This is UnitedHealthcare.

This is what happens when the Democratic leadership is somnambulant, people take matters into their own hands.

 

I don’t know if this news has made it into the right wing blogosphere. But in the mainstream press this week there have been all these stories about Tesla sales tanking. Significantly.

And now people are attacking Tesla cars and dealerships and…

We can’t say exactly how many people are responsible, but one thing is for sure, they’re tapping into an anger that permeates the left, if not some of the right too.

We could make this about Musk. Prognosticators believe it’s only a matter of time before he’s excised, that’s Trump’s style, but really this is about frustration with the direction of the country under Trump’s rule. The Democrats keep telling constituents to believe in the system. Meanwhile, Mike Johnson tells his minions to stop holding town halls.

In other words, the government may be losing control of the public, and that’s never a good sign. Trump’s approval ratings are dismal. And when people feel powerless…some take action. And just like with UnitedHealthcare, their behavior is endorsed by the general public and chaos rules.

You can’t paint someone else’s car. You can’t shoot bullets into a car dealership. But that’s what people are doing.

Now you could say that people have a right to express themselves… Which is what they said to Elon himself, who uttered some nonsense about private property and I’m not saying he’s wrong, but it’s no longer about the law, but about emotions.

Let’s take it further. You can’t take anybody’s job in America today. You can’t fire them. Talk to anybody in control at a corporation. Everywhere from the assembly line to concert promotion. In order to fire someone…you need a litany of documented misbehavior, and you still may have to pay them to go, to avoid a lawsuit. Forget what’s right, this is the situation.

AND ELON MUSK IS TAKING TONS OF PEOPLE’S JOBS!

Now what. Most people don’t have deep pockets like Elon. We keep reading how close everyone is to being broke, with only a few weeks’ money in the bank. You fire these people and they’re just going to shrug their shoulders and get on the bread line? NO, THEY’RE GOING TO GET ANGRY!

This is what happens when you’re rich, both Trump and Elon, you’re out of touch with the public. Yes, yes, yes, Trump channeled the dissatisfaction of the blue collar workers and underclass, but don’t think he really knows anything about their lives. Do you know anybody rich? Especially those who grew up rich? Their experiences, their perspective is different. They don’t know what they don’t know.

As for Elon… He was squeezed out of PayPal for being an a**hole. His Teslas are responsible for more accidents per vehicle than any other brand because the self-driving software doesn’t work and sure, he blasted off a few rockets, but a bunch blew up too. And Canada just canceled its Starlink order. I mean why in the hell is this guy a hero? Not to mention he fires people willy-nilly.

And I’d be stunned if this anti-Tesla fervor is tolerated on X. It’s free speech for him, but not for the rest of us. Just like it’s socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor. Musk is the beneficiary of government money for SpaceX, but he’s gonna fire the asses of the hoi polloi?

Oh, he might rehire some people. But once bitten, twice shy. It’s not like these workers are going to breathe a sigh of relief when they get their jobs back, they’re going to keep looking over their shoulders, they’re going to clam up and protect their jobs first and foremost. And you’ve got Trump saying air traffic controllers should be MIT graduates. AT THAT PAY?? Like I said, he’s out of touch, he doesn’t know how Americans live, never mind not knowing how America works.

Consider this a news bulletin. Don’t blow back with right wing crap. If someone sets a Tesla on fire, that’s a fact, that’s happened. There are no alternative fact patterns here.

This is the Arab Spring moment I’ve been speaking of. When the government loses touch with the public, who knows what will happen, everything is up for grabs.

And that fruit vendor who started it all fifteen years ago… He was frustrated over his JOB, or lack thereof. He was a college graduate, and now he’s selling FRUIT?

I’m not saying that America does not have problems. I’m not saying that there’s no government waste. But you don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. And there’s no comprehension of the effects on people’s lives. Screw the country, most people only have one life and if you want to mess with their job, their health care, their quality of life, you’re going to hear about it.

It all comes down to income inequality. That’s what ails America. You can only keep the people down for so long. Many on the right want the government drowned in the bathtub because they want more money in their wallet. They can barely make ends meet.

And the great mass of the public has to be exposed to the lifestyles and shenanigans of the rich and famous and now you’re going to take things away from them?

Once again, if you want to see someone get angry, just take away their job. Now the entire nation is going to go postal!

Once again, don’t argue concepts with me, I’m just reporting the facts, which may have eluded you.

The “New York Times” just published this article:

“Rage Against Elon Musk Turns Tesla Into a Target – The backlash against the electric vehicle company has turned violent at times, as its billionaire chief executive parlays his support for President Trump into consequential influence over the federal government.”

And the conservatives and progressives both hate the “Times,” because of opinions expressed on the editorial pages, but the reason the “Times” triumphs is because of its reporting. You’re getting opinion on talk radio, blogs and podcasts…when was the last time Joe Rogan ever did any reporting? But if you want to know what is going on… Just read the “Times.”

And it’s not only the “Times,” the “Washington Post” published this article today:

“Anger at Elon Musk turns violent with molotov cocktails and gunfire at Tesla lots – The string of violence against Tesla storefronts, charging stations and vehicles exacerbates the company’s woes, analysts said.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/03/08/elon-musk-tesla-protest-violence-vandalism/

And if you want to track Tesla’s waning fortunes, just read the “Wall Street Journal”: 

“Tesla’s Fortunes Fall as Musk Rises in Trump World – CEO’s politics erode brand’s appeal among some core buyers of electric vehicles; ‘I used to idolize the guy’

https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/tesla-elon-musk-consumer-backlash-19326a57?mod=Searchresults_pos1&page=1

We’ve skipped right past the nonviolent protests of the sixties to the activities of the Weathermen.

And things are much worse overall than they were in the sixties.

And if we can’t stop school shootings, how in the hell are we going to stop random acts of violence against Teslas…and who knows what else next.

People are sick and tired of their leaders. They’ve disappointed them again and again over decades. Do you think Democrats are going to trust and follow the mealy-mouthed politicians in D.C? Only those in the game take Kamala Harris’s run for California governor seriously. We’ve had enough of her, her inauthenticity, refusing to go on record and offend anybody, her word salad disappointing those who believe in progressive principles.

Ooh, the truth!

Losing your job has no political ideology. And it’s happening to those on both sides of the political spectrum.

Musk, et al, have lost control of the country. You want me to believe some inexperienced twentysomething knows more about my work than I do?

This is just the beginning.

Tune in Saturday March 8th to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.

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

“Dreams I’ll Never See”: https://www.tiktok.com/@teeharpo/video/7470338734437797150?_r=1&_t=ZT-8uTftkeGuqs

1

You couldn’t get that rich.

Then again, rich was relative.

You formed a band because you loved the music. Continued to play because the money was good and it kept you from the assembly line and boring professional jobs.

You were living an alternative lifestyle. Sleeping until noon. But everything worth experiencing happens after dark. Gain enough success, and that always came after paying a ton of dues, and the people came to see you. They bought you drinks, gave you dope, sucked your dick…

Yes, so many of the English musicians have gone on record. They played because they were shy and it was the only way to meet girls. And there’s a power in music that actually supersedes money. Because when done right music is life itself. You’re speaking through your instrument, through your lyrics, it’s directly from your heart into theirs. It’s irresistible.

So you’re a gang, you’re all in it together. And you might even be making good money, but the goal was a record deal. And hopefully resonance with the national, even worldwide audience, thereafter. You knew few made it, but you’d already come this far, so why not? And every band had a driving force, who could see the target, who could keep the band on course.

And it was never your first rodeo. You’d been playing in bands since high school. You knew what worked and what didn’t. Who was reliable and who was not. That’s not to say you weren’t ripped-off multiple times along the way. By club owners, managers…

And if you were one of the few who went all the way… As your record gained success you worked on the road. Loving it, but doing drugs to endure it. And when the dates stopped you had to go back into the studio and cut another record. And if that was a success, if you went through the wash/rinse cycle a few times, that’s when the cracks usually started to show.

It almost always comes down to money. Someone’s making more than you. They say they wrote the songs, even though you created that bass part, that lead. Or the manager is stealing from you and you’ve had enough. People start to leave. Sometimes you can replace them, usually you cannot.

So you go back home, look at the four walls, and very soon you realize your only option is to…

Do it all over again. Maybe just play locally, so you can have a home life. Maybe associate with some others who’ve been through the mill, who have experience.

2

Everybody in Molly Hatchet is dead. Well, the original members. Then again, who are the original members? Danny Joe Brown might have been the front man, but it was guitarist Dave Hlubek’s band. He formed it, he kept it together. He lived a long time for a member of Molly Hatchet, he made it all the way to 68. Guitarist Duane Roland made it to 53. Guitarist Steve Holland made it to 66. Drummer Bruce Crump lived to 57. Bass player Banner Thomas made it to 63. And singer Danny Joe Brown? His light went out at 53.

That’s the classic version of Molly Hatchet. And there’s still a Molly Hatchet on the road today, as long as someone is willing to pay…brand names, hit records, mean something, financially.

And Danny Joe Brown ultimately put out a solo record, I’d see it in the bins, with his crossed-arms visage staring me in the face. It was even produced by Glyn Johns, but it stiffed.

But for a while there, the original Molly Hatchet was intact, and had hits.

AND WHO THE F*CK CARED!

Southern rock started with the Allman Brothers. And then manager/label owner Phil Walden followed them with a slew of southern rock acts (as well as Captain Beyond, with the remnants of Iron Butterfly, I could never figure that one out). Even the Marshall Tucker Band, who started off southern rock before they went country and whose front man Toy Caldwell, as well as his brother Tommy, are long gone.

And after the first wave of southern rock, we got Lynyrd Skynyrd, Al Kooper plucked them from obscurity and they became giants on his Sounds of the South label, distributed by MCA.

As for Molly Hatchet? They seemed me-too.

But they had that one record, “Flirtin’ With Disaster.”

3

It hit the ground running, and then Danny Joe Brown started to sing and it was a veritable conflagration.

“I’m travelin’ down the road and I’m flirtin’ with disaster

I’ve got the pedal to the floor, my life is running faster

I’m out of money, I’m out of hope, it looks like self-destruction

Well, how much more can you take with all of this corruption”

I’m sure this was autobiographical. The music business is rife with corruption. Talk about not making money on Spotify? Used to be you made the money but it never ended up in your account.

“We’re flirtin’ with disaster, ya’ll know what I mean

And the way we run our lives it makes no sense to me

I don’t know about yourself or what you want to be, yeah

When we gamble with our time we choose our destiny”

Meat and potatoes. This is not intellectual, but rawly in your face. This ain’t no disco, this ain’t no foolin’ around at CBGB’s.

The Ramones had albums, critical acclaim, but almost no commercial success. They traveled in a van to play clubs.

But AOR? There was a station in every market. Playing music you needed to crank up as you drove your Camaro down the highway.

The war was over. Males breathed a sigh of relief. It was like some engineer turned the faders up to 11 and the ensuing sound drowned out everything else and made listeners feel good, they listened to the radio, bought the albums and went to the shows. They went to a lot of shows. It was part of the religion.

Of course corporate rock and repetition of the formula and mindless disco ultimately caused the business to collapse, but we were flirtin’ with disaster right before that.

That’s what rock meant. Leaving conventional society behind, thinking for yourself, doing it your way AND SUCCEEDING! The musicians were our heroes, our guides, we followed them and wished we could be them, BECAUSE THEY’D BEATEN THE SYSTEM!

4

And I like “Flirtin’ With Disaster,” the key rise in the second verse is enticing, but it’s the guitar work that puts it over the top.

But I didn’t spend much time thinking about Molly Hatchet, a band considered so unattractive they weren’t even on their own album covers.

But a few years back I got hooked on their cover of the Allman Brothers’ “Dreams,” I knew it, but I never owned it. But in the modern streaming world I could play it ad infinitum, get hooked into a trance.

The original “Dreams,” on the Allmans’ debut, which was unknown by many even in the band’s heyday, traction started with the follow-up, “Idlewild South,” is a slow misty movement, with Gregg’s angst. It’s the kind of thing you listen to in the middle of the night, when you’re at loose ends. Or first thing in the morning, after a bad night.

Whereas the Molly Hatchet version has got a head-nodding rhythm. Set by a bass note. And then the rest of the band comes in and half a minute in everybody’s locked in. This is not about subtlety, this is about lifting the emporium, taking your spirits higher. Talk about squeezing out the rest of your thoughts and making you feel good…that’s what Molly Hatchet’s version of “Dreams” does, with a hint of anger and rebellion to boot.

5

So I’m sitting on the couch late last night scrolling TikTok and…

Instagram Reels is still mostly about self-promotion. But you never know what you’ll find on TikTok. Right now what I like most is the people testifying about politics, because they evidence the emotion absent from the regular news. They feel it. They’re pissed-off.

And my finger is pushing to scroll on my phone and then…I’m confronted with Molly Hatchet performing a live version of “Dreams”?

Normally I’d skip right by this, but like I just said, I’ve become enamored of their version.

And from the very beginning I’m brought back to the day. It’s the way the band members are into it. Moving their bodies. Danny Joe Brown clapping his hands over his head, getting not only the band, but the audience in the groove.

And Danny Joe starts to sing and…it’s not perfect. Is it his voice or the mix? But those guitars are chunking along in the background.

And Danny Joe looks like an ex-jock, all beefy, with the de rigueur long hair. Yes, this is what our musicians looked like back then.

And there was no backdrop, no production, never mind anything on tape/hard drive.

And the second verse begins and Danny Joe goes guttural. And he’s wearing a shirt that says “Redneck Power.” That’s one thing the southern rockers did…they weren’t ashamed of the educated, northern perception of them, they EMBRACED IT!

And now they’re in the instrumental break. Some guy whose name I don’t know is wailing on his Les Paul. All very good, this train is a-rollin’.

But then the camera angle changes, and you see THREE LEAD GUITARISTS!

WHAT?

Eric Clapton needed no one else.

Nor did the Police.

But Skynyrd did have three.

And now they’re deep into the groove, everybody’s shaking their ass in time, moving their bodies back and forth, ultimately swinging their guitars back and forth, which looks hokey all these years later, but that was relatively new back then.

And they’re still playing.

And then all three guitarists are standing next to each other, performing the change. It’s all in tune, together, how does this work?

And then it slows down for Danny Joe once again.

And all I can think of is being in the audience.

Maybe you didn’t like Molly Hatchet, in that case you didn’t go.

Forget reviews, not that there were many for live shows at all back then, never mind for Molly Hatchet.

But if you were there. You were caught in a trance, feeling the power, nodding your head, in your own space, connecting with the band and its music, a communal experience completely outside the rest of the world, never mind the building.

You were there. This was a peak. You’d leave the theatre tingling. The next day you’d tell all your  friends about it. And the next time through, you’d drag them to the show.

And all there was was the experience, the feeling.

The band was wearing the same clothes they did off stage. It was clear they were not punching the clock, they were enjoying it, giving it their all, not only for those in attendance, but themselves.

And more people knew “Flirtin’ With Disaster” than any Taylor Swift song today. And Drake and the Weeknd. This music was inescapable, and we were drawn to it. And it was not only southern rock, you could be a fan of the Talking Heads and James Taylor too, and Elvis Costello, because you were a fan of MUSIC!

And they say it’s the same…

It’s not.

You’ve got to be willing to question the system.

That was what Napster was about. That powered all the change at the turn of the century until a little over a decade ago when the tech companies solidified their power.

This is why Trump won and is winning. He questioned orthodoxy.

Meanwhile, the Democrats have put their faith in the system to save them, I wouldn’t be so sure.

The triumphs in the past fifteen years have been made by those who were innovative, who were not wedded to the album cycle. Drake released a “mixtape.” Some acts put out multiple albums per year. They realized in an attention economy the fear wasn’t a stiff, but being noticed at all.

Meanwhile, we keep getting cries from oldsters to save the album. To preserve everything that once was. Never mind that most of that paradigm has been blown to smithereens.

The music business used to be run by the labels. They made the investment, everything was about recordings. They took unknowns, spent heavily and turned some of them into stars.

They haven’t done that in eons. If you build it yourself they are interested. So if you’re sitting at home wondering why you’re not successful you haven’t realized that the onus is upon you to break yourself. And most acts signed to the label don’t get big advances/recording budgets to boot, those days are through.

Yet even youngsters can’t understand that their cheese has moved. Somebody has to be at fault, if it’s not the labels then it must be Spotify. There must be some reason they’re not successful.

No, the reason is them. Their music, their effort.

Used to be you couldn’t say that, but there’s been a realignment in America. I’m sure you saw that yesterday Newsom came down against trans athletes in female sports. He also decried meetings wherein everybody uttered their pronouns before the work could begin. Gavin got the memo, he’s more of a rock star than most musicians, because he’s been willing to pivot, check the wind and go in a different direction.

This is why music is moribund. The people involved believe it’s all about money. Not whatsoever, it’s about POWER! And until you see it that way, you and your music will be marginalized.

It’s not enough that your music be good, great, you must stand for something, hopefully in the music, but also as a person. You must be an individual. That’s what an artist is. Outside judgment. Which is why the TV competition shows are outside artistry. As for winners like Carrie Underwood… That’s commerce, not artistry. There’s no there there when it comes to Underwood. For someone who has been around the world she seems to still have the viewpoint of the small town in Oklahoma that she grew up in. We live in the information age, you must gather information, for viewpoint if nothing else. And, as an artist, YOU are in control. If you can’t say no, you’re not an artist.

Same deal with the Democrats. The outcry is deafening, from the public, from the press, yet we still see no movement. They expect the system to save them. So how’s that working out so far? I find it hilarious when they start talking about the 2028 election…as if there’s going to be one. Corporations don’t last forever, and neither do countries/governments. But the Democrats have been so busy playing by the rules, coloring inside the lines, that they’ve not only lost power, but the faith of the people they’re supposed to represent. Think about that, the elected officials are disconnected from their constituents. How’s that supposed to work? The Democratic party is on the precipice of extinction… And what’s its answer? We have a two party system, the Democrats are forever, OH YEAH?

So you’ve got to change your mindset. America was built on the concept of the rugged individual, who entered new territory and did it their way.

But our entire nation is upside down. It’s ruled by an elite that played by the rules. Manipulated the educational system so their kids could go to good schools and get traditional jobs. Where’s the innovation? Sure, we had all the tech stuff earlier in this century, but no more.

As for the Republicans…they’re going backward. They want tax cuts for the rich and they’re eviscerating the IRS. The latter makes no sense. They’re scaring the hoi polloi that they’re going to get audited when the truth is most people employ the standard deduction and the rich skate. Our nation runs on the revenue of the IRS, in what fakokta world do you undercut it?

One in which down is up and vice versa.

And sure, so many people are deep in their niches. There’s more news than ever before, the truth has a harder time surfacing. But rather than argue with these people you need to divine the truth and use it to your advantage.

Yes, it’s all about the individual today. You are playing without a net, in all endeavors. Not only in art, but employment. You think your job is forever, that it’s safe, but then you lose it. Like a Boy Scout you must be prepared. And I won’t detail how that organization has gone off the rails and is on the verge of extinction. Like I said, nothing is forever.

As for James Carville saying the Democrats should play dead and wait for the Republicans to screw up… Once again, that evidences faith in the system, which may well be fallacious. One of the most striking headlines I’ve seen recently is what if the courts rule and Trump doesn’t obey the judgments?

And you can bury your head, be somnambulant, but if you’re a thinker you’re aware that the public is hungry for the new and different, for leaders, for DISRUPTION!

Stop accepting conventional wisdom. Napster was outright copyright infringement, but we wouldn’t have gotten Spotify without it, the business wouldn’t have changed. Furthermore, sans Spotify and YouTube chances are you wouldn’t even be in the music business.

Also, accept reality. The revenue goes to those at the top. Because the audience only wants the best and has easy access to it. And if you’re going to play that game you must be as good as those at the top and if not, you’re cottage industry, which is okay, but don’t bitch that you’re not a wealthy household name.

And the top is ripe for disruption. Sure, there are stars, but not a whole lot of disruption, innovation. The system isn’t built for it. Everybody’s baked into the old constructs. It’s your job to revolutionize it. The Beatles were rejected at first. Jon Mellencamp delivered “American Fool” with “Hurts So Good” and Mercury didn’t want to release it. If you’re waiting for a green light, if you’re waiting for approval, you’re doomed.

Of course you can play their way, but that’s a road to marginalization.

First and foremost this is about thinking, ideas. Which is why hit records don’t come from the musicians in the Philharmonic, nor Berklee. Innovative ideas can come in an instant. But you must be open to them.

And you must be confident in your route.

Everything is up for grabs today, EVERYTHING!

And the spoils go to those who abhor and ignore the system and do things their way. Remember that.