He was taking a panoramic photograph on his iPhone 5.

What do I know about Jack Jones?

I was sitting by the pool at the Flamingo and he walked by and tapped my little sister on the head, it was a family story that has lived on to this day, one of the highlights of our trip cross-country in 1966.

Yes, that long ago.

But it was still just as hot in the summertime in Las Vegas.

And here I am sitting next to the man himself. With no airs. A regular person. Warm and friendly.

So I ask him, does he live in the desert full-time?

When he’s not on the road. As a matter of fact, he’s got a new album coming out. A live one. Recorded in England. That wasn’t the plan, he just gave the crew a hard drive to record from the board…

A HARD DRIVE?

Baby boomers still refer to “tape.” That’s what happens when you’ve got canned music at the show, it’s on TAPE!

But “hard drive” fell off Jack’s lips like he said it every day.

So he gets home, pulls up the recording on his Mac, and realizes the vocal needs to be out front a bit more, so he adds some compression…

Wait a minute, you did it YOURSELF?

Yup, oh Jack was self-deprecating. Saying his skills were limited. But he himself turned this live “tape” into an album that will be on iTunes. Like his Universal product. His RCA albums? He now owns them. Credit an old business colleague who had the foresight to put this reversion clause into his contract. Jack now sells them on his website.

Do you sign them?

Of course!

Who does fulfillment?

Jack and his wife do. That was what he was worried about most, that he’d appear small time.

I didn’t start the conversation with writing about it in mind. But the more Jack talked, the more fascinated I became. So I put it to him, and he was open but hesitant, anybody who’s been in the public eye has been burned by the press. I told him I wouldn’t burn him. And that’s when Jack told me his primary worry, since he was doing so much himself.

Oh, he’s got an agent and a manager, the bloke who promotes his shows in the U.K. That’s what happens when you’re established, you go with those who can get you the dough, who you trust. Jack said that acts his age are sold as breakage by the youngsters, you need someone who respects you and can get value, which this guy does.

Not that Jack is not involved. He goes to every sound check and ends up spending all afternoon. The wet behind the ears sound guys don’t think an old guy like him can know what he’s talking about. “Is the piano in stereo?” Jack’s been doing it so long he knows what’s right, and always confounds the young ‘uns with his knowledge.

And for forty five minutes before the show begins, there’s a video, that Jack made in iMovie, featuring not only his songs but his life, growing up.

He said it was just fun.

How long have you been doing this I asked…

Since the nineties.

He was on a PC, but he switched to a Mac because it was so much easier. But he started with a TRS-80, even taught himself to program, but never learned COBOL or Fortran.

Huh? Nobody knows those, other than people making their living coding.

And Jack goes on to say his father was always into video, and this got him into it.

And he’s into social media too. What he likes most about Twitter is the instant feedback. After the show is over, after he sells and signs CDs in the lobby, he checks his feed, to see what people have to say about his performance. That’s what he loves about the new era, the ability to know your fans, to not only interact with them, but to know what they want.

Not that Jack tweets that much. He’s more of a Facebook guy. He wishes he had more time.

But there was none of the baby boomer bitching, about the drop in record sales and the need to social network and be knowledgeable and dedicate time to efforts other than music.

We’re just one or two years and a couple of changes behind Jack. Who’s realized music is forever, and it’s all about the fans, and the best way to proceed is to be hands-on.

It was refreshing.

How do you follow up “Rocky Mountain Way”?

You don’t.

Going solo after success in the James Gang, Joe Walsh believed the world was his oyster, he’d have instant success now that he could play by his own rules, but this was not to be, his solo debut, “Barnstorm,” was a stiff. Oh, it contained the original version of “Turn To Stone,” but Joe seemed to fit the paradigm that the act was always bigger than its star. Until “The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get,” with the aforementioned “Rocky Mountain Way,” which still gets played live by the Eagles today and has eclipsed its talk box brethren, Peter Frampton’s “Show Me The Way” and “Do You Feel Like We Do,” in longevity.

Oh, Frampton’s tracks still maintain. But somehow, unlike Peter’s records, Joe’s doesn’t seem dated, it’s not a curio, it exists as a singular relic of the seventies that has lost none of its power in the ensuing decades. That’s the power of the riff. Oh, Black Sabbath majored in headbanging, but Joe eclipsed them with “Rocky Mountain Way.” It was a languid walk, so representative of the ethos of the day, one in which the younger generation had detached from the economy, the entire mainstream, and had gone on its own personal hejira fueled by drink and drugs. Oh, Miley Cyrus wants parents to pay attention, to be pissed if nothing else, whereas Joe Walsh and so many of the rock stars of the seventies just got in their convertibles, headed for the sunset and never looked back…and the minions followed them. “Rocky Mountain Way” is heavy without being bleak. It works whether you’re driving with the top down or in your basement almost comatose, and when it’s played now, it reminds baby boomers of what once was, who they were, when they were skinny and music ruled.

And at this late date, we can see that “The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get” was uneven. But it was such a great listening experience, with not only “Rocky Mountain Way,” but the second side opener, “Meadows,” employing the same riff as Deep Purple’s “My Woman From Tokyo,” but with far superior dynamics, when the song gets quiet in the middle you swoon.

So, to go back to the top, “The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get” becomes a staple, almost impossible to follow up, but Joe Walsh tries anyway, with the not long thereafter released “So What,” which is sans the absolute peaks of its predecessors, but is ultimately much more satisfying, it’s the Joe Walsh album I listen to today.

Forty years ago, I saw its opening track, “Welcome To The Club” as imitation “Rocky Mountain Way,” not as slow, not quite as heavy, but trying to achieve the same feeling it failed. But as the years passed and the comparison evaporated, “Welcome To The Club” began to stand on its own, listen today and you’ll nod your head, because it feels so good! It’s the guitar work, it’s hypnotic, it’s like Joe didn’t care if you were paying attention, he was just gonna go off and do his own thing. And when it breaks down at the two and a half minute mark and then builds back up, you’re enraptured. That’s Joe Walsh’s secret weapon, dynamics.

And then there’s “Time Out,” which also hearkens back to “Rocky Mountain Way,” but is slower and therefore more meaningful, especially when you get to the sweet chorus, juxtaposed with the heavy guitar.

The second side has a remake of “Turn To Stone,” since almost nobody heard it the first time around. It’s refined, a bit better than the original, still I prefer the first, although I could be the only one, in any event it’s a great track.

Following that is the slow “Help Me Through The Night,” from an era back when everything on an album didn’t sound the same. And despite being quiet, it’s not a hair band ballad sellout, you think Joe truly believes it. And it’s a counterpoint to the humor of the first side’s “All Night Laundry Mat Blues.” Joe was a three-dimensional character.

And “Song For Emma,” a tribute to Joe’s deceased daughter, closes the album on a quiet note.

But the piece de resistance comes just before, “County Fair.”

This is the “Rocky Mountain Way” follow-up, this is where Joe went next, the fact that no one realized it does not deny it, this is an incredibly powerful cut that sounds completely different from “Rocky Mountain Way” but is every bit as powerful. I realized this sitting in a movie theatre in Century City, nearly alone, watching Robert Towne’s 1998 movie about Steve Prefontaine, “Without Limits.”

Oh, today all music is compressed, made to sound loud on the horrible systems people listen to. But when you’re in a theatre, and the image is gigantic and the sound too…you’re bowled over!

It was the second Prefontaine movie. It stiffed. But Towne was shooting for the limits, he always did, and when that whacking, powerful riff emanated from the sound system, with the drums pounding underneath, it was like being in that Maxell ad, where your hair got blown back.

Oh, “County Fair” is a long number, nearly seven minutes, and when it quiets down at the end and the riff solos, it’s positively magical. They don’t make music like this anymore, pristinely produced with professional playing, when you listen to “County Fair” it sounds so fresh, even more modern than what’s on the airwaves, a veritable Dead Sea Scroll come alive.

Joe Walsh went on to join the Eagles, he even had more solo success, but at this late date not only has the stiff “Barnstorm” album been wiped from the map, but “So What.” You should check it out.

Rhinofy-So What

It’s a gift. Or to quote a famous seer, you punch up, not down.

Yes, despite Jimmy being on ABC, Kanye West is a much bigger star than Kimmel. In the old days, network television made you a king. Today, a rotund Korean pop star can be much more famous as a result of many more views on YouTube. That’s the dirty little secret of late night television…very few are watching. In a world of DVRs and Netflix, do you really want to see a tired format wherein everybody on the tube imitates what David Letterman invented thirty years ago, even Dave himself?

No.

Credit Jimmy Fallon. He’s a mediocre interviewer at best. But he’s got the Roots as a band, and is constantly pushing the envelope with innovative skits.

But Kimmel was there first. When you’re nobody, you’ve got to take chances. Never a comedian, most famous for being Ben Stein’s sidekick, Jimmy Kimmel was not running his show on autopilot, but trying to figure out how to gain fame, and unlike his aged brethren he realized it was all about the Internet, about YouTube, whilst other outlets were busy issuing takedown notices, Jimmy was making content especially for YouTube, and gaining traction as a result.

Testing limits. That’s the only way you can go viral. Furthermore, since Jimmy is playing every day, he can afford to take shots, he can afford to make mistakes.

So he does a riff and a clip about Kanye West.

And unfortunately, Kimmel is right, Kanye comes across in the interview as someone completely out of touch with the public’s perception of him. That’s what happens when you live in a bubble and are surrounded by yes-people. You think you’re always right and your feces don’t stink.

So Kimmel points this out and Kanye goes nuclear!

Big mistake. This is Jimmy Kimmel’s wet dream, what he’s wishin’ and hopin’ for, one of the world’s biggest pop stars has singled him out for attention. In the process, Jimmy gets bigger and Kanye gets smaller.

The virality is just beginning. And Jimmy has already won the war. Because he’s got a sense of humor about himself. He realizes it’s all irrelevant. Why didn’t Kanye realize that tomorrow Kimmel would make fun of someone else and the clip would disappear? Instead, he poured gasoline on the fire. Calling Kimmel to complain. Effectively threatening him.

Oh that works. That’s like hurling invective online. An endless pissing match.

But usually it’s nobodies, not somebodies.

How does Kanye win here? Has he not seen “House Of Cards”? You win through thought, you utilize your advantages to exact your desire. You can’t change what’s past, you can only get even.

Taylor Swift writes songs about her exes. (If you’re young, male and virile, I’d run away. She’s got to have a hard time getting a date, at least with somebody reasonable.)

Kanye could write a song about Kimmel. Even better, he could exert pressure amongst his friends not to appear. You act behind the scenes, you leave no trail, you don’t criticize in public unless you’ve got no fear of appearing a buffoon.

Which Kanye does here.

I just don’t get it. He’s got a baby with Kim Kardashian, who comes from a family that specializes in media manipulation. Hasn’t any of it rubbed off on him? They all know they’re famous for nothing. Except for momager Kris, who suddenly is taking umbrage and pontificating about issues outside her wheelhouse. You’re a well-paid media manipulator, that’s all!

You’ve got to know who you are. Especially in this connected era, where we not only want to talk about you, but bring you down to our level. Yup, that’s what the 1% doesn’t realize, sure, we want to be you, but mostly we hate you, because we realize the game is rigged and we can never ascend the ladder.

So if you’re smart, you stay out of the fray. Rich people should never ever talk to the media, unless their job demands it. Bankers, lawyers before them, their professions have been eternally tarnished by the inane things they’ve said. Now pop stars have specialized in saying stupid stuff. But they must speak to the media to gain traction. Then again, you can speak in a controlled fashion online these days, you don’t need the media as much as you used to. But if you’re gonna talk, think about the consequences, know that show business is high school with money, someone’s always looking to take you down.

So Kimmel’s got a long term contract and a video that goes viral, making his bosses applaud him as he continues to make bank for them day after day.

Kanye’s riding a stiff album, and we all know it’s so hard to come back from failure or what looks like loss.

So who’s the winner here?

Jimmy Kimmel, no contest.

P.S. But Kimmel is just an entertainer. Want to be a legend, speak truth. But most legends don’t speak to the media at all, or fabricate, like Bob Dylan, or control access and results like so many movie stars. If Kanye West thinks he can break the paradigm, he probably believes he can release an album in 2013 without a hit single and anybody will care. We saw how that worked out.

“‘We Are At Def-Kanye Five’: Jimmy Kimmel Reveals How Kanye West Threatened Him During ‘Angry Phone Call,’ Demanded Apology Over Skit”

Got your attention there, didn’t I?

If you want to know the future for all media, look to pornography, it leads the way. Porn was the first to videocassette, the first to DVD, the first to the Internet, and the first to be eviscerated by the Web.

Wait a minute? It’s EVERYWHERE! There’s more porn than ever before, it’s just a click away!

True. But the porn companies of yore are crying in their beer. No one will pay anymore. They don’t want movies.

But they do want cam girls.

That’s what bugs me about the music industry. The goal is to constantly jet everybody into the past. You’ve got to pay for recordings, a lot. And the usual suspects must get richer. Then again, do you expect the RIAA to say otherwise? It’s a trade group for record labels, but unlike most lobbying organizations the RIAA has little sway over its customers, because music is not B to B, but B to C, and if you think you can control customers, you probably believe you can herd cats.

So what we used to have was long porn videos with a hint of plot wherein stars did it in all manner of positions. It worked, especially in puritanical America, where we argue about whether women can breastfeed in public. But it turns out that’s not what people really want. They prefer something more intimate, more one on one, more interactive.

That’s how you succeed in the twenty first century, by getting the public involved. That’s the key to awards shows’ spiking ratings. Yes, the Emmys were horrible as TV, but a field day for snark. Twitter upped the ratings. And cam girls have created a huge revenue stream. But the money doesn’t go to the usual suspects.

Live. You say you can’t sell a recording and you must make it up on live. But maybe the truth is recordings are plentiful and what we’re looking for most is the live experience! Looking to the cam girls, what we want even more is a personalized live experience. The more you can vary the set list, the more you can personalize the patter, the more people will want to come back. In other words, the spectacle show may only work for a few acts and may be dying, just like full length, prepackaged porn flicks are.

But the truth is there’s still a ton of money in porn, it’s just going to different people, who are making it in a different way. It’s a completely different paradigm.

Just like there’s a ton of money in music and will be even more.

Used to be there were three TV channels, sync opportunities were minimal, and completely nonexistent for the indie or wannabe. Now so many shows need music… And BMI just reported that revenues went up! Partially because of Internet radio. Yes, while you’re busy bitching about Pandora payouts, you don’t see that the pot is growing! Maybe it’s all not going to the same people, but music revenues keep climbing, it’s only recording revenue that’s tanked.

And just like in music, in the camming world it’s about entrepreneurs and super-serving the audience. Working, advertising, meet and greets. Everybody’s a hustler these days. And that may be hard, but in the old world very few made money. Ever hear of a rich porn actor? Absolutely not! All the money went to the studios.

Change is constant. The key is to see the opportunities as opposed to mourning the loss. People want to listen to music, they just don’t want to do it in the same way. Are you willing to go back to three networks and no remote control? You’d positively scream! So today listeners are grazers, they gravitate to what’s great, so is it any wonder the middle class and marginal see such low royalties?

I’m not saying I’m not troubled by the hollowing out of the middle class of musicmakers. But to rail against consumer behavior is a ticket to nowhere.

The cam girls have shown us there’s a way out.

And music is intertwined with sex, the hit you get from it is almost equal and more readily available. Don’t let the shifting sands freak you out. There will always be a demand for music, it’s just that the business might look a little different. If someone is lamenting the passage of the good old days, stop listening. Because unlike buggy whips and typewriters, music is never going out of style.

“Intimacy On The Web, With A Crowd”

“BMI Reports Record Annual Collections, Distributions”