Kenny Chesney has a new autobiography, “Heart Life Music.” Kenny is open, honest and forthright…not fake humble or self-deprecating, he owns his hard work and success. I loved talking to him and you’ll love listening to him!
The story for me is how out of touch the press is.
The right said Trump had a mandate.
The left said the party had to run to the center.
And everybody in the pundit class, everybody in D.C., seemed to have no understanding of the mind-set of the people. And the question arises, if the press is wrong on this, what else are they wrong on?
If you’ve made it all the way to TV or Congress you’re pretty self-impressed, you ran the gauntlet and emerged victorious. But did you know that the median age of an MSNBC viewer is 72? This isn’t even your parents, this is your GRANDPARENTS! And this is my generation and I’ve got to tell you, it’s as baked into its ways as the generations before it. We thought it would be different for boomers, after all they had the greatest number of people and changed the world, but not anymore.
The world runs on tech, the internet, yet Andrew Cuomo spent double-digit millions on TV ads. Do you know anybody under thirty who watches traditional television, whether it be network or cable? Most don’t even have access, and they don’t care. If there’s a show worth seeing, and there are very few, it’s on a streaming outlet. As for the news, it’s at your fingertips online! As for the cable channels themselves, good luck finding one that has in excess of a million viewers, in a country of 340 million, a lot of these outlets don’t even have 100,000 people watching at one time. But because they’re part of the cable package old schoolers think they count, when they don’t. YouTube and TikTok count much more.
After the last election cycle, AOC told the Democratic party to give her their campaign funds, that she knew how to spend them, unlike the establishment. She was talking about online… And two years later it’s even more clear. It’s nearly impossible to reach anybody and if you want to make contact at all, you’ve got to do so online.
And if it’s not reported on Fox or in the “New York Times,” that does not mean it does not matter. Those outlets are still operating on the old paradigm of if they don’t report it, it doesn’t exist. We no longer need the imprimatur of an authority for a story to have legs, it can spread like wildfire without even making it to the so-called mainstream.
Sure, Mamdani had innovative policies that spoke to the issue of affordability, but his roots were planted online, with limited merch and gamification and…until the primary last June, the mainstream had no idea of the size of his following. It’s about getting people excited with honesty and credibility, such that they will spread the word. Your only hope is virality. I don’t mean going nuclear, although that’s great, but engendering any word of mouth at all. If people don’t want to talk about you and what you’re doing, you’re dead in the water. The days of a media outlet shoving something down the audience’s throat to the point of success are done. Gatekeepers are history. You go directly to the audience. It’s a whole new ball game, one oldsters are not prepared to play, never mind that they don’t want to believe change has happened and they’re out of date.
As for affordability… That’s all I heard on the cable channels today, both MSNBC and Fox. As if this were a revelation. Been to a grocery store recently? That’s all you’ve got to know. But if you’ve got enough money not to look at the receipt…you’re one of the chosen few, the masses are positively stupefied. Sure, inflation has calmed down, but grocery prices keep going up, it’s harder to make ends meet, and all we’re getting from both parties is platitudes, which the consumer can’t understand and don’t move the needle anyway.
D.C. is the land of no. Not only is there gridlock, no one wants any innovative legislation or action, they don’t want to take a risk. They believe in the status quo. But out in the hinterlands, the status quo went out the window long ago. Furthermore, change keeps happening, faster than ever. You might not be able to keep up, deciding you want to turn off the smartphone and see people face to face, but that just means you’re missing out, you’re losing touch with the pulse of the nation, what are the odds you’re hanging with those who have opposite opinions anyway?
As for the last election…
Can the Democrats just admit they f*cked it up? That Biden was too old and hung on too long and the only people who wanted Harris anointed without a primary were Joe and Kamala herself? Democrats felt ripped-off. They may hate the Democratic party, deservedly, but that does not mean they’ve given up on Democratic VALUES!
Immigration was a problem that the Democrats didn’t adequately address. The educated know that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than citizens and they oftentimes do jobs citizens are unwilling to do. But that doesn’t speak to the UNFAIRNESS! The public is sick and tired of the rules being bent for everyone but them, they’re saying NO MAS! Which is part of what they said yesterday.
The media underestimated Trump’s power, his acolytes, his total vote in 2024 and they underestimated the margins of victory of Democrats yesterday. They’ve got their heads so far up their asses that they can’t see the truth, never mind that horse races get good ratings and they don’t like perceived in advance blowouts…who’s going to tune in for that?
Meanwhile, the right wing media machine convinced Democrats that they should operate from the back foot, play defense, that the Republicans were in charge of the agenda.
No one likes taxes. But people hate income inequality even more. And Trump is busy giving the rich breaks, never mind all the corporate titans coming to kiss the ring. As if one corporate titan equals a hundred thousand votes. These CEOs are no longer adored, they’re seen as whores ripping off the nation…and if you think they’re in touch with the nation… Zuckerberg may control Facebook, but that does not mean he’s knowledgeable about the conversation on his platform. Never mind everybody knowing the algorithm is f*cked, and showing you inflammatory stuff to keep you on. The public is not as stupid as you think.
But not everybody is informed. More people know more than ever before, as a result of the internet, but most people don’t get in the weeds, they vote on personality, on broad issues. But Biden and his ilk were wonks. Just make my life easy enough so I don’t have to think about you, so I can live my life without worrying about what is happening in government…that’s what people want.
So the lunatics have lost touch with the asylum. Yes, the elected officials, the government industrial complex, and the media enthralled to it. Want to know what is going on in America? You must be online hours a day, like youngsters. And if you decry this, you’re as out of touch as your parents who hated the Beatles.
Can an aged congressperson play a video game, do they even know the names of them? Video games are bigger than movies, but all we’ve got is all this press about films whose grosses are declining.
I’d say it’s a disinformation campaign, but it’s really a misinformation campaign, reporters have no idea what is really going on! One fat cat opinion writer after another sits on his or her high horse and tells you what’s going on because they spoke with insiders…how about speaking with OUTSIDERS, you’d learn more, know what is going on more!
Then there’s this story:
“There are no hip-hop songs in the US top 40 for the first time since 1990”
Now the “Billboard” chart itself is flawed, but we’re constantly told we live in a hip-hop nation, that rap rules. but it hasn’t meant this little in thirty five years!
Just like the press tells us all about the antics of Taylor Swift when the truth is most people just aren’t listening to her and just don’t care. And they’re listening to nobody more, except maybe Morgan Wallen, but this narrative doesn’t fit with the media’s agenda… The music scene today is more steel wool than clear windowpane. It’s messy, hard to decipher…but they keep anointing the past.
As for the new…
The media completely missed Zach Bryan on his way up.
So you have two choices. Either keep your head in the sand, believe in everything you were into previously, refuse to question your preconceptions or…dive in knowing there are no clear answers, but he or she with the most information has the best understanding of what is happening in America, however flawed their viewpoint might still be.
I’m not saying to expect free and fair elections in the future, I’m not saying Trump’s march towards authoritarianism won’t proceed, but to think that the public is asleep and/or okay with the trajectory of our nation is just plain wrong. The public has been taking it up the a*s since the eighties, when tax rates were lowered and boomers became greedy. And they’ve been punched in the face multiple times thereafter, especially in 2008. People are both angry and disillusioned. They don’t care which party it is, neither is in touch with their feelings. Some will vote so the other won’t get power, but most people no longer believe in government, have no hope, in a completely changed world.
It’s not very complicated. The evidence is in plain sight. All you’ve got to do is connect with the great unwashed, who the rich and those in power have contempt for. People believe in America, just not this America, they want CHANGE!
I was disappointed. Because I wanted it to be more.
There was a point in the third or so episode where I was marveling over what a good show it was, especially the nuances and emotions between Kate and Hal. It made me think of “The Sopranos,” which had all the family relationships right.
But then “The Diplomat” got caught up in fantastical plot lines, whereas “The Sopranos”… Tony was always a secondary mob guy, owning his own turf, king of his own turf, but the situations and issues he found himself in were relatively small time, they were believable, whereas the situations in “The Diplomat”…
Maybe the show should have ended. That’s a tough call, to blow the whistle when reception is still good, when everybody is on a high.
Now the machinations between Hal and Grace, whether he is deserving of the vice presidency, are well done. He’s uncontrollable, at times a hothead, always convinced he is right. And then there’s Bradley Whitford as Grace’s husband…he doesn’t ring true, but some of his insights are spot-on. Who is looking out for Grace? Would the end result of decisions be that she is squeezed out of the presidency? And his jealousy re the relationship between Grace and Hal…when people have no portfolio, they build scenarios in their heads. And the interactions between Grace and Whitford’s Todd are pretty damn good…when they roll around on the bed, when they discuss issues.
But those issues…
The show is carried by Keri Russell. Who gives an amazing performance. She can be two-faced, just like a politician, turning on the charm to impress when she doesn’t feel it inside.
And then there’s Trowbridge as the PM… I like him, he’s a bit of an idiot, but he’s got a good tuning fork, he can catch the vibe…most of the time, anyway, but…
The whole concept of America blowing up a British aircraft carrier with forty-odd men onboard… They should have left that plot point in the rearview mirror. But they kept focused on it, and then more and more plot was added on that you just couldn’t take seriously.
Which every person in this show takes their job, seriously.
But in 2025, we see politicians as doofuses. And we watch and see the endless negotiations, the hand-wringing in this series, when we feel we could come up with an answer in seconds. Sure, a lot hangs in the balance, but the decisions are belabored, especially over the consequences, and is this what politicians and diplomats do, always focus on soft issues… I mean it’s never black and white, they’re worrying about the effects and…
If this were real life, and these issues were in play, there would be more edge.
Then again, these international issues rarely come up. We’ve got the aircraft carrier, the Russian sub, what next, an astronaut lost in space?
Being a diplomat, even an ambassador, is usually boring. But a lot of stories can be derived from everyday life. Then the series would have been more believable.
And why exactly did Kate decide to “separate” from Hal, and why exactly did she decide to get back together? Not enough backstory, not enough facts were laid down, these decisions seemed surface, rather arbitrary, whereas Carmela’s relationship with Tony? Her contemplation whether to stay or go? It was very nuanced.
As for Kate’s relationship with Callum… This guy radiates no sexual energy, what exactly is the attraction? He’s smart, but not suave, not charismatic.
So they keep laying logs on the plot, wrenching up the supposed tension to the point where you start to disengage, you’re watching to see what happens, but you’re no longer involved. Whereas in previous seasons, with much less at stake plot-wise, you were.
You might say I’m nitpicking, however…
In what world is good good enough? It’s hard to make a show as good as “The Diplomat,” why not try to make it even better, one of the great shows of all time, why not wrestle over the action such that it is realistic as opposed to a big screen plot-driven film? Series are all about the characters, the small stories, that’s where the focus should be.
As for tone…
“House of Cards” could be funny, yet serious. The plot lines were believable. And Kevin Spacey as the president took his job more seriously than everybody in this show, he knew what was at stake, you could feel it, it was palpable. Whereas in “The Diplomat” everybody’s impressed with themselves, saying LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT MY TITLE AND MY POWER! Power emanates from the inside. And at times Keri/Kate gets it right, but…
Multiple times the president’s inner circle is stymied, they’ve been debating an issue ad infinitum, and then Keri comes up with an idea to save the day. Why didn’t she come up with the idea earlier? I mean this is their territory, they work in it every day. It’s just not believable that when everybody is flummoxed, long after a decision has been made, that she will suddenly gain insight none of them have and save the day like Spanky in the “Little Rascals.”
Now let me be clear, “The Diplomat” is light years better than most of today’s series. Kudos. You don’t have to dumb yourself down to watch it. But instead of continuing to walk the razor’s edge, they jumped down into mass market with endless unbelievable twists and all the gravitas, never mind believability, is excised.
It’s hard to get it right. To keep your vision and not compromise.
Try.
P.S. We are now watching “The Asset.” A lot less money was thrown at the screen, but it is gripping in a way that “The Diplomat” is not. At times “The Diplomat” is uber-serious, then it’s bozos playing at politics. The visceral quality of “The Asset” hits right between your eyes. The Danish (along with the Israelis) are known for making the best television. Watch this and you can see why.
I was reading “Record Collector” magazine and learned that there’s a 50th anniversary version of “Captain Fantastic,” which I immediately pulled up on my phone, I needed to hear the demo version of “Tell Me When the Whistle Blows,” one of my favorite, if not my absolute favorite, tracks on the album.
But this was more of a personal experience, if you weren’t a hard core fan I didn’t think you needed to know about it.
And they also wrote about the new Dylan Bootleg series, “Through the Open Window – 1956-1963.” The opening track is positively revelatory, Dylan’s version of “Let the Good Times Roll,” recorded in the Terlinde Music Shop in St. Paul back in 1956, when Bob was only fifteen years old. This demonstrates his roots. As Dylan claims, he was always a rocker. He wanted to be Elvis. But you ultimately have to find your own path. Yet, few know Dylan’s roots. They’re all here in this package, as well as his development in plain sight when no one was paying attention. Acts don’t emerge fully-formed, they develop.
And then I wondered what other acts had released albums full of demos/rare recordings.
I found a “Deluxe Edition” of the Cars’ “Heartbeat City,” their Mutt Lange return to form, and it had “Just What I Needed” from Live Aid, but that stuff is not truly rare, and even though I bought it, “Heartbeat City” was never one of my favorite albums…can we all agree that it’s really all about the first?
And then I saw an expanded version of “Who Are You.” The title track is now a Who standard, but the song that always moved me was “Music Must Change,” however, by this point the band was running out of gas, it was really about Pete’s dawning solo career. And one of the gems on this package is a band version of “Empty Glass,” which is more of a curio, but interesting.
And the Who have been repackaged ad infinitum. They’ve been on the road so much that many shrugged when their final tour was announced, at these prices they didn’t need to see them once again. And I kind of get it. The act hasn’t changed. And how many times has the band retired anyway? I remember taping their final show, which was simulcast (in stereo!) on the radio in 1989. A monumental event. Not really. The band came back. And came back. And…
Somewhere along the line we lost touch with what the Who were really about. ENERGY! Sure, Pete is an intellectual, sure there are messages in the songs, sure, at this point no classic rock act is truly dangerous, is pushing the envelope, but when you listen to THIS, you’ll be shocked into submission, because this is IT!
Today “Quadrophenia” is legendary, but it was a bit of a disappointment upon release back in 1973. There was no hit single, there wasn’t even an obvious FM track. No, you purchased “Quadrophenia” and digested it personally, turned the pages of the included booklet, as the album revealed itself to you track by track.
For me it was always about side 3, with “Sea and Sand.”
“The girl I love is a perfect dresser
Wears every fashion, gets it to the tee”
And the closing cut, the majestic “Love Reign o’er Me.”
Then there was the first side, which started out with Pete’s synthesizer opus, “I Am the Sea”…I always thought that recording the real ocean would have been better. But after two minutes of noodlling, the guitar riffs, the bass dances underneath and Roger starts singing about “The Real Me.”
Now in truth, if you want to listen to “Quadrophenia,” you’re better off listening to the John Entwistle remix for the movie (the best rock flick ever, if you’re asking me)… The original was a bit dull, but Entwistle stripped away the flat exterior, the result was more in your face, more rock and roll, with louder, more prominent bass (what did you expect?)
Now Pete revisited the bookend to “The Real Me,” “I’m One,” on his 1986 album, “Deep End Live!,” there’s a ton of meaning, gravitas, but it’s not the Who.
But this performance of “Real Me” from the deluxe “Who Are You”…it’s most certainly the Who, and it’s a STUNNER!
Recorded at the Philadelphia Spectrum on December 10, 1979, not long after the tragedy in Cincinnati, it closed the show and closes this seven album package.
The Who… You’ve got to remember, it was a trio with a vocalist. Making a glorious noise, with holes in the live sound, inevitably…there was only one guitarist.
But John Entwistle rivals Paul McCartney as the most melodic bass player in rock, and his role is even larger with only three instruments in play. Entwistle is not only holding down the bottom, he’s pirouetting all over it, he’s not buried in the mix, he’s RIGHT THERE!
And sure, it’s not Keith Moon on drums, but Kenney Jones…he’s not far off…you can hear the individual hits, it’s not a whirlwind where the plot is lost in the process.
As for Pete… He always claimed to be a rhythm guitarist… He’s not constantly playing here, but throwing in chords here and there, picking a few notes…he doesn’t see a need to carry the tune, he’s just part of the ensemble, occasionally dropping out.
And there you have the glorious noise.
But sitting on top of it all is Roger Daltrey’s vocal, WHEW! The man in his prime. Not singing from deep in his chest, but from his head and heart with no limits…there’s energy, but there’s also power, AND ANGST!
Many say “Live at Leeds” is the best live album of all time. I don’t agree, because there’s no crowd noise…sure, there’s great playing, but in a vacuum it doesn’t work for me.
But this…
Sure, the Who have recently been on the road, but it’s not the same thing.
You can go see Paul McCartney, he plays your favorites, but it’s not the same thing. Once upon a time it was fresh, groundbreaking, but that’s no longer the case.
As for the Stones? They haven’t been dangerous for a long time.
Maybe you can feel the energy from an act from back when that never broke through, but those who had success…they’ve been to the mountaintop, now the money is as important as the adulation, whereas way back when THEY HAD TO DO IT! Had to express themselves, they worked out their frustration live, and if you were in the audience you felt it, you were transfixed. The music penetrated you and sparks emanated from your body. No one was shooting selfies, not because there were no smartphones, but because everybody was focused on the music, we were all Tommy, maybe not deaf, dumb and blind, but in tune with the music. Which was more than the music. More than commerce. It was life itself. And if you listen to this track, you’ll get it.
What once was.
It’s gone now.
And it doesn’t seem to be on its way back, because today’s acts are self-conscious, money-oriented, whereas back then the acts were less interested in being brands than changing the world…or at least sticking a finger in the eye of the world. We live like Gods, we trash hotel rooms, our road manager has a roll of c-notes, women are clamoring for us, our gigs sell out, we’re the other, our own context, which you can either accept or not.
But back then the youth was all in. Music was the basis of the culture. Its power was undeniable.
And as time marched on, acts shaved off their rough edges. They were concerned with replicating the record live, with extra players and tapes, but the Who were still doing the same act from the sixties, it was still powerful, undeniable, JUST LISTEN!
