Did you ever sing in the Glee Club?

I tried out in seventh grade. I thought everybody made it, until I missed the cut the following year. It was fun, to sing. Actually, my favorite song was a hit by Wayne Newton, which ironically Felice’s father wrote. You sing and there’s a certain joy, a certain escape from everyday living, a certain feeling, as that old Frank Zappa record said, THAT IT’S SO FUCKING GREAT TO BE ALIVE!

So we finished dinner at Los Amigos, and after checking out the new structures at the ski area base, we went back to the hotel, to talk to Mickey.

Mickey is the piano player in the bar sporting his moniker in the Lodge at Vail. He’s been entertaining guests for decades. Usually, when he sees Felice, he breaks into that same Wayne Newton song. But not tonight. Tonight Mickey jumped up to say hello. And while we were discussing family comings and goings, and the perfect conditions on the mountain, Mickey suddenly interrupted himself. There was someone here. A bunch of people. The CAROLERS!

Up the stairs strode two dozen people, in period dress. And when they finally were ensconced in the bar, they started singing Christmas carols.

They say that you make all your money on the road these days. Maybe because you can’t replace the live experience. The hit of real music.

They say if music is free, no one will make it. But these denizens of Vail didn’t practice for a month for the money, they did it for the pure unmitigated joy, of MUSIC!

We get caught up in the trappings. The sales numbers, the merch… But really, it’s about the underlying tunes. People have a desire to hear music.

And nothing else can compete. It’s kind of like sex. I never heard someone pass up sex because they were playing Halo. Likewise, all that crap about competition for the entertainment dollar is utter hogwash. For music, when done right, is the elixir of life. You just can’t get that hit anywhere else. Movies, when done right, are pretty good. But they’re not music.

Music has a vibrancy that lifts your spirits, that puts a smile on your face. Whether you’re a leather clad metalhead or a fresh-scrubbed churchgoer.

Actually, show tunes weren’t my only musical inspiration. I was turned on by the hymns in synagogue too. And despite being Jewish, I’ve always had a soft spot for Christmas carols. Don’t we all? It’s the time of year, one of reflection, inside overheated buildings, while the snow falls outside.

Actually, the snow is falling outside. The air is brisk. And when the carolers entered Mickey’s I was taken back, to the 1800’s, to the time of Dickens, of top hats and long dresses. The attire of the singers in attendance.

I thought of "Baker Street". English rock songs reminiscent of fog in a dark alley. Where your overdieted appearance didn’t buy you much. If you were that skinny, you were probably dying. My mind was set free to a host of memories and inspirations.

And after hearing the songs in our DNA, Mickey sat back at the bench and played that song, the one we sang in the Glee Club back in the sixties, the one Felice’s father wrote.

And my old college buddy Steve asked if kids still took piano lessons.

I don’t know. But for we children of the sixties, music was an integral part of our lives. It was even part of the curriculum. To think that they used to teach us how to read music in public school…

Music’s value isn’t based on its price, but how it affects people. It’s not about twenty dollars for a CD, it’s about the fact that people want it so much that they’re willing to steal it. They don’t want to steal a whole bunch of other things.

Instead of prosecuting people for desiring music, we need to find a way to enable them to acquire it, to enrich them. Everybody should have easy access to music. The business as presently structured is about keeping people out. You can’t buy as much music as you want and you can’t go to the show too often unless you run a hedge fund. Things are fucked up. You realize it when you hear people sing for the joy of it, when you’re touched not by the famous, but by those in your community.

I got into the holiday spirit this evening. And it wasn’t the weather that got me there, or the short day…oh, they helped, but it was music that made me remember it was December. That Santa Claus was coming to town.

199. White Stripes "Icky Thump"

Sales this week: 8,109
Cume: 664,573

If we didn’t have to read so much about Jack White, if he wasn’t such a media darling in a media saturated world, we wouldn’t see this number as a disappointment, but as the number of an up and comer.

Before Meg had her anxiety attack, the White Stripes were doing some very innovative marketing in Canada…surprise shows, etc. Still, I don’t believe going on the road gooses record sales much anymore. I don’t think this number would be substantially higher if the band had toured. Like there’s gonna be a station that promotes the show and delivers airplay that people are LISTENING TO? Are you still living in the EIGHTIES!

197. Aly & AJ "Insomniatic"

Sales this week: 8,301
Cume: 229,748

In the words of the Eagles, ALREADY GONE! Disney can move records, but it can’t establish careers.

195. Annie Lennox "Songs Of Mass Destruction"

Sales this week: 8,346
Cume: 214,470

She’s niche! But not as niche as her old bandmate Dave Stewart. He needs to stay behind the board, that TV thing with Kara DioGuardi…who approved that?

191. KT Tunstall "Drastic Fantastic"

Sales this week: 8,487
Cume: 161,690

More commonly known as "Piece Of Shit" by those who used to care.

Don’t put out a record because the market cycle demands it, only release music if it’s GOOD!

177. Levon Helm "Dirt Farmer"

Sales this week: 9,503
Cume: 41,386

The reformed Band did one great track, a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s "Atlantic City"… But truly, listening to those albums was painful. THIS record got good reviews. But I haven’t listened yet because I don’t want my memories tainted. Have you ever heard "King Harvest (Has Surely Come)"? Check it out if you haven’t, you’ll get the magic. Of a group that existed seemingly in the ether. That didn’t worry about the audience, and therefore was so great. Listening to the Band albums was like stumbling into a village in Tennessee and finding out the act playing in the bar is better than anything on the radio.

And, the Band is better than anything on the radio now. Is Levon’s work as good? I certainly hope so, but Robbie Robertson wrote those songs. He was the genius. Yet, he needed the voices. Fuck "The Last Waltz"… What has Robbie done since other than "Broken Arrow"? What a waste of talent. Families fight, yet stay together. Why can’t bands?

When I’m in a good mood, when nothing can bring me down, I’m gonna spin this disc. But I’m not taking a chance of being depressed. I’ve been holding off. This is a respectable number, but once upon a time the Band was BEYOND respectable.

175. Angels & Airwaves "I-Empire"

Sales this week: 9,577
Cume: 126,546

Is this the guy with the ring in his lip or the one who appears normal? You might know, but the public has no idea. They remember Blink-182, they’re not experts on the members of this spin-off band. A horrifying sales number if you’re the conglomerate that used to release Blink-182.

171. Jars Of Clay "Christmas Songs"

Sales this week: 9,692
Cume: 31,604

Guess Christian acts don’t do such a great job of selling Christmas records. Probably because they’re Christian 24/7, 365 days a year!

170. Joni Mitchell "Shine"

Sales this week: 9,760
Cume: 167,952

Anybody who says this album is good is not a Joni Mitchell fan.

You’re better off listening to the Herbie Hancock covers record. (And what kind of fucked up world do we live in where a covers record is competing for Album of the Year?)

As for the Starbucks imprimatur… The value of that expired sometime in July.

169. Plain White T’s "Every Second Counts"

Sales this week: 9,784
Cume: 617,054

At least they named their album appropriately. Since their minutes of fame are going to last even less than Sugar Ray’s.

It’s a single, not an act. It’s record, not a career. It’s a business deal, there’s no soul. We used to invest in bands, knowing they had a future. Lose money on this record, make it up in the future. The Plain White T’s have no future.

161. Aretha Franklin "Jewels In The Crown: Duets With The Queen Of Soul"

Sales this week: 10,634
Cume: 62,204

Would this record have stiffed if she’d re-upped with Clive Davis?

Despite that, can the stunting end? Two famous people singing a lame song is not an important event, the public is burned out, people don’t care.

152. Buckcherry "15"

Sales this week: 11,635
Cume: 907,830

Sign and promote rock and roll. I view them as a cartoon, but the single was good. They’ve got some of the OLD Motley Crue danger. You can go to the gig, get your ears blown out, and act ridiculous in your fucked up fashion. You can have fun, as mainstream media pays no attention. That’s when music was great, when the mainstream was clueless. Now, with television and the "New York Times" promoting and pontificating, kids have moved on to the Web, where their parents, THE MAN, is paying no attention. If your act has no underground element, you’ve got a brief career (unless you’re SELLING mainstream stuff like Groban and Buble).

All publicity is not good publicity. Hype kills acts.

144. Eddie Vedder "Music For The Motion Picture ‘Into The Wild’"

Sales this week: 12,072
Cume: 176,337

Don’t tie up your new music with a motion picture. I’d tell you to look to Outkast for example, but really, go all the way back to "To Live And Die In L.A." Wang Chung did a great soundtrack to a stiff picture and it killed their career momentum.

This number would have been much higher if Eddie Vedder was selling a solo album, sans the movie tie-in. The film is pretentious, read the book. The music stands alone, but it can’t stand alone, because it’s tied to the fucking movie!

129. Taylor Swift "Sounds Of The Season"

Sales this week: 13,428
Cume: 66,664

I’m waiting for acts to put out Christmas records BEFORE their first release! Why bother trying to build the career, why not sell out and cash in IMMEDIATELY!

I like Taylor Swift. But her manager and label should be shot. This is not a Disney act, she writes the songs, she’s got a career, her music is even crossing over pop. Why do this? It’s not like they’re selling a shitload of records. Can’t they leave some money on the table?

89. Finger Eleven "Them Vs. You Vs. Me"

Sales this week: 20,832
Cume: 349,880

Mediocre band proves that Wind-Up still has it.

85. Feist "Reminder"

Sales this week: 21,791
Cume: 410,668

Commercials can get everybody to notice, but they can’t give you a career. She’ll be known as the Apple girl forever more.

Do you want that?

Interscope wants that. They want ANYTHING that moves product. Shit, did you see how many people they just canned? Major labels are in the business of saying yes, managers should be in the business of saying no.

I’m not saying the Apple commercial was terminal, but it did come with a price. You’ve got to weigh the pluses and minuses of your choices…

Did she get new fans? NOT MANY! Just grazers who liked a catchy single who’ve already moved on to something else.

78. Rihanna "Good Girl Gone Bad"

Sales this week: 23,125
Cume: 897,115

Single of the summer doesn’t make you a legend. You’re about as forgettable as the local lifeguard you had a crush on and talked to once.

Big radio single leaves the act playing clubs and not even going platinum. If you need proof the old model is dead, here it is.

53. Britney Spears "Blackout"

Sales this week: 34,120
Cume: 558,369

So, do you think her career was hurt by Jamie Lynn’s pregnancy?

I’d say yes. It confirms the whole FAMILY is white trash.

And to think "Vanity Fair" said Lynne Spears was the most sane of the celebrity mothers…

Pregnant at sixteen shouldn’t be on the cover of "OK!", it should be on the most wanted list at the post office. A constant warning to take the other direction.

You fuck without protection you risk getting pregnant. Like if you eat nothing, you starve to death. This isn’t a difficult equation to comprehend.

Do you think Nickelodeon will renew her deal? Are you kidding me! But they’ll give some lame excuse about creative differences or something. You’ve got a responsibility to your gig, to act REASONABLY!

Having a baby at sixteen is hurting yourself and your child. This is what abortion was invented for. And we can debate that all day long, but all I’ll say is teenage pregnancy ruins lives. And the fact that these idiots are revered by society freaks me out.

Actually, they’re not. The media thinks they are. But kids would much rather be Mark Zuckerberg. But what kind of capitalist fool is he, with the Facebook Beacon initiative. If you don’t value your users over your advertisers, you’re whacked. We used to look to bands to reveal this truth, to be inviolate, to be unsullied, to do only what they wanted to. But now the acts are in bed with the advertisers too. Everybody’s beholden to some rich guy in a white robe sitting on a throne in the sky. But that guy doesn’t even exist. Everybody does things because everybody else says they’re okay. Like my dad used to say, "If everybody jumped off a bridge, would YOU?" Independent thinking has been supplanted by groupthink, being a member of the crowd. We used to revere our iconoclasts. Now everybody’s sold out. Which is why I hate Justin Timberlake. You couldn’t even give the middle finger to the NFL? Like you were gonna be on the Super Bowl again ANYWAY? If Justin had said FUCK YOU his career would have grown legs. Now people only care if he’s got a hit song. We used to care about acts even WITHOUT hit songs. We were fans of THEM! You can’t be a fan of anybody anymore. And the execs want you to be a fan of them. Like I wanna be Jimmy Iovine or Clive Davis. Ain’t that a joke. When businessmen trump artists, we’ve got a sick society.

47. Linkin Park "Minutes To Midnight"

Sales this week: 38,658
Cume: 1,983,729

Brand names count. And Rick Rubin is a very good record producer.

But Rick’s a lousy record exec. He hasn’t been to the east coast office and he’s impossible to get ahold of. And, have you heard about the new Columbia POD system? Ridiculous. And to think that Rick can still produce outside the label. What, did Rob Stringer miss the Matt Serletic memo?

45. Bruce Springsteen "Magic"

Sales this week: 39,702
Cume: 811,996

You had to put tickets on sale for JULY? What’s the reason? I don’t even know what I’m doing in FEBRUARY, never mind JULY! But you had to take all that money out of the marketplace, you had to earn all that interest. And to think you built your reputation as a man of the people… Bruce, when you were growing up in Asbury Park did you buy tickets for a gig SEVEN MONTHS AWAY? Did you even have the MONEY FOR IT!

32. Blake Lewis "Audio Day Dream"

Sales this week: 57,900
Cume: 155,591

Even the mainstream media knows that "American Idol" no longer sells records. Another formula bites the dust.

17. Colbie Caillat "Coco"

Sales this week: 86,018
Cume: 883,981

A good deal is one that benefits both parties. Universal got its pound of flesh from imeem, but imeem’s economics don’t work.

What’s this all about? Universal is shooting itself in the foot, avoiding the big kahuna, MySpace, and funding a startup. Kind of like investing in the Zune instead of Apple/iTunes. You’ve got to go with a WINNER! Everybody goes to MySpace to hear bands’ music. You might not be getting paid right now, but by just having excerpts available, you kill the possibility of having another breakout record like Colbie Caillat’s.

14. Led Zeppelin "Mothership"

Sales this week: 95,281
Cume: 438,498

This hits package and the iTunes deal had nothing to do with the O2 show.

And if you believe that, you probably think Rick Rubin produced the Black Crowes’ debut, you believe Lyor Cohen is 48, you believe the Spice Girls ticket sales weren’t driven by resalemania, you believe Peter Grant was a good guy…

If you just fell off the turnip truck it’s a wonder you can even make it through the day, feed yourself.

It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll. Isn’t that what AC/DC said? Getting ripped off, underpaid? This is a lying stinking business. But those Led Zeppelin albums didn’t lie, the music was inviolate, to the point where we still care about it today. Will we care about today’s music tomorrow? ARE YOU KIDDING ME!

13. Rascal Flatts "Still Feels Good"

Sales this week: 96,096
Cume: 1,390,003

Country records. Don’t enter at number one and fall off the chart like those of every other genre.

3. Eagles "Long Road Out Of Eden"

Sales this week: 241,104
Cume: 2,210,207

There’s not a single soul in the business who believes these numbers.

No, SoundScan is not counting the package as two discs. But there’s a palette of albums at each store. And you get two discs for $11.88. Is Irving lying here?

Well then, is he rigging the European numbers too?

Everybody’s sour grapes. And, if there is some manipulation here, I say more power to those involved. This is a business of perception, and the perception is the Eagles did something innovative, gave the middle finger to the industry and not only survived, but triumphed.

1. Josh Groban "Noel"

Sales this week: 669,161
Cume: 2,772,879

Has outsold Kanye, never mind Fitty.

And he’s NOT Jewish. But the guy who runs his record company is.

They say this is the power of Oprah. We’ve got no Oprah for credible acts, I’m not sure one can EVER exist. Especially since Tony Wilson is not only no longer on television, but deceased. If you want to sell middle of the road stuff, go to Oprah. If you want to promote cutting edge music that will pay dividends for DECADES, there’s no TV outlet that’ll touch you. TV won’t understand it. And radio probably won’t either. It’s going to be rough going. But if you’re good, and you survive, dollars are going to rain down on you FOREVER!

Bob,

I know you tend to write provocative articles to provoke responses and there has been many a time I would have responded to some typical Bob inflammatory comment. So now that time has come.

Bob, you are sounding like a grumpy old man. The Led Zeppelin reunion creepy? How could that be?

I watched them all week in rehearsal, soundcheck and the gig…they were having fun. Page was having buckets of fun. I think he deserves that. And, oh, by the way, I think Jason Bonham deserves the chance to play for many many personal reasons and …he played very well.
They all did.
Meanwhile, Let me correct some of your misstatements:

1. The show was a 1 off. They wanted to honor Ahmet Ertegun. A charity was proposed. They accepted.

2. Ticket price was £135. It was a lottery. What could be more fair than that. Other packages were offered up to make more money for the charity. It was, after all, Bob, a charity show.

3. Led Zeppelin did not get paid a dime for the show. In fact, Bob, they contributed over £200,000 of their own costs not counting their time. How many acts playing charities do that?

4. As for Ashley Capps not guaranteeing that they are not playing Bonaroo in writing, well, I’m fucking guaranteeing it in writing. Led Zeppelin is not playing Bonaroo.

5. As for the band making a living, trust me, Bob, they have enough money. You’ve been living in LA far too long, hanging out with too many rich entertainment figures. As far as I can tell, Led Zeppelin don’t do anything for money. Certainly not in the way any of the other big name artists do.

6. Continuing through your missive. Had you been there you would have noticed that they did not perform like they did back in ’77. They all get the idea that they are not 30 anymore. Bob, my gut, is that while you are still trying ski runs you did 20 years ago , they are not attempting to do what they did 30 years except sing and play their music. What struck me was how well they played and how much fun they were having. Page had this child-like look on his face. He was enjoying himself immensely.

7. One more thing, you still can’t tell Led Zeppelin what to do.

I could go on here Bob about how wrong you are about all of this. Jimmy Page loves Led Zeppelin. He loves the music he wrote with the other 3. Why shouldn’t he be entitled to play it wherever and whenever he wants to. I had as much fun watching him as I had watching the show. Ask anyone who was there. And you know something else, the music Monday  night sounded as good as anything I’ve heard. It didn’t sound dated as all. I’d manage anyone who could write that riff in Kashmir right now…sight unseen.

Finally, Bob, maybe they will go on the road again. I truly don’t know. But what can tell you is that it will be because they are having fun. Whatever they earn out of it, they earn. But they have to have  fun. Please, take a breath, and consider that it isn’t always about the money.

Peter Mensch

_________________________________

Bob,

Musicians,contrary to critical opinion,do not get worse with age…they get BETTER. Playing music is not an athletic feat like football. You get wiser and smarter and more soulful when you grow up, if you were any good in the first place.

Also, it’s not pathetic when great bands reunite….it’s pathetic when
they DON’T! We have right now in the US a whole generation of opening acts…not one new band can go on stage AFTER Led Zep
or the Who or the Stones or any other classic band of yore.

There’s plenty to complain about in todays culture…I hardly think a Zep reunion falls in that category.

Danny Kortchmar

_________________________________

On Dec 10, 2007, at 7:42 PM, Bob Lefsetz wrote:

"What would Jesus do?  Well, he’s NEVER come back.  Maybe that’s why people still revere him so!"

Nice!! I will quote you!!

The first thing I noticed watching the a few Youtube videos was that the songs immediately sounded lower in pitch to me. I pulled out a trusty ‘ol Strat to confirm this suspision and sure ’nuff the band had tuned down to "D" instead of the usual "E" enabling Mr. Plant to apparently reach those higher notes.

I Love Led Zeppelin, every note on the first five records is permanently embedded in my brain, even Bonham’s kick drum pedal squeak on "Since I’ve Been Loving You". I certainly have used Page’s production techniques as a blueprint for many of mine. I actually own the first five LP’s on vinyl, 8-Track, cassette, Reel To Reel and CD. Those records were the bible of my coming of age and of my first years in the recording studio.

For my first "Rock Show" in November of 1967 I had the privilege of seeing the Yardbirds play at the (pre Fillmore East) Village Theater with Page on guitar, Vanilla Fudge and Tiny Tim (!?!) were also on the bill. This was also the first time I experienced the aural pleasure of a "Wah-Wah Pedal", my mind was indeed blown by Mr. Page and the next day I went on a quest to my local central NJ music stores to find one, not one salesperson had a clue as to what I was talking about! (I should have gone to 48th Street, but at this time being a greenhorn from New Jersey I was not aware of music store row!)

When I heard about the formation of L.Z. in 1968 I would constantly inquire at Gregory’s Music Store in Plainfield NJ about when the release would arrive, when it did I wore out my copy within weeks as I did with all of their subsequent records. In February of 1975 I attended an astounding L.Z. show at Nassau Coliseum, third row center.. my respect for the man and the band increased one hundred fold.

I suppose that if I was not there in the days of my youth (pun intended) for the real thing it would be enjoyable to see L.Z. today……I’ll stick with my memories thank you.

Ed Stasium

_________________________________

Bob,
 
This will shed no light whatsoever on the Led Zeppelin show but that has never stopped me, or quite a few other "contributors," before.
 
In a time of political and musical misery…I say:
 
HATS OFF to Ahmet.
HATS OFF to whomever created their lottery system…genius.
HATS OFF all the people who put the show together.
HATS OFF to all the fans who traveled from around the world to relive their pasts.
HATS OFF to all the fans who traveled from around the world to experience Led Zeppelin for the first time in their lives.
HATS, pants, dresses, socks, shoes, bras, blouses, shirts, thongs, speedos and every other article of clothing, OFF, to the incredible talents of Led Zeppelin.
 
Bob, as far as your comments about aging musicians or aging in general, in the immortal words of the comedic genius, Larry David, getting older is "Pretty, Pretty, Pretty good"…especially when considering the alternative.
 
In the fall of 1999 through the summer of 2000, I had the pleasure of working closely with Jimmy when we put together the Jimmy Page / Black Crowes shows and Internet album of "Live at The Greek."
 
Besides being mesmerized every night from the side of the stage by Jimmy’s monstrous talent coupled with The Black Crowes’ masterful performance of Zeppelin songs, I was equally floored by what a genuinely kind hearted gentleman "The Dark Lord of all things rock" truly is…and in truth, I have enjoyed every moment of our personal and professional relationship.
 
There are many experiences and stories that I could share, but two in particular stick in my mind:
 
At the time that Jimmy and The Black Crowes were performing at The Greek, I brought my breathtakingly stunning half Japanese / half Irish wife to the show.  She always stayed by my side, being slightly uncomfortable wandering around the backstage area on her own.  Immediately before the show started, I had security escort her and her friends to their seats.
 
Then, on the way to the stage with the band, Jimmy pulled me aside and asked, "Mate, do you happen to know the name of that beautiful woman with the long black hair that you were talking to and where she is from?"
 
Hmmm, I thought.  Intentionally dragging out my response, I delivered, "Well, let me think, umm, ahhh, well, yes Jimmy, as a matter of fact, I do happen to know her name…her name is… ‘My Wife’ and she is from my house."
 
We both had a good laugh.  It was a fair question, one I would have asked myself if I wasn’t already married to her.  He couldn’t be faulted as I had not introduced the two of them prior to the show.  However, after the show, I brought her into the dressing room and made the introduction, "Jimmy, this is my wife, Karen, and she is from my house."  Jimmy smiled and couldn’t have been more sincerely hospitable.  Karen returned a beautiful smile that rarely left her glowing face, even though she had no idea why the introduction was so strange.
 
One other:
 
After the project had run its course, I received a message that Jimmy had called and would appreciate me returning his call.  When I called him back, a woman answered and asked me to wait a moment while she "hunted him down."
 
Thirty-two minutes later, and I am perfectly clear as to the time because I watched the entire episode of "To Serve Man" on The Twilight Zone while placing the call on speakerphone, Jimmy finally picked up and humbly apologized for the wait.
He mentioned that he "was in another part of his house."
 
You have to love it.  I mean, how many fucking rooms would one "house" have to possess for a group of assistants to expend thirty-two minutes searching it for its owner?
 
As much as I love my house, I can tell you that it most certainly wouldn’t take thirty-two minutes of searching it to locate me.
A minute max, maybe two if I was out in the yard arguing with the Gardener who speaks not a word of English, or worst case scenario, maybe three if I was busy in the bedroom trying to sell myself on some sexual visual.
 
Jokingly, I told Jimmy I was going to send him a golf cart, walkie talkie system and search and rescue dogs to help "his people" locate him in the Mansion De Page.
 
In any case, back to the point…regrettably, I didn’t make it to their show, but I have received no less than twenty emails and calls from friends, in and out of the industry, who experienced  the show and said it was absolutely magical on a multitude of levels.
 
If Led Zeppelin decide to tour, they will bring incredible joy and memories to millions of people.
If they don’t, so be it.  Either way, good for them.
 
They deserve it…and clearly, the world desires it.
That always makes for a great combo platter.
 
Pete Angelus
Angelus Entertainment

_________________________________

Stop It !     Just Stop It !     Enough!
All of you writing these negative letters in regards to Led Zeppelin, should be ashamed of yourselves. Who the fuck are you to assume or pretend to know WHY Robert Plant….Jimmy Page…and John Paul Jones…  at this point in their lives are Jamming together.
maybe it was just time….maybe they wanted a last run before they go.
maybe at the rehearsals for this benefit they got turned on by the  magic and chemistry they have forgotten and secretly craved for so many years…and now realiz that they are not getting any younger and they should put they’re differences aside and go out and have some fun…    it’s a stretch? but possible.
maybe they wanna rock.
maybe they need to rock.
Maybe it’s for the money?.    But That’s none of our business….our business as fans is to rock with them.

Upset about The Money?….If that was the case..than you should punish them for all the previous tours they did back in the day……Cause they were raking it in….Private Jets, Limo’s, 5 star hotels..not to mention the merch….What did you think ? that they weren’t thinking about money back then?  They were doing it only for us?  And so they should get paid….they are one of the biggest rock band this earth has ever seen…only the Beatles who were obviously massive , could create this much havoc and excitement on a reunion. They deserve every fucking penny.  This is LED ZEPPELIN…They are true Rock and Roll royalty. 
 
And you do have the right to NOT go see them.
but don’t be like those pompous assholes who picket movies…calling the film blasphemis and disrespectable…that when asked if they had seen the movie they are boycotting..they say "NO…i don’t need to see it…i just know."  That is just ignorance speaking.
What ever the reason for hating on these guys …i just can’t believe i read…
"i don’t want them to fuck with my memories"?
THEY….. gave you those fucking memories.
for that reason alone if you are a true Zep fan…You owe them at least the respect to not criticize them for wanting to Rock and Roll again…What’s so wrong with that?  Zep has always played by their own rules.
Instead we as fans should be estatic to get a chance to celebrate with them and show them how much we appreciate what they have left behind for us.
They were the most played soundtrack to our lives…The bad times that they got us through..And the parties they hosted for us…just by dropping that needle.
Not to mention how much they have influenced musicians.

And Why is it so wrong just  to simply sit in a venue and share some beautiful music with them …maybe one last time before they die…hell…before we all die.
Why are there so many rules…Rock and Roll has NO RULES!  Where did these regulations come from? They are betraying us? Is Jimmy Page is really Osama Bin Laden?  Led Zeppelin backwards is really Al Queda?
They are a Rock and Roll band…Don’t crusify them for wanting to Rock…

Yeah …i know it’s gonna be different….No shit….there’s No Bonzo….No Shiny dragon outfit….No sock stuffed down Plants pants…..well, i can’t be sure about that one….But it wont be as crazy as it was was when they were coming to Boston garden and cars and trains were being flipped over and destroyed..and we got so wasted we don’t remember how we got home…oh yeah we didn’t make it home…we got into a head on car collision doing 120 mph and in the hospital with glass in our faces. "but that’s another story for another day".
"BUT PLANT LOOKS ALL WRINKLY and"…..And guess what…news flash!  They’re much much older…Robert Plant looks old…and so does Page…
Are we to punish them for that also?
"How dare they wanna rock at that age!!!"
Oh shit..If that’s the case,  I’m in my 40’s and i’m fucked…I was just cutting some new trax today…oh well i’d better go put my Guitar and rig up in the attic for good….because guaranteed i will be acused of greed if i tour with my band.
is that what we have become?
We look for any reason to criticize the greats.
But yet the majority of emails that come from Bob and his readers are about how much the new generation of artists have no soul and musicianship and can’t write a descent tune.
See… More inportantly..the fucking kids NEED to see Zep…even this line up at this age.
Rock is dying…if not dead already.
Do we need to see one more awards show to know that music is in deep shit!  So depressing.
There is no one out there inspiring kids to pick up a guitar.
Why do you think that there are millions of copies of the game Guitar Hero are being sold…they are starved for it…We’re fucked if we have to count on a video game to save Rock and Roll.

And i have to say….It broke my heart to hear Bob say that he was sitting next to the legendary Jimmy Page and didn’t even bother to say hi or shake his hand, for selfish memory based reasons….you missed out Bob.
That could have turned into one of your greatest memories ever.
Are you that old and set in your ways… that you are not capable to allow some new memories into your heart.?
You might have missed out on a life changing conversation….That we would have read in your letters….
You see….I did a gig in germany in the early nineties. A festival.
Plant-Page were also on the bill.  when i saw them walk into the backstage outdoor area….my childhood flashed before me…Sheryl Crow was standing next to me…She said; Go say hi!   I said…No fucking way!   That is Jimmy Page! What do you say to Jimmy Page…"Hi dude…i dig your playing"?
So i did nothing.!    What a fool i was…
So i turned around to walk away..and i felt a hand on my shoulder and someone called my name….I turned around and it was………………HIM.
All i can say Bob…., right after i passed out and he picked me up off the floor , we spoke for the next 2 hours about one of his favorite places…My birthplace, Portugal….How much time he spends there,  The local moonshine he had an anvil case full of , The traditional guitars he buys there,  my family there…No mentiion of the music business or our bands….Just a hang.
So next time you see him Bob….Don’t shun him or punish him for being in Led Zeppelin…Just say, Hi Jimmy…shake his hand and smile.
I swear…..the magic and sincerety in his hands will stay with you forever…And you will be glad to know.that  ..that new memory didn’t erase any of the old ones.

I guess  the point is…can we please, please stop talking about the business side of things for a little while? Just this once.  I beg you…All i hear and read from you is how there is no great music anymore…that it’s all a scam…marketing, marketing, Money Money Money. Clive is the evil empire that ruined it all.
You’re so right….
That’s why i beg you to Not Boycot the POLICE or LED ZEPPELIN merely because you’re upset they are getting compensated… added more shows …they planned it? Maybe……..Fuck it….! who cares?
The Music is too important.
It’s a dry musical desert out there…and life is too short to be  judgemental and untrusting and missing out. with the bands that shaped your life…….because all we really crave and all we really need…is an evening of ROCK and ROLL…Nothing more , nothing less….just a new memory to take home with us…to keep till we die.
And for those of you afraid to take that risk because of the old ZEP?    you must have been too fucked up to remember or to notice that 7 out of 10 gigs… Zeppelin sucked live…Those were the nights that they were so drugged and wasted that they could barely stand nevermind play an instrument…Bonham puking into a bucket on stage.
But that was the danger and that was the risk….I saw Steven Tyler pass out 2 nights in a row by the 2nd song in worcester to never return.

I would give anything to witness one of these great-legendary acts in their fragile state or in  their latter years of life than to listen to or to see most of the pretensious crap that’s on the radio…this current state of music is so worth seeing that it made MTV extinct.
That might be a good thing though.
And the guy who made fun of Plant having a cup of tea before the show?
…You must not be a singer….and…. give the guy a fucking break…he’s nearly 100 years old.
But believe me as an eye witness when i tell you guys and Bob….these guys are old….But they still party hard….Page? are you kidding?   And you also question whether there were groupies backstage at Van Halen and whether David Lee Roth was still fucking them….YES!
Rock is still alive and well my friend.

i know you keep going back to the good old days….so do i….it makes me angry.
The line ups were rediculous…we were spoiled …2 to 3 great bands on the bill on any given tour.  That was the norm…we took it for granted.
It was like tap water…we would go to the sink time and time again believing it was pure and the quality was always gonna be there.
….Today all we get is Bottled water. Flavored water.
Vitamin water. With colorfull labels , each claiming they are the purest. The truth is…Just like rock and roll…tap water was never clean. It was Dirty.    but that didn’t matter….it quenched our thirst just fine.

Bring back that dirty water.    Bring back that rock and roll.

Pardon my spelling and typing…i am a simple musician.
And Bob….I just have one last request.
To The ones who write in and ask to hide their identity..?    Grow some balls…Be proud of your opinions…and tell us who you are….this is AMERICA….we are free.

Nuno Bettencourt

Fifty six is too young to die.

I remember my mother saying people in their forties were young and my sisters and I laughed. Youth is about exuberance, a sense of invulnerability, you believe what has happened to the rest of humanity will never happen to you. If you’re lucky, you get old. But some don’t get that benefit.

My father died at seventy. I thought he had a pretty good ride. Now I’m frightened that my life will be snuffed at the same age. In my prime, when the world’s wisdom has finally come to me.

I always wondered how these songwriters could be so insightful in their twenties, how they could know so much about life, and love.

Some people find the right person in grade school. They grow old together. Still others search for so long, they ultimately give up, the pain is too severe, they tell themselves they’re fulfilled as they eat dinner alone in front of the TV. And then there’s the rest of us. We live with one person, get married to another, we don’t know whether to stop where we are or to break up and begin anew. We hear talk of soulmates, we hear of people shooting significant others. Does everybody really just live in between? So close to that line of exasperation, with satisfaction just outside our grasp?

We’ve got moments. With others. But do they really love us? Are they going to leave us? Can we trust them? Can we trust anybody?

I’ve trusted the music. I know the notes on the records never change, the insights remain. They get me through times of despair, when I’ve got more questions than answers. They make me feel like I’m not alone in this world. "Same Old Lang Syne" makes me feel like I’m not alone in this world, that I’m part of a continuum, part of humanity. True love may be professed in the media, at cocktail parties…but for most of us, it’s elusive. Maybe because there’s no such thing. Just a continuous string of moments. As one moves forward. But occasionally, you move backward.

They course through your memory. You wonder if you reconnected…would your life work? Was she the one? But when you bump into them, it’s awful. Because although you share something, you’re no longer the same people. And now the pristine memory has been shattered by this interaction, with someone who’s gotten older, just like you.

I was hung up on some woman I met in high school. She called me years later when she was in L.A. We sat in the lobby of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. She looked the same, but somewhere along the line, she’d taken a left turn, we could no longer connect.

The last time I saw my ex-wife, she treated me as if I was a stranger. And after forcing her to stay and have a conversation, she revealed that all her hopes and dreams had not come to fruition. She asked me for money. Could this be the same person I was married to?

You reel after the experience. After meeting that old high school classmate, I let go of her memory and started a new romance. Breaking up with this woman after years of living together just about killed me. But when she e-mailed me two decades later, I kept my distance. She was searching for something. I could not go back there. A week later, I met Felice.

And we’re both battered and wounded from our previous relationships. Yet we soldier on. Together. We have each other. But what if you lose your significant other? What if they don’t break up with you, don’t dump you, but die. Dan Fogelberg died.

I’d be lying if I said I was a fan. He was just a bit too wimpy. But in the early nineties, I had a change of heart. When his live album, "Greetings From The West", arrived in the mail. When I put "Same Old Lang Syne" on endless repeat.

Met my old lover in the grocery store
The snow was falling Christmas Eve
I stole behind her in the frozen foods
And I touched her on the sleeve

Can’t you just SEE IT? That’s great songwriting, universal because it’s personal. Usually, when I see an old acquaintance, I run. I give Dan credit for making the effort, for making the connection. He touched her on the sleeve, he surprised her. You can feel that youthful exuberance.

She didn’t recognize the face at first
But then her eyes flew open wide
She went to hug me and she spilled her purse
And we laughed until we cried

You want to believe they remember you, that you haunt their memories too. I’ve been researching an old camp girlfriend since the advent of the Internet. It’s hard with women, if they’re married they don’t have the same last name. Is one of those single women around the country with the same appellation her? And, if so, does she think back to when she was eleven?

We took her groceries to the checkout stand
The food was totaled up and bagged
We stood there lost in our embarrassment
As the conversation dragged

After the rush of excitement, then what? It’s been years. How do you explain who you are now? You shared something back then, but that was a long time ago. You don’t want to run, you want it to be comfortable, but it’s not.

We went to have ourselves a drink or two
But couldn’t find an open bar
We bought a six-pack at the liquor store
And we drank it in her car

Conversations in automobiles are real. There are no distractions. You can’t play the radio, you’re afraid of running down the battery. You dig down deep, and get to the bottom of things.

She said she’d married her an architect
Who kept her warm and safe and dry
She would have liked to say she loved the man
But she didn’t like to lie

Do you do what your parents want you to? Play it safe? Or go with your gut? Felice’s grandmother was completely unsupportive of her daughter’s marriage. Musicians were not the right choice for matrimony. But Felice’s father’s world famous works resulted in this condo we’re inhabiting in Colorado over a decade after his death.

She said she saw me in the record stores
And that I must be doing well
I said the audience was helping me
But the traveling was hell

I always think of my sister Wendy when I hear this verse. Because we both believed it was HEAVENLY, but on the original recording it’s HELPING ME! And that’s what the audience does, help you get through. But they can’t travel for you. You enjoy the adoration of thousands for two hours, then you’re alone, on the road again. Fame truly isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The more famous you are, the more you yearn for normalcy. To be able to shop without being recognized, to leave the house without putting on your look, to fuck up.

The beer was empty and our tongues were tired
And running out of things to say
She gave a kiss to me as I got out
And I watched her drive away

And as their taillights fade, you wonder if you’ll ever see them again. Think of all those old friends, both romantic and platonic, who you swore loyalty to forever. They’ve faded away. If you reconnected, you’d have almost nothing to say. But once upon a time, you were thick as thieves.

Just for a moment I was back at school
And felt that old familiar pain
And as I turned to make my way back home
The snow turned into rain

That’s what romance during school days is full of…pain. The unrequited crushes, the unfruitful dates. You’ve got a plan in your head, but life never turns out that way.

We drank a toast to innocence
We drank a toast to time
Reliving in our eloquence
Another ‘auld lang syne’…

We were innocent once. Our whole lives were in front of us. We lived and laughed. Then loss crossed our path. We couldn’t make sense of what life dealt us. We became beaten down. The goal is to make peace with the changes, to realize that life’s about keepin’ on, that you never know what’s going to appear around the bend.

But Dan Fogelberg no longer has that option. His wife is now a widow. His flame was snuffed in the prime of life. It’s not fair.

But it’s truth.

My heart sunk, skipped a beat when I read of Dan’s passing on the Net last night. Based on his Website, I thought he might come back. It appeared he’d beaten his cancer. I was hoping he was retired to enjoy life, that he was no longer battling this deadly disease.

But that was untrue.

He didn’t O.D. He didn’t drive too fast. Life just got him. Nipped him in the bud.

My father lived a lot in his seventy years. But everybody deserves more. But not everybody gets more.

So where does that leave us? With more questions than answers. Pain. It’s the human condition.

Dan Fogelberg wrote about the human condition. In "Same Old Lang Syne" he captured the pain of reconnection and high school romance. I can’t think of another number that comes close. I quote the lyrics to myself all the time.

Maybe it’s fitting that Dan died during the winter season, just before Christmas Eve. So we’ll remember him at this time. When we’re not out on the beach being fabulous, but inside in front of the fire, thinking.

Dan Fogelberg thought. I became a fan long after his last hit. It just took me that long to discover his eloquence. I will continue to play "Same Old Lang Syne". But now it will sound even more bittersweet.