Spotify playlist: https://rb.gy/8bmrod

Listening to new music takes time. It’s not something you can do in the background, you’ve got to focus, and that’s too heavy a lift for many people.

Let me put it differently… Are you BUSY? I am, and I can’t slow down. It’s one of the many reasons I’ve stopped going to the movies. I plan it, the lights go down, and I can’t turn my mind off, it keeps racing.

But today I was in one of those spaces where nothing was working. I’ve got reverse jet lag. As in I’m home, but flying half a day in a tube…you’re enduring it, and it takes a couple of days for your brain to unclench.

So, I must admit I wasted some time on Instagram Reels and TikTok, and to be honest I saw some very interesting stuff there, but I finally tore myself away, made a quick trip through the news, and then started catching up on “The New Yorker.” The only must-read article I’ll mention is by William Finnegan, whose “Barbarian Days” is a classic, read it even if you’ve never surfed and never intend to. Ditto this article about Jock Sutherland:

“A SURF LEGEND’S LONG RIDE – For Jock Sutherland, being hailed as the world’s best surfer was just one phase in an unlikely life”: https://t.ly/JZx3s

Surfing is just the background, it’s about culture, and life.

It’s kind of like skiing, you can turn it into a job, but then you give up your freedom, which is number one when I’m on the hill, which is why I’ve never wanted to be an instructor or a patrolman or work for a ski company, it bastardizes the experience, and the experience is everything.

But in this week’s “New Yorker,” there’s a story about MJ Lenderman, and it was the second one I saw today, so I decided to check him out.

JOKER LIPS

MJ Lenderman

You’ll want to turn off the opening track, “Manning Fireworks,” it’s a slow dirge with a bad vocal and you’ll think Mr. Lenderman is exactly what he’s billed as, an indie rocker, and do we really need another one of those, haven’t we had enough of them in the past? I mean what ever happened to being able to sing? And don’t tell me about Dylan, he’s the BEST LYRICIST OF ALL TIME.

As for the lyrics… They’re vaunted in all these stories, but if you think they’re great, you’ve never listened to “It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding).” And don’t give me sh*t for this ancient reference, that’s today’s’ reality, you’ve got to compete with the best tracks of all time, they’re just a click away, the history of recorded music is at your fingertips, so you’ve got to be as good or better, and that’s a high bar.

But then the album slipped into the second cut, “Joker Lips,” and I immediately got it, and it wasn’t the lyrics whatsoever, but the groove, the feel, and most especially the guitar work.

I’d like to say the rest of the album is as good as “Joker Lips,” but I won’t go that far. But the worst track is first on this album entitled “Manning Fireworks.” And the last cut, “Bark at the Moon,” will bring you out of your stupor, it demands attention.

But if you don’t like indie rock, DON’T EVEN START!

Based on the reviews you’d think MJ Lenderman is the second coming, that he’s about to be ubiquitous, and that is patently untrue.

NEVER GOING HOME TONIGHT

David Guetta, Alesso, Madison Love

I don’t know what I’ll get more hate about, Lenderman or this. People hate EDM, think it’s too easy to make, mindless, but that is false. Cast aside your prejudices and listen, and you’ll find that “Never Going Home Tonight” has the number one criterion for music today, it’s HOOKY, you want to listen to it again when it’s finished. Don’t tell me to play your tune five or six times to get it, I’m not going to, and other than your parents and your girlfriend/boyfriend, no one else will either.

This is not quite Avicii’s “Wake Me Up,” “Never Going Home Tonight” might not be forever, but it’s definitely for right now. I’d much rather listen to this than Chappell Roan.

Your mileage may differ.

And it’s not only the deejays, Madison Love’s vocal is enticing, more than breathy, more than a whisper, it’s not the belting of a TV competition show, but it’s just right for this cut.

This is the last hot night of the summer. Staying up way too late. “Coke in the bathroom stall,” alcohol in your belly and “one more kiss before last call.”

They’re never going home tonight, and this is the magic of music, it takes you away to a new place where nothing else matters, AND YOU WANT TO STAY THERE!

CAN WE FIX OUR NATION’S BROKEN HEART

Stevie Wonder

Stevie has been lost for years. He had a run of classic albums in the seventies that seem to be lost to the sands of time, other than “Songs in the Key of Life,” which despite all the hosannas is not as good as the three LPs that preceded it. But after you reach the moon, what are you gonna do next?

“Hotter than July” was okay, but then calling to say he loves us… Ecch, dreck. So I wasn’t expecting much.

And at first you’ll be thrown off by Stevie’s voice. It’s lost something in the ensuing decades. Not like Mellencamp’s oversmoked pipes, it’s just that it’s not as clear and rich as it once was, not that you would be bothered by this if you’d never heard him before.

So I’m on guard, hesitant, waiting to be disappointed once again, especially considering it’s a message song, but…

The intro is rhythmic, melodic, and kind of hooky. And the verse stays with the same groove.

And then there’s a bridge, that’s a bit less hooky, but then there’s this exquisite change, after “humanity,” when Stevie sings “We’re family,” this is the magic Stevie specializes in, it’s so subtle, but it’s enough, the Beatles specialized in this too. Don’t bring in ten writers, don’t layer on instrumentation, just put it in the basic song.

And then that change repeats throughout the number, to the point where when it’s done you tell yourself, “Hey, that was pretty good!”

And I’ve got to mention the harmonica solo, which seems anything but superfluous, like too many of Stevie’s guest shots recently.

That change, it’s enrapturing.

And by time the song is over…you don’t think it’s going to be a hit single, what is, but you can see “Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart” as an album cut somewhere on “Fulfillingness’ First Finale.”

And irrelevant of the lyrics, if you listen to “Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart” you’re disarmed, you can’t be angry.

That’s the power of music.

HOLD OF MY HEART

Joanne Shaw Taylor

This was a surprise, because if I’ve ever heard of this woman, I’ve forgotten.

Take Bonnie Raitt and add a bit of edge, amp it up a bit, but really Joanne Shaw Taylor is her own thing.

Research tells me Dave Stewart discovered Taylor twenty years ago, that’s how long it takes for acts to develop and catch on these days.

LOOK WHAT GOD CAN DO

Rhett Walker

I heard this before I saw the title, I didn’t realize it was a Christian rock song, but if you’re looking for something straight out of seventies or eighties rock, this is it. As a matter of fact, there’s a section that’s a straight rip-off of Tina Turner’s “Better Be Good to Me.”

This track is extremely palatable, but it’s nothing you haven’t heard before. But it’s the antithesis of what’s in the Spotify Top 50. Not that I think you’d ever see it there, this is a retread, the sound is not quite edgy enough, the entire track proves that imitation is a fool’s errand, you just can’t replicate a sound, you’ve got to go beyond, which is one of the failures of MJ Lenderman, you’ve heard that before. Whereas “Never Going Home Tonight” may be genre specific, but it’s just different enough to entice. Stevie Wonder has his own sound, and here he’s extending it. And Joanne Shaw Taylor evidences that being able to play, sing and write still counts for a lot, add a dose of magic and you’ve got something.

So there’s good music out there. But that does not mean it will run up the chart. And, unfortunately, you can’t trust the critics, because they want to promote that which is different, that the mainstream won’t like, or will have to endure to understand.

Oh, first I listened to English Teacher, which just won the Mercury Prize. I understand why it won, but I couldn’t make it to the end of the tracks, this music works more on an intellectual level than an emotional one. It’s indie rock adjacent, it’s not bad at all, but first and foremost people have to want to listen to the track. And don’t tell me that requires it to be conventional, remember the first time you heard Kraftwerk’s “Autobahn”?

Having said that, the second time through I’m getting more into English Teacher, never underestimate the power of repetition. With enough spins I’d probably like “Manning Fireworks” more.

But what we’re looking for is not music that we have to work to get, that isn’t pleasurable, but something that hits us right away, like “Never Going Home Tonight,” or slowly reels us in, like “Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart.”

But, I was surprised to find such alluring new music today.

I’ve got to slow down more in the future.

I’m getting e-mail that this is going to hurt the image of the band.

NO!

That’s how much people want to go, that’s how much fans believe in these artists.

Billy Squier jumped on a bed in a pink tank top on MTV and it totaled his career.

Taylor Swift gave one of the absolute worst performances in the history of the Grammys and it didn’t hurt her career one bit, never mind her fans writing it out of her history.

Remember when we had to endure all that b.s. about the price of Springsteen tickets? Heard anybody complaining recently? And the dirty little secret is the Boss didn’t go clean everywhere, you could get a ticket no problem. And the people who saw him before will see him again.

Think of Motley Crue… The band signed in blood that they’d never tour again. And then they reneged. Where’s the DOJ on that? Turns out the fans didn’t care, they were just thrilled for the opportunity to see the Crue once again when they went back on the road.

You can’t use twentieth century metrics and concepts to analyze twenty first century demand and perception.

There is no MTV. No universal outlet we are all paying attention to. So you find the act you’re into and you dedicate yourself to it. This blowback on haters was never as intense in the last century. You might judge someone’s taste harshly, but you didn’t excoriate them, burn them to the ground. Today’s fans are overprotective of the objects of their desire. Travis Scott’s album almost beat out Sabrina Carpenter’s new record for number one this week. And it’s a ten year old mixtape! Talk about desire, fandom. This guy eggs on an audience to the point where attendees get crushed to death and…

People still stream R. Kelly!

And HBO might have killed the career and public perception of Woody Allen, but it turns out Michael Jackson is teflon, an icon, people still want to hear his music.

And you’ve got to know, there are a hundred million more people in America than there were in the seventies. That’s a lot of fans to go around.

And there are more shows than ever, but having hits in the past does not guarantee selling tickets today. To sell tickets consistently you must be seen as owned by the fans, or above them. Which is why the Chainsmokers couldn’t sell enough tickets and canceled their tour. And the Black Keys… Most people know them from their hits, how many hard core Black Keys fans are there? And almost all of America can’t even name a Phish song, never mind sing one, and they play arenas.

As for Oasis… Their image is bad boys/f*ck you. I’m surprised they even apologized and said the kerfuffle wasn’t their fault. They should have pulled a Stones and said OUR SHOWS ARE WORTH IT, AND IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT, DON’T COME!

Look at Trump. He’s a convicted felon. Every time he opens up his mouth he lies. Yet he still could win the election. People are diehard fans. They’ll buy stock in Truth Social even though they know they’ll lose money. They buy Trump Bibles and other chozzerai and you think the fact that Oasis tickets jumped in price is going to make people not want to go and hate the band forever? WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING!

People are thrilled just to be in the building. They want to be able to tell the story till the end of time that they were there. People are proud of how much they pay for sports tickets and luxury goods, but concert tickets must be priced artificially low because..? You need to be able to sit in the front row for cheap because you listened to the damn album? So did millions of others!

And if you’re complaining you’re poor…

I believe in a social safety net, you should have a roof over your head and food, water and health care. Are you also entitled to see your favorite band for below fair market value? How about a Mercedes Benz for 25k?

And $350 for a concert ticket? Ever look at Broadway prices?

People want to be attached to the mania, they don’t want to be left out. The hysteria over the Eras tour helped sell tickets. Everybody who cared was afraid they’d miss it.

Did everybody care? OF COURSE NOT!

This is not the Stones in the seventies, no act has that much mindshare today, irrelevant of the quality. We’ve got a smorgasbord of content and you can only dedicate time and attention to a few things. And these things are the bedrock of your identity. Which is why merch sales are through the roof.

So you’ve invested years in belief and just because concert tickets are more expensive than you delusionally believe they should be you’re going to burn your playhouse down, abandon all interest, and start all over from scratch with a brand new band?

You like that Oasis are bad boys, will say the unsayable, come from the working class. Furthermore, Springsteen sailed on Geffen’s yacht, sold his rights for half a billion dollars and it didn’t hurt his ticket sales at all. The complaint about the flex pricing was about the cost, no one said they didn’t want to go. In addition, the multi-thousand dollar prices for Springsteen seats not even close to the stage never even sold. They had to lower them down the line. Because there is a price at which people will say no.

I ain’t paying a grand to see anybody. But you’d be surprised how many people are willing to do so. That’s their choice!

And just because you think In-N-Out is fantastic, that does not mean people will stop paying to go to Masa, which will cost you a grand, FOR ONE PERSON!

Actually, I ate at Masa Takayama’s previous restaurant, Ginza Sushiko, in Beverly Hills, back in the early nineties. Howard Thompson took me and it cost $980 bucks for two people. And I’ve been telling the tale ever since! We ate fugu, the blowfish that almost killed Homer Simpson!

If you’d asked me to pay five hundred bucks for that meal thirty years ago I’d have said no way, never mind not even having the cash. But in retrospect, IT LOOKS LIKE A BARGAIN!

Are you really going to stay home as a protest to high ticket prices for Oasis? It’s not like anybody’s going to cheer you on, they’ll be lining up to buy the ticket you chose not to purchase.

Or maybe we should insist that food prices come down at the airport. I feel ripped off every time I go there. But the bottom line is rent is sky high and it’s a captive audience and you can bring your own food if you want to, but you really want that Wolfgang Puck pizza, fresh out of the oven.

I mean is the DOJ investigating airport restaurants?

Never mind the canard that if Live Nation and Ticketmaster are broken up ticket prices will come down. Explain how that works again? Never mind that there were multiple ticket sellers in the U.K. and prices were still sky high!

Is this the way you run your regular life? One faux pas by a friend and they’re history? Do you only go to the movies during the day for the discount?

The product is Oasis. And to many people that’s priceless.

It’s a once in a lifetime experience. And you’re going to not go because the act charged what the tickets are truly worth?

Oh come on, protest something real, that people care about, you’re just caught up in the irrelevancies and the real issues are passing you by.

Actually, the business at large loves this Oasis issue. What it means is the public will get used to the flexing of prices, and higher prices, down the line. Remember when the Eagles charged a hundred bucks for you to see Hell Freeze Over? Now a hundred bucks seems cheap! Never mind that even if Oasis tours ad infinitum hereafter, I’m sure there’s a song or two or more they will never play after this run of dates, some deep cut. This is the thrill of being a fan, hearing the unhearable, the favorite song that you thought only you knew and loved. What’s that worth?

Which is why people pay so much to see bands play legendary albums. These acts play larger buildings and charge more. All because of demand!

Oasis demand is through the roof.

Own it.

_____________________________________

Subject: Re: The Oasis Kerfuffle

Great article Bob!

I have friends who don’t even like music contacting me about Oasis tickets… it’s full on mania here in the UK! For those unaware of the grip this band had on the nation in the 1990’s, it’s worth watching the ‘Oasis Knebworth 1996’ documentary.

They created a similar ticket hysteria back then, but instead of hordes of middle aged men staring at computer screens, it was spotty adolescents on hold using their parent’s landlines.

Best wishes,

Isaac Ferry

_____________________________________

From: Anthony Gardiner

Subject: Re: The Oasis Kerfuffle

Hello from New Zealand, where rugby is our national sport, close to being a religion.

In 2011 the rugby World Cup was held here. The New Zealand All Blacks made the final which was held in the city I lived in.

The ticket was $1000. It went on the credit card which then took me two years to pay off.

If I am lucky enough to grow old(er) and am sitting back reflecting on my life, I’ll remember that game (we won!) and not the two years of paying off the debt.

People remember and cherish events, holidays, and the people they share them with.

People on their deathbed won’t wistfully remember stuff. And yet we pay $300 for a new handbag, $30k for a car, and whinge about ticket prices.

Go and pay for the experience that you’ll remember forever. “Life is a great number of small moments, and a small number of great moments.”

I must have been the oldest guy there.

But I was standing on the scaffolding by the sound desk for a better view and…

That’s rock and roll.

There’s just a vibe, a feeling at a show, that you can’t get anywhere else.

After talking to the LIV golfer Tyrrell Hatton in the office, Justin threaded me through the crowd to the aforementioned sound desk and…

It was girls, girls, GIRLS! And they were all singing…

“The Chain.”

You know…if you don’t love me now, you will never love me again.

Every woman, from teen to twentysomething, maybe a few thirtysomethings, had their head in the air, singing along in euphoria. I’ve seen this before, but at a Taylor Swift concert.

We didn’t do this. We were high on drugs. We sat in the seats the floor of the O2 did not provide. It was all cerebral. A show wasn’t a celebration, but an intellectual experience. We took our music very seriously, argued about it, judged others’ taste, it was the highest art form.

Not anymore. Music is like sports. And if you’re a fan, you want to know EVERYTHING about the act!

So the Niall Horan tour is billed as “The Show,” and the stage set had a curtain, it was akin to a movie theatre, and from the very first note the assembled multitude sang along and…

This was rock. I don’t mean Lamb of God, I don’t mean Metallica, but the big tent of rock we had in the sixties. There were guitars, no hard drives, no dancing. It was about the music, and solely the music.

And it was fun. Even though I didn’t know all the material.

That’s usually a criterion. If you don’t know the songs, you don’t have a good experience. But now sound reinforcement is so good, that if an act presents songs with melody and changes…

Look at the Spotify Top 50 and you’d think it’s a lost art.

But the truth is the old paradigm is history.

Harry told me they weren’t exactly sure how the audience knew the songs. Radio was not a component. Ditto the manager of the opening act, Del Water Gap. Today you go off into the wilderness and…

Opening for a superstar is one way to break through. It worked for Sabrina Carpenter, and then for Chappell Roan. But really, you’re on your own.

A lot of the big acts breaking through have been at the game for nearly a decade. And there’s nothing a manager can do to shorten the journey. There’s a fantasy that there’s some big button to push. But all a manager can do is maximize the action you develop. And it’s hard. The acts are working so fervently at social media, 24/7, that they burn out, a manager has to convince them to stay at it.

And Niall’s band had two women in it. And neither was a bass player! (I’m worried you’ll think that’s sexist, but if you open your eyes, you’ll find that’s where you’ll find many women in a band.)

Not that there are any bands to begin with.

So after the show I had a long conversation with Emily Kohavi, who plays violin and guitar in the band, as well as sings.

She’s looking for representation. Someone to help her. She’s holding back her masters. She’s put out a couple of albums as part of an indie rock band. She’s been on tour with Phoebe Bridgers, but she wants help, she wants it to be a bit easier.

But that’s not the way it is anymore.

I told her to put new music online immediately. And constantly. If you’re not there, no one can find you.

And if you can sell tickets, agents will come calling. As for a record label… Is that really a thing anymore? You can put your stuff up on Spotify, et al, and make more bread assuming any comes in at all.

You’re in charge.

So we went up to the suite, high in the rafters, about two-thirds of the way through and…

I got it.

You can be in the upper deck, and it’s considered a shi*tty ticket, but you’re in the building, you can see it, you can feel it. This is where I used to sit, I no longer have to, but I realized on some level, it’s just as good.

And then we went down by the stage and I looked at the posters…

The girls who had traveled thousands of miles for the show, in excess of 4,000, to be accurate.

And then two women who’d seen the show up north and then had to come down and see it again.

This is not Motley Crue’s “Girls, Girls, Girls.” That band was selling a fantasy. Which you can still view online, today they’re influencers on social media. But in truth those people are not real, they never live up to the image, the girls in attendance Tuesday night didn’t have to dress up, they were normal, they were thrilled just to be there!

And it was girls. Girls drive the business. Get the girls and you’ve got something, they bring the boys along. If you’ve only got the guys, you’re limited. And all the guys want to be with the girls…

I mean how many times have I been to an arena show?

It’s not like it’s a novelty. But I was there and felt the same inner excitement I always have.

And the backstage hang… This wasn’t the L.A. insiders, this was friends of the band and there was a joie de vivre. People live to go backstage, thinking it will make them complete. But normally it’s dead, the band members are worn out, but the other night…

I mean Niall was normal. We talked about the music, the show, where we live in L.A.

But it wasn’t dark. It wasn’t edgy.

You’re with your tribe and you can have conversations with the people who understand you, who are on your wavelength.

And this better be enough, because there’s just not that much money in music anymore.

Let me be clear, there’s plenty of money, but unlike in the sixties and seventies, rock stars are not as rich as anybody in the world. That’s techies and financiers.

Which means you’ve got to enjoy it for what it is. An alternative universe.

If you’re wearing a suit you don’t get it. You’re in this world so you can relax, let your freak flag fly, you don’t need permission, you just fit right in.

And this has nothing to do with brand extensions. And if you’re selling out to the man, you’re alienating yourself from your audience and…

Turns out fun is the one thing that money can buy.

Lay down your cash and go to a show, you’ll have a blast!

We don’t have a band like this in the U.S. Never mind an act that’s left money on the table, who live outside the system and sneer at it.

Noel Gallagher is an incredible quote machine. He is almost single-handedly carrying on the rock star ethos.

And if you’re in the U.K., this is all anybody wants to talk about. It’s palpable. Bigger than Taylor Swift. They’re BACK!

And if you were around back then you need to go to relive the experience.

And even if you weren’t born yet, you need to be there, you don’t want to be left out.

But not everybody can go.

So, what is a ticket worth?

The truth is the fans don’t want low prices. Because in that case, they won’t be able to get a ticket. When the prices are high, your odds are better.

I know that sounds counterintuitive, but work with me here.

All the tickets are going to evaporate as quickly as Ticketmaster can spew them out, and only Ticketmaster can handle this level of demand. And everybody is buying the maximum, and demand outstrips supply, and chances are you’re going to be SOL.

But if every ticket is a grand… They’re not going to fill the stadium instantly.

So what’s a ticket worth?

WHAT SOMEONE WILL PAY FOR IT!

And the bottom line, no matter what the punters and the government believe, if you don’t sell the tickets at fair market value, the scalpers will. And the scalpers will get the entire uplift, and the band will be SOL.

So, the bands want to capture this uplift…

They’re afraid of looking bad, charging too much, which is ridiculous, because look at how much these same customers are paying for luxury goods and…

Liam and Noel said they had no idea that prices would be flexed, raised according to demand.

Oh, give me a f*cking break.

There you have it in a nutshell folks. The acts hide behind Ticketmaster, that’s what the company is paid for. Ticketmaster makes no music, it’s inert, and therefore it can accept all the blame.

But the bottom line is Ticketmaster does nothing that the band does not agree to. NOTHING!

And if you tell me your manager and agent did it behind your back… A. I don’t believe you. B. You’re doing the tour for the money and you’ve got no idea what’s on the table, how much you can take home?

As for caring about the fans… The fans are going to come anyway.

So what’s the fair market value of an Oasis ticket?

NO ONE KNOWS!

Which is why they flex the price. When they encounter the demand.

Now you could keep the price low, and make every ducat paperless, but the customer HATES THIS! The customer wants to be able to scalp the extra tickets they’ve purchased.

As for the customer waiting hours online only to find the price has changed…

The reason they spend hours online is because Oasis wants to put up all the shows at once, to create mania. Everybody’s hyped up, word is you can’t get a ticket, and everybody races to buy one. But if there’s one stadium show and it doesn’t sell out instantly… Good luck selling the tickets to the rest of the gigs instantly, if at all.

So if you think Liam and Noel have clean hands…

This is the problem, the public just won’t believe that the acts are greedy. It must be someone else!

And you pay fair market value for everything else, why not for concert tickets?

As for waiting for hours… That’s your choice. As far as the price changing… YOU DON’T HAVE TO BUY THE TICKETS!

And if you want to blame anyone for the price change, blame the Oasis boys, they’re doing it, Ticketmaster is only the order taker.

So look at it this way. You put an ad on Craigslist offering your car for $5,000. And two people arrive at your house. One offers $10,000, the other says they got there one minute before, while you were still in your house, and you must sell them the automobile for $5,000. Watcha gonna do?

I know what you’re gonna do.

The only way out of this mess is to do what the Stones do, charge what the tickets are worth, and then they don’t sell out instantly. How badly do you want to go, are you willing to pay for it?

And you may not be, but there’s a good chance someone else will.

But you think you’re entitled to a deal, because…

Exactly why? Turns out the tickets were underpriced, the price was raised and you want an exceptional deal. Why should you benefit and not the act you love so much?

Oh, let’s just blame the ticketing company and go home.

And this is exactly what Ticketmaster is paid for.

And even the government can’t understand.

NEXT!