I’m not a Marshall McLuhan maven, but one thing is for sure, the internet has changed the message, and too many refuse to accept this.

It crosses all art forms, from books to movies, but here I’m going to focus on music.

It starts off with short. No one is going to dedicate a lot of time to that which they don’t already like. So, your first entry must be short.

This is the essence of TikTok/Instagram Reels, where everything breaks today. You can deny this, but it is only to your detriment.

How do you grab people quickly?

There are many ways, but one thing is for sure, the traditional path just doesn’t work.

People don’t want to see a fifteen or thirty second clip of a new recording over images… No, because the means of production are in the hands of the proletariat, i.e. everybody has a recording device in their pocket and access to the internet and free distribution, it’s become about humanity. So, whatever your clip is, it must focus on humanity. You can use razzle-dazzle images, but even if they gain traction, they’re one and done. The focus must be on those in the video, and in music, that must be the people making it.

Now back when production and distribution was expensive and most people could not play, the key was to deliver perfection, in drips and drabs. Remember when a live album used to be a big thing, put out after four or five studio LPs? The internet has eviscerated that paradigm. Today, live is free on YouTube. But, since there’s so much product in the marketplace, perfection is no longer key, never mind that most people are listening on substandard systems. Yes, in a digital world of zeros and ones, you need to deliver what computers cannot, i.e. humanity. It’s a fool’s errand to comp vocals, do it over and over again to get it exactly right. That’s what Suno does, you’re human, you make mistakes, you need to leave them in.

And you must display your emotions, you must laugh and cry, be serious and…

So, if  you want to break a new artist, you must do it on these platforms.

Ups are cheap and outs are not counted. That means you should do it until you get it right, i.e. people respond. Songwriting camps? How passé! These should be multimedia camps creating short clips. Not for others, but for those who write the tunes. It should be closer to an OnlyFans house than it is to the songwriting camps of today. You all get together and create…BUT THAT’S THE END PRODUCT! It’s not about writing something for someone else to sing, but you. And you need to post right after you’ve written it, when you’re still in the same emotional space. It can be just you and your guitar if you can convey the gravitas and the meaning, if it’s an emotional effort, not  studied one. However, you and your compatriots at the camp/in the house should be making innovative clips, that’s part of the songwriting process today. It’s all baked at once. Fast. And if it doesn’t work, you go back to the drawing board.

And when you create this way, genres are irrelevant. The major labels are looking for easy lifts, something like the last thing that they can promote in the press and to radio. No, you start with online and stay online. Your hope is it crosses over to traditional DSPs, period. But you have to build it, the thought of breaking through a DSP playlist is laughable. You’re one of a zillion songs, that people may never hear again, never mind they’re not paying attention to begin with. But on TikTok…people  are focused. You’re either on or you’re off, you’re not distracted. So the audience is giving its full attention, and if people see something they like, they want more of it. Period.

As for longer efforts…

Once you gain an audience, once people are hooked, then you can experiment with longer form content. Before that, thirty seconds is enough. That’s right, we’re looking for HOOKS! Certainly less than a minute. If you can’t get your message across in that period of time you’re not really an artist.

You must get your head out of the old game.

Both the labels and the creators. Stop talking about making albums, which only came about because of the invention of the 33 1/3 vinyl record. You’re doing it all wrong.

Number one is your relationship with your audience. If you truly hook people, they’ll follow you anywhere. And the rule of TikTok is you’ve got to produce, produce, produce. The truth is if someone likes what you’re doing, they want more of it. You’re now a friend of theirs, on the verge of being a best friend. You connect with your best friend every day, that’s what people are expecting of the posters on TikTok.

It’s audience first!

Don’t think about music first. Don’t think about the chart first. Think about what it’s going to take to get people to pay attention and to continue to want to pay attention. This does not necessarily mean lowest common denominator, it means INTERESTING! Sometimes catchy. Always innovative. We’re looking for progenitors online, not imitators.

Now young people already know everything I’ve stated above. They don’t read newspapers. They want that direct hit that only comes from the phone. And the oldsters are so pissed about this that they rail about social media and want to take youngsters’ phones away. But that’s like trying to kill the Beatles. The audience is hooked, they want more. And what is delivered on TikTok is exactly what oldsters do not purvey. It’s a feeling more than an image, it’s not mere content, it’s about the effect. You know, the way you felt hearing a song only once and needing to go to the record store to buy it.

You can argue with me all you want, but the ship has already sailed, this is where we are.

Everybody’s cottage industry and the major labels have no power the individual does not. And the more layers you put between creator and audience the more you squeeze out the juice. People need to feel that direct connection, that’s what being sold in this digital world. Which is why experiences are king. Think about delivering an EXPERIENCE! That’s what your music should be.

P.S. I’ll say it again, if you’re not spending a lot of time on TikTok… I hope you’re not in the music business. TikTok is like Napster, only in this case, the disruption is in content as well as distribution. And until you understand the new platform, you can’t operate. This is why the major labels are wasting so much money trying to break new artists, they’re just doubling-down on an old paradigm that is nearly dead. Spending a lot on a few, polishing and promoting. No, today the marketplace is broad, and you don’t have to spend a lot to make it. It’s about making as opposed to promotion. Everything is your art. You’re performing online every time you post. Forget gatekeepers, those who promise exposure. Sure, a sync in a major production may yield dividends, yet the odds are very low. But the majors keep shooting arrows, hoping to hit the target. The world of creativity has already been disrupted. But all we get from Spielberg and the oldsters is movies are inviolate and must be seen in a theatre. How out of touch can you be? As for short attention spans… People have unlimited time for that which they love, but if they don’t love it, they just scroll on.

I felt guilty for not liking this show.

I tried 3 viewings and it just seemed dumb.

Thanks for the review !

John Gentry

_________________________________________

You lost me at fakokta. Best show on TV.

Tom Lehr

_________________________________________

Totally agree, Bob. Refreshing to hear a like-minded take. Everyone I’ve talked to LOVES this thing. I don’t get it. It’s a thoroughly decent show. The cast is good and the humor is pretty fun, but comes at the expense of the horror element. You can’t have it both ways. And the 300 year flashback was a huge miss. Lost all momentum and the humor didn’t translate either.

Trevor Dauten

_________________________________________

I thought it was hysterical and creepy and specific and atmospheric. And smart!

Not for everyone though, I’ll allow.

Jacob Moon

_________________________________________

LOVED IT, thought it was fantastically funny and dark humour horror. I slogged through the series week by week and agree, the mushroom episode was particularly hysterical. I am a fan of quirky shows and this one hit the spot with clever writing and interesting characters. Way to go Apple.

Margaret Hamamoto

_________________________________________

I understand what you’re saying. Those two episodes were hilarious and there were some other fine and funny moments, performances, not to mention plot holes. The acting and humor is what puts this show on the map.  Watching Matthew Rhys’s face when the founder was eating the Vienna sausages was mint. Stephen Root was great throughout. My wife said the show reminded her of Lost and I can see that and hope it doesn’t go too far down that road. At least it’s very funny. It’s pretty good escapism.

Harold Love

_________________________________________

I thought it was entertaining, nothing more. Gave me a bit of a JAWS vibe with the mayor insisting everything is fine, we can’t cancel summer and so on. Matt Rhys was phenomenal in the Beast In Me, which is why I wanted to see Widow’s Bay.

Derek Beere

_________________________________________

I couldn’t keep up with the villains: a sea hag, the guy they exhumed (couldn’t tell if he was a villain), the Halloween Michael Myers guy, the weather, the crawling creature from the night in the hotel and whatever was in the basement in the finale.

The scene where the old woman sketches out the family lineage on an overhead projector that went on and on and on was perhaps the most annoying scene in television history for me.  It seemed like an attempt at humor but we got the point 30 or so seconds in, why keep it going for what seemed like an eternity?

Outside of that Matthew Rhys is a terrific actor.

John J. Petrocelli

_________________________________________

With all due respect I couldn’t disagree more. This was the most fun I’ve had watching a tv series in quite awhile. I found the mix of comedy and horror perfect and I’m not particularly a fan of horror. I rewatched each of the episodes at least once just to catch things that I’d missed. The show was created by Katie Dippold who was a writer for Parks and Recreation and the office humor is very reminiscent of that show.
The homages to Jaws and Halloween and Lost are just a few of the treats here. From your review I can’t really understand why you are so strongly against it but to each their own. I will add that I enjoy a weekly drop of a show. Like The Pitt my wife and I looked forward to each new episode and didn’t feel rushed into watching episodes back to back and we got more out of them.
Enjoy your emails and appreciate your opinions even when I disagree.

Kevin Bennett

_________________________________________

I actually thought there were a couple of good episodes. There was some good tension in there, and I really didn’t mind some of the baloney that was happening… I think the reality is that they’re dragging it out to 10 episodes when they could easily bring it down to eight. I think the episodes are too short and that’s why they turn it into Ten shows… they should each be 15 minutes long and bring it down to eight.. my wife and I never watch week two week anymore.. we wait till there’s at least 3/4 of the episodes done before we’ll watch it.. and I think that gets us into the show more.. so at that point, I really can’t go and kill it because we’ve gotten into a flow  with it. Still much bigger hyped than what it was worth..

Peace,

Jason Miles

_________________________________________

I enjoyed it! It’s not that unusual to have a show / movie that is crepey but has humorous moments.  Knives out for example. I know tons of ppl who love it

Evan Rogers

_________________________________________

I’m sorry you hated it — God knows I’ve invested time in streaming shows that I wished I had back — but “Widow’s Bay” is my favorite show in years, full stop. Once my wife and I found out the episodes dropped at 9pm EST Tuesdays, we planned the night around it in old-school Appointment Television fashion.

I can’t recall seeing a show that balances multiple tones and tensions so skillfully, with the scares landing as effectively as the gags. The acting is laser-focused from the leads to the secondary characters, and the world-building shows thought and care.

And this is why I appreciate reading what you have to say, ‘cos I am fully and completely surprised that this didn’t land for you. But that’s the nice thing about this moment in time — on to the next show.

Best, Erick Haight

_________________________________________

We couldn’t figure out WHAT this show was supposed to be, genuinely creepy or creepy funny. I thought the last episode wth Ruth, unsinkable “I will be leaving work at 3” Ruth, was great, and of COURSE it was stingy at the end set up Season 2.

The party reveal with Patricia’s punch recipe and instructions was hilarious.

But most importantly, I now know how to spell “fakokta.” Boning up on my Yiddish glossary!

Cheers,

Henry Eshelman

_________________________________________

Don’t go all meshuga on me here, but I believe it’s actually spelled Fakakta. 🙂

Harry Levy

_________________________________________

It was slow.  Weird. Incomprehensible at times.  Uneven acting.

That’s said it had just enough to finish it.  Could I recommend it?  Not really.

Would I watch season 2?  When there is so little to watch at times and searching gets to be such a drag, at times?  Maybe.

Larry Lootsteen

Waterloo, ON

Canada

_________________________________________

Wish you had written this BEFORE I watched it, Bob. What a waste and had to be one of the most disappointing finales I’ve ever seen.

Brad Ketchum III

_________________________________________

Watched it and loved it. Just the right amount of wry humor, wit, spooky stuff and jump scares  (but not gratuitously gory like 90% of the mediaverse.  Rhys plays it straight and all of the characters are quirky and wonderful. What’s a matter with you Bob? I usually agree with all of your recommendations.

Cathy Hausman in Mamaroneck

_________________________________________

Well you can’t be right about everything, but I really liked Widow’s Bay.

Gary Wisner

_________________________________________

The self contained episode 6 was the beginning of the end. Downhill from that point onwards. Can’t get that time back

Andrew Richardson

_________________________________________

The plot came full circle for me when the bloodline reveal happened. That came out of nowhere and was perfectly executed. The fact that it sets up a new season is irrelevant to me. If the show ended forever after this season, I’d be fully satisfied. Not fond of “endings” to begin with. I like a dangling cliffhanger.

Steve Schalchlin

_________________________________________

I think you’re in idiot if you don’t like this show.

It’s X-Files in its balance and Rhys and the supporting cast balance horror and comedy brilliantly.

The whole “he was taken by the fog” bit in episode one was worth the cost of admission. It gets better though if you’re willing to wait until the evil hostess party bit. How is that not the perfect balance of funny and macabre?

Trey Zenker – NYC

_________________________________________

It’s the worst – started off ok jumped the zombie shark and got stoopid fast – watch it win awards with a big awareness campaign and cringe away.

Luke Joerger

_________________________________________

We always line up Bob…I feel the same way about Widow’s Bay.

Sam Jones

_________________________________________

I really tried to watch this show because I really liked Rhys in that Netflix show “The Beast in Me” w Claire Danes. Rhys was really good in that.

But the first episode of “Widow’s Bay” was so slow and so not funny that my wife and I just could not get through it.

We just looked at each other and said “nah” and then we watched a 10 year old episode of “SVU” and we were much happier.

thanks,
Mark Feldman

_________________________________________

Anyone who doesn’t like this show:
1. Has terrible taste
2. Missed half of it because they were on their phone.

It’s the funniest show I ever seen in a long time. Give Kate O’Flynn the Emmy now.

Ben Nesvig

_________________________________________

This is a series that flummoxed us. Some amazing episodes. Some downright ridiculous (digging up the old mayor for example. But the end. How can this be? A cliffhanger is one thing, but this ending resolved nothing. Felt like a waste.

Bob Menzies

Vancouver Island

_________________________________________

I watched it walking on the treadmill to pass time. My wife asked me if it was good. I told her only if there is nothing else to watch.

David Schurr

_________________________________________

I wanted to like it but when they had a 500 year old person it jumped the shark!

Randy Wind

_________________________________________

OMG Bob, we couldn’t agree more! We just finished the last two episodes and were so happy to read your view since we kept saying throughout both “This is SOOOO BO-RING”!

Also agree that the two episodes you highlighted were amusing, as was the homage to Michael Myers. Though the latter was primarily because of Kate O’Flynn, who was great throughout.

Probably won’t bother with S2, since you know that Tom will never throw that trolley switch…

Milton Lewin

_________________________________________

Wisdow’s Bay was everything that you said and more. The writing was on the whole terrific- why – because it focused on “character,” unique, specific, and most off them a mix of tragic and comic, unusual. And it was very funny… until it got scary. Then it got scary and did that well. So it was intentionally a hybrid genre w/a mixed tone.  Not easy to do, yet they pulled it off for the most part. I did agree with you that in the end there was a big “huh”, a let down or a “so what” factor. That was disappointing. It needed to be more of a whammy so to speak. Just FYI Hitchcock said he wouldn’t embark on a narrative unless it had 13 whammies (major story beats – like first leavening that the island is cursed). This is why Tarrantino says that series aren’t nearly as satisfying as features except for the great series because they can just go on and not commit. Remember the end of season one of Fleabag. It’s an f’n whammy of a higher order, an epiphany. This one went out “not with a bang, but a whimper.” I still thought the writing and directing and acting were terrific, but if an ending doesn’t pay off big-time, as Ricky Ricardo says “you’ve got some ‘splaining to do.”

Howie Wiseman
former cellist with rock band Lighthouse
associate professor emeritus, screenwriting

_________________________________________

Yeah I made it about 1.5 episodes and then Tapped out

Jason Taylor

_________________________________________

I loved it and surprised that you did not mention the character Dale. Patricia was terrific. But Dale was done so well, so over the top, such great dour expressions and in that season finale, RUN! I think I peed my pants.

Roy Pascarella

_________________________________________

Couldn’t agree more! Watched the first episode and couldn’t buy in. Matthew Reyes is one of my favorite actors, but this series is a waste of time.

Keith Bishop

_________________________________________

not a big fan of this, and of horror ghost stuff, but bc of reviews and rhys I watched.  I agree, there are some epiosodes I really enjoyed, and it did start out slow, I almost gave up. but its not bad and i liked it much better than  4 seasons-i didnt love S1 and gave up on S2 pretty quickly

Brian Barry Esq.

_________________________________________

Sometimes I feel we are not experiencing  the same show or same recordings.

Other times I think you’re in my room watching the same show or listening to the same record  but in this case, if you don’t think that K  Callan AS RUTH  doesn’t deserve an Emmy for her performance in the finale and that the show doesn’t set up season two absolutely perfectly Then you and I are absolutely not on the same Jimi page!

Morley Bartnoff

_________________________________________

This is a show where your really need to put your phone down.  There are so many quiet little throwaways that are hysterical.

Tim Redman

_________________________________________

It’s a comedy first, not second. If you saw it that way from the start you may have enjoyed it more. It’s one of the better shows Ive seen in years.

Bob Kalill

_________________________________________

Thanks, Bob, for confirming my initial thoughts on the show after watching 2 episodes.

So we left it and have gone back to some classic movies and shows.

Watched Midnight Cowboy, Taxi Driver, Apocolypse Now, Godfather 1, 2, 3 and are currently watching Deadwood (on season 3 and then the movie) and The Wire is next on our list. We’ve seen all of these before, they are so good they are worth watching again.

And so much better than Widow’s Bay.

Best Wishes,

Jim Wills

_________________________________________

I could barely get past your first line which included the word fakokta.. I heard it many times growing up but have never thought how it was spelled..thanks for the laugh!! Maybe I’ll watch Widows Bay, maybe not.

Best,

Dayle Levy

_________________________________________

Bob – I will accept farkakte, ferkakte,  nothing less

deborah wilker

_________________________________________

Widow’s Bay season 1 was fun enough but all the hoopla I see online about it is overkill. I’m a fan of Stephen King style horror and loved how the show runners didn’t take themselves too seriously. They have fun with the classic horror tropes, there is some great comedy and characters, and some truly frightening bits. But, ultimately, I agree that sometimes the show just fell flat and dragged. The “twist” was easy to spot from a mile away.

This isn’t on the same level of a Breaking Bad, Sopranos, the Wire, or even Severance, etc. It’s good, not great…yet. I’ll definitely see how Season 2 shapes up. Perhaps this show will get stronger with more seasons.

Sean Geraty

_________________________________________

I loved Widows Bay. I thought it was a hoot. And I loved it precisely because it kept me offkilter the entire time. The show has an inspired cast, but for me what distinguishes it is the writing. It’s really fresh and confident and I appreciate all the left turns.

I know you’re really down on streamers that dole out content week by week but sometimes it works to let us savor a good show. It becomes “appointment television” and the anticipation is part of the fun.

TomKB

_________________________________________

It’s a terrific show. The build in the conversation week by week is a big part of its success. You’re missing the podcast tv world which has become a major aspect of marketing and analysis. It’s fine if it’s not for you. I’ll say the ending was not as strong, I’ll give you that. All the best from Delaware!

Ron Ozer

Programming – Elkton Music Hall

_________________________________________

The only thing this waste of time revealed is that it is abject garbage… Good morning Bob

Charles Michael Green

_________________________________________

Thanks Bob,

I wasn’t sure how I felt, but fakokta sums it up nicely…

J.B. Brenner

_________________________________________

It’s one of those shows (the majority of shows nowadays) which are neither good nor bad.

They are beige.

But yeah, Rhys is a very fine actor.

And I ain’t watching Cape Fear. If Javier Bardem is boycotting Israel, well, I am boycotting you back, you…(expletive of your own choosing.)

All love,

Baptiste-Elias Piégay-Natanson

_________________________________________

I don’t know what ‘fakokta’ means, but it *sounds* like a perfect description of this show. We just finished watching the finale and sat there looking at each other thinking “we spent how many hours watching this fakokta?”

You expect resolution, with maybe a hint that there could be another season. Not this time. No, most things unresolved, and new clues(what happened to the guy in the shelter basement?. The reveal about Tom’s son. Is Ruth still alive?

I did enjoy the acting, particularly Kate O’Flynn, and of course Stephen Root (whom you didn’t mention).

I’ll watch season 2, if there is one.

Phil Schawe

PS – OK I looked it up:  messed up, ridiculous, broken, or utterly foolish

_________________________________________

You asked, I actually liked it. Some episodes better than others. Betty Gilipin, always watchable and the Boogeyman episode was tense. It was an original story line.  So much of the same stuff on streaming, this was different.  4 out of 5 stars.

Alan Segal

Tune in June 20th to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.

Phone #: 844-686-5863

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

Did you watch this fakokta show?

I have a policy. If Felice wants to watch something, I will give it a shot, assuming the show has high Rotten Tomatoes ratings and is fully available.

“Widow’s Bay” has EXCELLENT Rotten Tomatoes ratings, 98/93, and you know I’ll watch anything that exceeds 80. And, it finished last night, the tenth episode aired June 17th.

God help you if you took two months to watch this show week by week. I’d be tearing my hair out, waiting for a big reveal… There is a bit of a buildup, but then, in classic non-American streaming style, there’s not complete resolution because they’re setting it up for a second season!

So what we’ve got here is Keri Russell’s husband, Matthew Rhys, as mayor of an island off the Maine coast, Widow’s Bay. Who would’a thunk that Felicity would turn into one of our finest actresses, starring in A-level product like “The Diplomat”? And she met Rhys doing another great series, “The Americans,” and now I pay attention to him too.

So the bottom line is Widow’s Bay is haunted.

So this is a horror show, right?

Well, that’s something you’re debating from square one, you’re flummoxed by the tone. Am I supposed to be scared or should I be laughing? Should I take this seriously?

Rhys wants to increase tourism, but many residents believe the island is haunted. Is it?

Well, it appears that it is. And they even go back hundreds of years, they spend an entire episode delineating the curse, with Betty Gilpin as a mail order bride and… It’s so whacked. Just coming up with this. I give the producers credit, but I’m not exactly sure how it all fits together.

And in many ways it doesn’t. But there are episodes.

Actually, there are two…

One involves Kate O’Flynn as Patricia Moyer, Rhys’s assistant. O’Flynn looks like a cross between Illeana Douglas and Shelley Duvall. She’s got a bit of a weak chin, and she’s not classically beautiful, but she’s dedicated to her job, you can count on her…

But she’s an outcast. The hip group of girls she grew up with on the island want nothing to do with her. This is such a great demonstration of this paradigm…

That’s how the world works. There are insiders and outsiders. And some of these outsiders are happy in their backwaters, but a lot of these outsiders just wish they could be in the inside group.

But they don’t understand the inside group dynamics. Which are based on groupthink, usually signaled by a leader. You fawn and get along, color outside the lines and you’re ostracized.

And then there are those who are aware they’re not in the hip group, but they just can’t understand why, like Patricia.

So she stumbles on a book that says if you throw a party you’ll be popular and… If you ever went to high school, you’ll wince. Assuming you were not one of the insiders.

And then there’s the episode with the shaman. This is utterly hysterical. I mean I couldn’t stop laughing (and at certain other times in this show too, when it wasn’t flat or I wasn’t scared or…) The mayor and Patricia and Wyck go to see Chris Fleming as Todd O’Connor, because they want to know about the mushrooms the pastor ate…

Oh, you’ve been there. But this is on an island! The guy with the long hair, with a drawer full of drugs, and the jargon…

This isn’t dark drug dealer. This guy isn’t about earning millions, but enlightenment. Just talk to someone who’s done ayahuasca. They describe a religious experience. And it’s all led by a shaman, like this guy. They take it so seriously, as if they have the answer and you don’t. But this is played for laughs, and I was more than chuckling, tears were nearly coming to my eyes.

And those episodes, #4 and #5, “Beach Reads” and “What to Expect on Your Trip,” are worth the price of your time. I thought they were a turn in the arc, that the series had hit its stride, sometimes it takes a few episodes to find the groove. But this was not the case.

So, if you start this show and it feels a bit dry, if it doesn’t strike your funny bone or maintain your interest or…

STOP!

I do not even recommend you start. Despite the hype, stay away from this show, you will want your time back.

And I’m scratching my head… Does everything on Apple get a pass? Is this the Emperor’s New Clothes? I mean the creators were taking some risks, but that does not mean the end result is worth it.

What did you think?