this. No one is honest, everybody’s parsing the issues and lying, and we all know this is true. And you wonder why people don’t trust the government?

Now you can take sides.

But really, it’s all about the people sitting out. Just waiting for someone to carry the flag.

And for a lot of people recently it’s been Elon Musk.

Elon Musk spearheaded the adoption of electric vehicles, he’s advanced space flight, however he’s an extremely flawed human being. And the more he’s in the spotlight, the more this is evidenced.

But recently there was an inflection point, which undercuts Musk’s credibility and will haunt him hereafter.

He lied about his gaming ability. And continued to stonewall. And then finally admitted he had others boosting his scores, utterly taboo in the gaming world.

Now you may not care about gaming, but video games are bigger than both movies and music. They just don’t get the equivalent press. And the bros who play video games… These are the people who adore Elon, who put him and Trump over the line.

But now Elon has broken the code.

And has appeared mortal in the process.

Why do you need to be the best at everything, no one in the history of the world has been. Can’t you kick back and say I like playing games but I’m not in the league of those who do it for a living?

To be as good as Elon said he was you’d need to play 16 hours a day. Needless to say, Musk doesn’t have the time.

But, but, BUT, you say, look at Trump!

Sure, Trump has no credibility. But his success is based on him convincing his fans that he understands them and is working for them, the truth be damned. Find a Patriots fan who will admit to Deflategate… It’s impossible.

But Musk is different. He’s ultimately for nobody but himself.

This is like all those Silicon Valley titans who donated to Trump’s inaugural fund and showed up in D.C. last week. Mark Zuckerberg is one of the most hated men in the world.

It looks like these people are winning, but in truth they’re losing. Because life is a long game. And you only have one reputation.

But it’s hard to believe you should be honest and credible when everybody in the news is not.

That’s a rot at the center of our society. That does not make it right.

Without trust one lives in an outlaw community. Isn’t that the basis of relationships. trust?

People are hungry for honesty, trustworthiness and credibility. Sure, if you speak the truth there are some who won’t be able to handle it, who will excoriate you, but there will be a cadre of those who will be bonded to you.

I will never forgive Rod Stewart for making those “American Songbook” albums.

But Alex Chilton who had nowhere near the amount of success stayed true to his roots, his beliefs, until his death.

That was part of the magic of Kurt Cobain. And some of the classic rock acts who still won’t do commercial endorsements, who can still sell tickets.

Just because everybody else is doing it…

We’re looking for people like Xavier Collins, who will do the right thing. And they don’t have to tell us this, their behavior evidences it. And stands out in a world of expedience and phoniness.

Hell, if you don’t have an identity, if you can’t trust yourself, what have you got?

There are business legends with tons of money but no friends. Sitting home alone like the President in “Paradise.” How fulfilling is that?

Not very.