From: Chris Frantz
Subject: Re-Lying

Greetings from France, Bob. I remember Larry Butler well. We visited many a radio station and record store together promoting Talking Heads. He’s a good guy and I look forward to reading his book. Let me just say one thing about Tom Verlaine, though. I don’t think Tom ever recommended any band to play CBGBs and certainly not Talking Heads. I was the one who approached Hilly on our band’s behalf. As far as I know, Tom Verlaine has never done a single favor for anyone…not even himself.

Cheers,

Chris Frantz

"Lopez dumped from "Idol" after seeking raise to $17 million"

I’m reading Larry Butler’s book. "Larry Butler, who’s that?" Mr. Butler was an artist development guy at Warner Brothers forever, when it was still the WB we knew and loved. And before that he was a musician, he opened for the Stones! Well, I’m getting ahead of myself.

You see that’s a story Larry tells in his book. It’s full of nuggets. The basic concepts are not new, but it’s a fun read, to find out Hilly Kristal was an unwitting beneficiary of Tom Verlaine’s inability to find anywhere to feature Television. Yup, Verlaine asked Hilly to play at CBGB, a relatively dead bar, on a dead night, Monday, and Television played to the usual suspects, a dozen friends of the band. But amongst that group was a reporter for the "Village Voice". Who concocted the story that Liza Minnelli had been seen there, back when she actually was a scenester, and the venue filled up the following week. And eventually Hilly asked Tom if he knew of any other acts that could play. Tom said Blondie, the Ramones, Talking Heads, Patti Smith…and the rest is history.

Yup, musicians have been lying forever. Hell, they’re still lying! They tell me they’ve sold 100,000 independent albums. If you claim that number I figure you might have hit 1,000. And if you claim 10,000, I figure somewhere between 150 and 250. Yup, you trump it up and we don’t believe it.

But it used to be the only outlets that printed this crap was "Rolling Stone" and the rest of the rock press, sycophants who wanted to hang with the band. But when you intersect with big time media, i.e. television, i.e. "American Idol"/Fox, you can’t pull those low rent games anymore. And what’s worse, there’s a whole Internet spreading the word.

J. Lo asked for too much. And Tyler wasn’t even made an offer. They’re operating by old rules. They think if they keep repeating a story, it’ll be true. But we live in a different culture today. You own your faults, your defeats, honesty is the only policy today, because the truth comes out online, especially if you’re a star, if you’re noteworthy.

Imagine if Tyler said THEY DON’T WANT ME ANYMORE! Rallied his troops in defiance of Fox. As for J. Lo, she completely flummoxes me, she’s without musical talent and whatever fumes her musical career is running on were fanned by the damn show. Hell, she should have paid them to be on it.

I love the new world. Because the Net is a giant correction factor. Everything’s up for grabs. Everybody can play. Sure, the demolition of the old edifice has its price, the plethora of wannabes who aren’t good enough who clog up the pipe and make the scene damn near incomprehensible, but that’s not gonna last forever. Meanwhile, the new game is coming. And, unfortunately, the wannabes are gonna be left out, expect them to cry.

As for Larry Butler’s book… It’s a whopping $2.99 at Amazon. Hell, if you’re a member of Prime, you can read it for nothing. It only comes as a Kindle edition. You see Larry may be old, but his thinking is new. He was squeezed out of the old system and realizes that rather than pining about going back, to nowheresville, where he’s unwanted, he’s better off going into the wilderness and trying to find his way.

And I don’t expect "The Twelve Lessons Of Rock ‘N’ Roll" (For Your Career And Your Life)" to burn up the chart, to turn Larry into a famous author, but he’s making an effort, he’s trying, only when you dive into new water can you find your next destination.

Butler’s book – "The Twelve Lessons Of Rock ‘N’ Roll" (For Your Career And Your Life)"

P.S. It takes about an hour to read, it’s a glorified magazine article, but if you lived through the era, you’ll love the stories.

P.P.S. Larry can write. Most people can’t. Just because you’ve got a story, that doesn’t mean you’ve got a book, not that anybody can read.

You’d read an article about that, right?

Actually, I caught up a week late, reading the responses, in the "New York" magazine that just arrived today. And after finishing that issue, I delved into the prior one, containing the aforementioned article, which was billed on the cover as "Does Money Make You Mean? How even a little bit of wealth changes personality."

But the article was boring. Other than the quiz. Which I’m not sure is online. I found myself skimming. Then I came across this:

"T. Byram Karasu, a psychiatrist at Albert Einstein/Montefiore Medical Center who treats wealthy clients, believes all very successful people share certain fundamental character traits. They have above-average intelligence, street smarts, and a high tolerance for anxiety. ‘They are sexual and aggressive,’ he says. ‘They are also competitive with anyone and have no fear of confrontations; in fact, they thrive on them. And in contrast to their image, they are not extroverted. They become charmingly engaging when needed, but in their private world, they are private people.’ They are, in the parlance, all business."

Whew!

Let’s start at the end. With the "charmingly engaged" bit.

Despite the existence of mega-corporations in the music business, almost each and every man, and they’re all men, running these enterprises started out as an entrepreneur. One can argue they’re working for the man so they can rape and pillage, not their customers or competitors, but the corporation itself. That’s why they went inside. For access to all that dough. And a steady paycheck.

That’s what you can’t understand. With such a high guaranteed salary, why do they need such extreme bonuses?

That proves the point, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

My initial point is each and every one of these men is charming. When they need something. That’s what the acts can’t fathom, how nice these execs are when they want something, you, and how disengaged they become after they’ve acquired you, or you’ve lost your fame.

That’s how they’re wired.

As for revealing intimacies, inadequacies, peccadilloes, they never do this, to be a powerful music business executive is to be stunningly private. The only person privy to their inner thoughts is their significant other, and oftentimes they don’t even share with her or him. You see they’re at war. They’re on high alert. They’re on the road to victory. They can show no vulnerability.

Now let’s go back to the beginning. Each and every one of these music business titans is smart. I know them, trust me. They may not have gone to Harvard, then again, I know many people who went to Ivy League schools who don’t even make six figures. Let’s just say they were born that way. But they also have incredible street smarts. They can see how the game is played, where the edges are.

That’s one of the reasons they make the big bucks. They can see where the extra dollars are, how to put together a deal so everyone comes out ahead just a bit. You won’t hear the truth in public, at a conference, but go to dinner and hear the history, you’ll be stunned. These street smart hustlers know where every dollar is buried and they’re like generals, they never get depressed and despondent, if they lose today, they’re figuring out how to win tomorrow.

As for the high tolerance of anxiety… I find that fascinating, because anxiety rules my life. But being an entrepreneur, which is how all these men got started, is fraught with anxiety. There is no safety net. You might manage a great act, but without a record deal and tour receipts, your commission ends up at zero. You’re starving.

As for confrontation… That’s what they do best. Get up on their high horse and kick and scream and yell and blow your house down. If you don’t have this gene you’re utterly overwhelmed, you cede ground just to evade the tsunami. Meanwhile, their issue isn’t really anger management, they know what they’re doing. They’re intimidating you. That’s how they win. Hell, Billy Beane admitted to this when I interviewed him and Michael Lewis at Pollstar…

So, are you one of the above people?

You think your 10,000 hours of dedication is enough. Have you ever met any rock stars? They’re rarely nice. They’re incredibly self-centered, they’re the definition of narcissists. It’s incredibly disillusioning to meet your musical heroes. It almost always disappoints.

Are you this kind of jerk?

If not, you’re probably not going to make it. No diss. You’re probably a very nice person. But we’re talking about winning, power and money here, and that’s got nothing to do with nice. Hell, this whole article posits that the wealthier you are, the nastier, less-caring of others you are.

You’re slaving away for the company, working fourteen hours a day, seven days a week. You think you’re working your way up. Probably not. Your boss sees you as a peon, if he even knows your name. He’ll yell when you screw up, maybe kiss your behind when he needs something, but you’re not friends. And if he needs to fill an important position, he’s gonna hire someone he trusts, which may not be you, but someone from the outside, because he doesn’t really know you. Furthermore, it’s all about loyalty. Would you break the law for your boss? Would you refuse to turn him in if he committed a crime? If not, you’re definitely going nowhere in the corporation.

Now we’re not saying these titans are happy. Money doesn’t buy you happiness. Unless you’re close to broke. But our whole country is focused on the 1%. We alternate between loathing them and wanting to be them. As for wanting to be them, the article goes on to say "Nearly half of Americans between 18 and 29 believe it’s ‘likely’ they’ll get rich, according to Gallup – in spite of all evidence to the contrary."

So, half the public is deluding itself. Which is okay, as long as you’re not at the edge of despair.

But if you want to be a winner, certainly in the music business, you can’t be a nice guy, you can’t be a compassionate soul who empathizes with the little guy. Because those people don’t win at business. Sorry to say.

So instead of complaining that you’re not rich and powerful, look inside. Ask who you are. Be thrilled with being a nice person, revere your spouse, have fun with your friends, something these winners usually have none of, but don’t think you got a raw deal, that somehow you missed your chance.

You never had a chance. You weren’t wired that way.

Maybe you can take some lessons and learn how to compete.

But that’s hard to do. And do you want to?

The Money-Empathy Gap

I hate KISS. Or is it Kiss? No disrespect intended, from now on I’m going to use the latter. Then again, this is all about disrespect. Kiss was a johnny-come-lately with lousy songs that appealed to those who’d only recently experienced puberty. They went on the road playing their lame music to pyrotechnics, trying to force little kids into submission, yet it didn’t work at all.

Until suddenly the band released a live album and "Rock And Roll All Nite" permeated the airwaves.

I like that cut.

This is all about the Kiss songs I like.

And there aren’t many.

But there are some.

"Lick It Up"

Credit MTV. Without the outlet, this track would have had no traction, I’d have been oblivious. But every time this video came on, I stopped in my tracks and watched. It was like sucking down a Fudgesicle, all gooey and tasty, and it became the very first Kiss track I loved with all my heart, with no reservations.

Not that it’s Hall of Fame worthy. And no, I don’t believe Kiss belongs inside. Then again, certainly before Patti Smith and Madonna and so many other acts. Hell, they’ve got a place in the firmament. Maybe if they inducted the band Gene Simmons would publicize the joint and make it legit. But "Lick It Up" titillates and makes me nod my head and feel good all over, and isn’t that what rock and roll is all about?

And isn’t it interesting that this was when the band had run out of tricks and removed their makeup… You see it all really does come down to the music.

Lick it up, lick it up…

No, the success of the track is not due to the lyrics, but the guitars. Yes, despite Gene’s tongue-extending trick being well-known at this point, the chorus is catchy but the meaning is irrelevant. But that guitar, it’s like the track underneath the roller coaster, I’d ride that ANYWHERE!

It’s crunchy and distorted. It’s everything your parents hate. Even though at this point I was long gone from the family home. But the best rock and roll makes people uncomfortable. It’s the squeal, the wail of the guitars. And here, it’s really just about the riff. The sound of it.

But then there’s the break… With the descending waterfall of picking at 2:40 that makes you feel like you’re in the shower with the person of your dreams. It’s the little things that matter, and it’s this exquisite section that puts the track over the top.

Credit Vinnie Vincent for the magic.

Isn’t it funny that Gene’s got no room for anybody else’s talent. Maybe if Vincent had remained in the band they would have done more memorable work.

Alas, soon he was gone, just like Peter and Ace.

But while he was around…

Still, what makes it a Kiss song is Paul Stanley’s vocal. Just a bit too high in the register, just a bit strained, like his head is barely above water and he’s fighting for survival. I’m not sure Paul would have made it without Gene, but being so close to the marketing savant, his image has been brought down. It’s Paul who cowrote this song with Vinnie. Gene bullies his way in, but he possesses mediocre talent at best.

Meanwhile, there is one good lyric…

You gotta live like you’re on vacation

No, the key is to have a job that feels like a vacation.

Still, vacation is an attitude, one that’s carefree and irreverent, that takes no crap but doesn’t care that much about it.

I wouldn’t put "Lick It Up" in my personal pantheon, but I still smile every time I hear it.

"Cold Gin"

Yes, it’s on the debut. But it didn’t penetrate me until years later, until this century, when I heard it on XM.

You see on one level, "Cold Gin" sounded like everything else on the radio in the seventies, but that era’s history, and what blended into the background back then now sticks out.

It’s all about the riff.

Kiss is about loneliness. Male loneliness.

But when you hear the riff to "Cold Gin", you’re alone no more.

Get behind the wheel, tear the tab on your beer, cruise down the highway in your jalopy and feel good… That’s the power of a riff.

Once again, not written by Gene, but Ace.

(As for driving drunk…that’s what we all used to do. Sorry for reporting the truth!)

"I Was Made For Lovin’ You"

Unlike the Beach Boys, Kiss actually made a good disco song. Hell, you could listen to the entire track and not even know it was Kiss. Credit Desmond Child and Vini Poncia, who cowrote the song with Paul Stanley.

It rocks, it’s danceable, yet not wimpy. It’s not that different from club music today. It’s all about leaving your inhibitions at the door and surrendering to the mood, the music.

"Crazy Crazy Nights"

Okay, now I’m starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel. This is so pedestrian, it almost doesn’t belong on this list. But then there’s the chorus. As hooky as anything in the Top Forty today.

That’s what we’re all looking for, crazy crazy nights. When we’re so busy, running on adrenaline, that anything can happen, and does.

These are the good times we remember.

And there’s a soundtrack to each and every one of them.

"Crazy Crazy Nights" fits some of them well.

"Forever"

If this sounds like a Michael Bolton track, it’s because it is. Bolton cowrote it with Paul Stanley. Close your eyes and you can hear Bolton singing it. Or oversinging it, as the case may be.

Never forget Michael Bolotin tried to be a rocker before he became a schmaltzmeister. And I believe deep down inside, he still is. Instead, he got rich and famous singing saccharine ballads and was abused. Then again, I LOVE that Mutt Lange cut "Said I Loved You…But I Lied".

Yes, this a power ballad, from that era where guys in leather wimped out on MTV, but if you’re not too proud to like a ballad, this is just as good as the Bon Jovi stuff. There are pretty good changes, your girlfriend likes it, which means…you might get lucky.

And don’t you love that twinkly guitar in the intro?

"Forever" is not as good as the Beach Boys song of the same name, but it’s not tripe. Then again, it really is tripe, but tasty tripe.

"Reason To Live"

Speaking of Bon Jovi, this was cowritten by the aforementioned Desmond Child, who had a hand in so many of Bon Jovi’s classics. And this sounds straight off a Bon Jovi album, but that does not mean it’s no good.

Desmond is all about the changes. And the anthemic singalong parts. And when he does it right, it doesn’t reek of hackdom, you feel manipulated, but you don’t really mind, it’s like sucking down a McDonald’s shake, you know it’s full of artificial ingredients, but it still tastes good.

"God Gave Rock ‘N’ Roll To You II"

Many of the movie soundtracks are not on Spotify. So this track, from "Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey", doesn’t appear under that title. But Kiss ultimately included it on their own album, "Revenge". And despite additional credit given to Simmons, Stanley and producer Bob Ezrin, the arrangement is essentially identical to the Argent original.

It’s hard to understate how big Argent was in that summer of ’72, when "Hold Your Head Up" dominated the airwaves.

"Hold Your Head Up" is better than anything Kiss ever did, in its entire career. Because Gene is a hack and Paul is a journeyman but Russ Ballard is an artist, not to underestimate the wizardry added by Rod Argent, who had success with Colin Blunstone before. And it is the keyboard textures that put "Hold Your Head Up" over, but without Russ’s voice, never mind the underlying song, you’ve got nothing.

And after this monstrous hit, Argent followed it up with…"God Gave Rock And Roll To You". Which stiffed completely.

Now if Gene Simmons were in Argent, they wouldn’t be forgotten. Then again, he would have been kicked out early on.

But the point is despite stiffing, "God Gave Rock And Roll To You" is a very good song, and when rescued from the dustbin by Kiss, it was turned into a hit.

Still, I don’t think there’s a kid under twenty five, maybe thirty, who knows "Hold Your Head Up". Not that they wouldn’t love it, but no one’s championing it, no one’s keeping it alive.

And don’t get me started on "Liar", from the band’s debut. A perfect concoction with a haunting Ballard vocal, at least Three Dog Night turned it into a hit, you might hear it on oldies radio now and again.

"Rock And Roll All Nite"

And then there’s this.

The studio take isn’t bad, but the live cut was the hit, with the propulsive drums and the crunchy guitar (akin to the one in "Lick It Up"!)

And there you have it, the Kiss I like.

No "Detroit Rock City", no "Strutter", no "Christine Sixteen" and certainly no "Beth". Not that they’re bad, but they’re not good! They’re serviceable, and that’s not enough in rock and roll.

But back in the days when not every band came to your town, when you were too young for the Beatles, Kiss might have hit your sweet spot. You may like them.

But they’re positively second-rate.

But Gene Simmons willed them to success. Put him in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for that!

P.S. I know, Spotify is laden with lame covers. But back in the last century, when it took some money to imitate, and you had to be a bit creative, an outfit called Hayseed Dixie did country/bluegrass versions of…AC/DC. And not only was it a laugh, it was more than a novelty, you could listen to it. Ultimately, Hayseed Dixie gave Kiss the same treatment. And the cover of "Rock And Roll All Nite" misses, and "Lick It Up" is too fast, but "Cold Gin", slowed down, with a lazy groove, works. Check it out.

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