I don’t know what happens when people die
Can’t seem to grasp it as hard as I try
Like a song I can hear playing right in my ear
That I can’t sing
I can’t help listening

If Steve Jobs were alive, he’d be going to work.

Because the mission was just that important. There were no excuses, nothing could hold you back.

That’s just one of the many lessons Steve taught us. Go for greatness and never give up.

And unlike the athletes he was not one-dimensional, there was no expiration date on his career, he kept on keepin’ on, disproving conventional wisdom at every turn.

There are no second acts?

Huh?

No one knows anything in the movie business?

Then how come each and every Pixar movie was a blockbuster?

Steve did it his own way, and that’s why we revere him. He was like the rock stars of yore, beholden to no one. The rules didn’t apply to him.

But unlike Hendrix and Joplin and so many musical legends, Steve didn’t O.D. He hung on. And went out at the top of his game.

Huh?

That’s not the American story. Usually way past your prime we give you another go ’round, another shot of publicity, a thank you for past efforts. Look at today’s Tony Bennett hype for example. Does anybody believe this duets record is worth listening to? Does it compare to his best work?

Don’t make me laugh.

But the iPad was an even bigger triumph than the iPod, which eclipsed the iMac. Steve just kept getting better and better. It’s as if the Beatles never broke up and every few years they dropped another album that made our jaws drop.

Meanwhile, people are tearing you down. They don’t like dominance. John Lennon is revered now, but people were saying he was toast before he was tragically shot. It’s hard to soldier on in the face of all that naysaying, it’s hard to go your own way, it’s hard to stay the course.

But Steve did.

I’ll read the biography, but I really want Malcolm Gladwell to do a book, to explain how this happened.

Was it the adoption?

Was the success of his second tenure at Apple due to his being blown out a decade before?

I can usually see the thread. But not with Steve Jobs. He was sui generis.

And he touched everybody.

This is not only my pain, this is the whole world’s pain. Eclipsing the death of any rock star, akin only to the death of JFK.

It’s almost sacrilegious to be typing. This is his machine. Without him…

My life would be much less rich.

He willed himself to live through Tuesday’s presentation.

Then his work was done.

But he lived so long after stepping down as CEO we all had a glimmer of hope, that maybe he could continue to make it.

So I was shocked when I looked at my phone and read that he passed.

I called my girlfriend, my best friend, I needed to touch humanity, I had more questions than answers.

And I still do.

It feels like a death in the family.

Last night I had no words.

And right now I barely do. My beacon…the light has gone out.

Keep a fire for the human race
Let your prayers go drifting into space
You never know what will be coming down
Perhaps a better world is drawing near
Just as easy it could all disappear
Along with whatever meaning you might have found
Don’t let the uncertainty turn you around
(The world keeps turning around and around)
Go on and make a joyful sound

"For A Dancer"
Jackson Browne

Spotify

YouTube

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I wrote the following in August just after Steve stepped down. I wasn’t happy with it then and I’m still not thrilled with it now. But it’s honest, it’s how I feel:

STEVE JOBS

I bought a Mac Plus.

When the computer revolution was igniting, I ignored it. My constant refrain was I’d buy a computer when you could speak to it in plain English. But when I decided to write a newsletter and investigated the options it became clear there was only one, the Mac.

I became infatuated. Suddenly there was enough stimulation on my desktop to keep me from going out. I was not held back by others, I could go at my own speed, like someone discovering a band on its fifth album I delved back into history, I wanted to know the derivation of this fine piece of equipment, I learned all about the Homebrew Computer Club and the Sinclair and the Apple II and Steve Jobs. Not for pay, not because someone told me to, but because I was passionately interested.

By time I purchased my Mac Plus, Jobs was gone.

I continued to bleed the Apple colors, even buying a series of hats with the logo, but in the middle of the following decade Windows 95 put a serious dent in the Cupertino company, it looked like Microsoft, the evil empire, was going to bury Apple.

Defectors were rampant. Some of my best friends switched sides. The company hemorrhaged money, was run by doofuses. And then Steve Jobs returned.

We all need something to believe in. A place to put our energy, a guiding light. For some it’s religion. But it’s hard to believe those hokey stories. It’s easier to believe in man.

But now more than ever those men are duplicitous. We elected a man exhibiting passion in speeches and found out he was not a leader. That he was so busy trying to be liked he couldn’t stand up for anything, never mind what was right. That’s what we loved about our rock stars. They took stances, sometimes unpopular ones, and to quote one who hasn’t completely sold out, they didn’t back down.

Everybody’s playing the game. Even though they neither created it nor believe in it. They’re kissing butt to get ahead. Giving people what they want. Holding focus groups, taking no risk unless it can be quantified.

Steve Jobs runs on his gut. And he can be a mercurial asshole. And it has to be his way. If it can’t be done right, he doesn’t want to do it at all.

That’s my kind of guy.

Sure, it would all be meaningless without the products. But behind them is a uniquely American character, standing for everything right in this country, to the point where those on both ends of the political spectrum can embrace him, Rush Limbaugh is a Mac fanatic.

I was devastated by the news that Steve was giving up the reins as CEO. I had that pit in my stomach like I got when my dad died. They were both sick, but I was not prepared for what came next.

And I don’t know what comes next. I knew my dad was a goner when he gave up the wheel. Literally. When he pulled over and insisted my mother drive. My dad would drive when the highway was buried in snow, barely able to stay awake. Some of those late night rides were more horrifying than any movie. If Steve Jobs gives up being CEO he must be pretty ill.

I don’t want to believe it.

Yesterday’s photo on TMZ seemed to prove it.

But today’s blowback, pointing out Photoshopped elements, gave me hope. Maybe he could survive, come back.

Pixar has never had a failure. William Goldman famously said "Nobody knows anything." in the movie business. It appears that Jobs and Lasseter claimed secret information.

And Apple is firing on all cylinders. It’s America’s most valuable company. It’s at its peak. To point out the failure of the Cube is to nitpick. This guy didn’t care what anybody said, ignored Michael Dell’s exhortations to liquidate the company, and invested when business was bad. Yup, Apple doubled-down in the last recession. The result, the iPod.

And I almost wanted to turn off my computer, not use my iPod on Wednesday. I bought ’em, but Steve’s fingers are still on ’em. I had the opportunity to inherit some of my father’s clothes when he died but I passed. It was too creepy. I needed to be my own man. How could I get over Jobs’s illness when I was still using his products?

If Steve Jobs ever had media training, it didn’t take.

As secretive as he was, if you e-mailed him, he could get back in minutes. He didn’t overthink, he followed his first initial feeling, kinda like in that old Fleetwood Mac song.

We may have cars and televisions and computers but we’re really no different from the human beings of ancient times. Just because you can poll people and tailor products to the results doesn’t mean you should. That’s what’s wrong with Pandora, it gives you what it thinks you want. Great deejays gave us what they knew we needed. Same deal with Steve Jobs.

And that’s much more fulfilling.

I guess I just get frustrated. With so many people telling me I’m doing it wrong. That I should play nice, network, not worry about details, fit in. It’s hard to go against the grain.

But Steve Jobs did and he won.

He’s an inspiration. 

App to search same-day tickets for live events – iPhone app WillCall allows users to find and purchase same day tickets for live events, for around 50 percent of the full price.

-springwise.com

How come all the innovation comes from outsiders?

Live Nation could have created this app, but someone inside said it couldn’t be done. Once upon a time, the music industry led, now it’s one step behind. Furthermore, Live Nation can’t even get its own app right.

This is why an outsider can succeed in music. It’s not about doing it the way the big guys do, but your own way. If you’re making expensive videos and trying to get on radio, you’re screwed. But if you’re using the new digital tools in a new way, you just might have a chance.

Unfortunately, for the wannabes, to make it in the new world, you’ve got to be insanely great. That’s the consequence of an avalanche of distractions and everything at your fingertips, not only the strong survive, but the talented.

This app is a phenomenal idea. It could create its own addiction. When done right, there should be no discounts in concert tickets. But that requires acts to play the right size buildings and price their tickets accordingly, and refrain from taking big checks from promoters that make promoters desperately try to find revenue. Don’t know if you’re aware of this, but the promoter and the agent/act should be on the same team. They haven’t been for a long time. That’s one of the reasons we’re in this mess.

When the revolution comes, they’ll not only want to know what side you’re on, but what side you’ve been on.

I’m watching these Wall Street protests skeptically. As delineated by so many news outlets, we’re not quite sure what these protesters want. But one thing we do know is they’re angry, that 1% have all the money and they’ve got next to nothing.

Which side are the artists on?

If they were true artists. If they were self-calculating artists. If they were as smart as Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian, they’d pull their buses up on Wall Street and get out and play, get all that free ink, show which side they’re on.

That’s the fallacy in the argument of the rich. That they can be wealthy without us. But they depend upon us to buy their goods, to keep the economy going. America is us, the workers, white, black, brown and yellow, left wingers and Tea Partiers. And it’s these same people keeping the acts alive.

But all the acts are doing is bitching they can’t make enough money, that their music is being stolen, they’re looking for some fat corporation polluting and avoiding taxes and sending jobs overseas to pay tour support, to add to their bottom line. It’s like being the court jester. The beer companies and all the rest of the corporations being tapped for cash, they don’t care about the artists, they only care about themselves.

People are hurting. This is not a one party issue. This is a human issue. This is a fight over the future of America.

I’m not saying you can’t be rich.

But you’ve got to pay your taxes.

How much should they be?

Let’s have a debate.

But when people are losing their homes, their jobs, everything they’ve saved, and you don’t exhibit compassion, you don’t reach down to help them, you’re on the wrong side.

There’s a fascinating story in the L.A. "Times" how MTV has retooled itself for the future

MTV remakes itself for the millennial generation

It’s basically hype, but the underlying point is times have changed, all those shows about the rich lifestyle don’t resonate with today’s kids. MTV is revamping. How come the artists are not?

Isn’t it funny that MTV jettisoned music and is now hipper than the musicians?

Not to give the channel too much credit, but if you’re overcharging for tickets, if you’re not siding with your customers, you’re gonna get hurt in the coming months and years.

I’ve been pissed about this gap between rich and poor for years. Because it stifles ambition. Why make the effort if you can’t get ahead?

And if you think the American Dream still exists, you probably live in Europe, the odds of going from the bottom to the top are much worse here.

But suddenly this is a hot issue.

And where are the acts?

Nowhere to be seen!

Huh?

We waited this long for this?

It’s like Toyota revealing its new Camry looks just like the old one, but is totally new under the hood, and they’re calling it the Camry S.

It’s a great phone. State of the art. The chip is faster, the camera’s amazing and Siri is like nothing else, assuming it works…

But the packaging sucks.

Phones are fashion statements. If the form factor were different, these things would be gobbled up like M&M’s, every hipster and MacHead would need one, instantly. But now you can fake it. You can use an old phone and no one will know the difference. Hell, who doesn’t use a bumper obscuring the name anyway?

Maybe Apple is breaking new ground here, just like they wrested control of the handset from the providers. Maybe from now on out, there’s no change in form factor. Kind of like the aluminum MacBooks. Only the insides change, you buy one when you need one…

But most people don’t buy phones because they need them, they buy them because they want them. And everybody wanted the iPhone 5, but it’s nowhere to be found.

Every year the Nano changes, for no good reason.

Then again, it didn’t change this year.

Is this evidence of a new Jobs-less Apple?

Then again, at least they refreshed the iPods on time.

New iPhones are supposed to come out in June. By missing the target and bunting instead of hitting a home run, it appears Apple’s been thrown out at first. It almost makes you want to wait until next June, when the 4G iPhone 5 finally arrives. I’ve waited this long, why not another nine months?

Yes, everybody was waiting.

Who on Verizon wanted an old phone. Why buy an iPhone 4 when your brethren have had it for the better part of a year over on AT&T! That’s why sales were beneath expectations, we were waiting.

And we wanted to lay down our cash and parade our wisdom, let our freak flag fly, showing we had the latest and the greatest.

But the joke’s on us. Everyone who bought one earlier was right, they win.

As for the presentation…

Tim Cook trying to be Steve Jobs doesn’t work, just like imitations don’t work in the music business. We want originals. Steve can go on hyperbole and we can handle it, when Cook employs Jobs’s lines, we wince. Either the company needs a new face or Cook has to be himself, whoever that is.

We’re not anti new people. We’ve come to love Phil Schiller. He’s warm in a way Jobs is cool. He’s an insider, but he will still be our friend.

Now I’m not saying the iPhone 4S will be a failure. Conventional wisdom is always wrong with Apple.

At some point you need or want a new handset, and if you don’t get an iPhone, you’re a hater. Because iPhones are superior to Android handsets, and they’re the only competitor.

But they make those Android handsets look so sexy, with bells and whistles and all kinds of extraneous gobbledygook. Mercedes-Benz makes it on being stately, but even they update the way their cars look, and they’ve been playing it so safe that BMW and Audi are eating their lunch.

Yes, consumerism has become fashion. We first realized this when women who’d never deign to drive off road bought four wheel drive Explorers. They overpaid for capabilities they’d never use, inconvenienced themselves, driving trucks too tall with heavy handling. But they kept on buying them. Even after people got killed in them. You’ve got to look cool.

Just like those people who lease Priuses. Explain that to me again? You’re leasing a hybrid? They only make economic sense if you keep them, if you continue to drive them. But no, you overpay to look cool.

We overpaid to look cool with Apple for decades.

But now we’re scratching our heads. Because we’ve still got to pay high prices and we look like the last one to get the memo.

As to giving the 3GS away for free, that’s what it’s worth. Samsung and LG and the rest of those handset manufacturers making contract phones for providers don’t use the same form factor year in and year out, they change it. So even though you’re broke or cheap it looks like you’re state of the art.

But if you’re an iPhone 4S owner, you’re one step behind the curve.

Now this is not like the introduction of the 3GS. That was eons ago, two years is a lifetime in mobile. Hell, two years ago BlackBerry was king and Android was unheard of. Apple was a niche player, now they’re playing for all the marbles. Poorly.

Maybe Steve could have spun this right.

Maybe someone at Apple could still spin this right.

But who would that be?

Didn’t anybody at Apple know we were going to be disappointed? Couldn’t anybody have managed expectations? All this secrecy…for what?

But it happens at a good time.

We can still believe in the old Apple. The one Steve Jobs drove from the cliff to the most valuable company in America.

As for the new enterprise…

Leaders matter. As does personality.

It comes down to people.

And to lead you’ve got to be on the cutting edge. You’ve got to have instincts for what the public wants, you’ve got to be one step ahead, you’ve got to inspire belief.

Steve Jobs did all that.

But those days appear to be gone.