Spotify: http://tinyurl.com/4kvzx6ry

YouTube: http://tinyurl.com/4h6cracn

“Boy when you’re all alone

Holdin’ back when you wanna go

Take a stand ’cause it’s not over now”

I was reading Colson Whitehead’s “Harlem Shuffle,” which is far superior to its sequel, “Crook Manifesto,” when something made me think about Stage Dolls. Don’t ask me why. That’s how it works, when the day is deep, when you’ve got no obligations, that’s when your mind drifts, when it becomes creative.

And I knew there was one amazing song on the album, not that I was sure of its name. I pulled up Spotify and decided to look for it. And that’s when I found out Stage Dolls were still active. I’d forgotten they were Norwegian. As far as I knew there was only this one album, back in ’88, on Chrysalis.

So I’m shifting through the options and I find the album I’m looking for. And I remember there was one really good rocker, but also an absolutely amazing moody cut, which one was which? And I’m staring at the track listing and I think the last song on the album is the moody killer, entitled “Ammunition,” yet another memory has it earlier in the record. Am I going to have to listen to every cut on the album to find the one I desire to hear?

That was it, the last one, “Ammunition.”

“It was early in the mornin’

Back when I was five

Somebody’s knockin’ on our front door

One chilly winter’s night”

It felt so good, so right, it brought me right back to what once was.

You see CDs were once exotic, rare and expensive. And the goal was to work your way up in the business until you got on the mailing list, until you got CDs for free. And if you released a CD, you were above the fray. Most acts never got signed, if someone invested money in you your music was worth hearing. Well, if you were on Warner/Reprise, or Atlantic, and certainly Chrysalis. So I played every one.

Now I remember when Derek Shulman took over RoadRunner. He sent me a pile of CDs, and the one that resonated was Nickelback, I could hear it, this was long before “How You Remind Me,” back before most people knew who Chad Kroeger was, never mind hated him and his band. There was no radio play, that was difficult to achieve, especially in the metropolis. Then there were CDs by acts I was familiar with, like Robin Trower. I immediately played his 1990 album “In the Line of Fire,” it’s really good, and unless you’re a believer you’ve never heard it, I don’t think radio ever played it.

Not that most of these CDs were worth playing more than once. But some were, and one was Stage Dolls.

Usually the first track is the best, and if it sucks it’s hard to go much deeper into an album, but the opening cut of Stage Dolls’ album was instantly memorable, it hooked me, it was called “Still in Love.”

“New York City and I’m out with the boys

On 42nd Street makin’ some noise

Another weekend and my baby’s away

Temptation’s drivin’ me insane”

Funny that this Scandinavian band was singing about New York City.

But that’s just the verse. There’s a pre-chorus:

“Ain’t makin’ no promises I can’t keep

‘Cause I’ve got a lady back home

And she’s waitin’ there for me”

And a chorus:

“I’m in love, still in love

Oh-oh-oh

I’m in love, still in love

Oh-oh-oh”

Now if you were conscious in ’88, if you were a devotee of rock, the sound will be so familiar, it’s right in the pocket. This sound is expensive. You can’t cut it at home. You need a big studio. But that was the paradigm back then. It’s the sound of the guitar that closes you.

But was “Still in Love” the really good song I remembered along with “Ammunition”?

So I let the album play, into the second track, “Wings of Steel.”

“Workin’ in the city, it’s a heartless city

Every day’s the same

And I’m on the line from nine to five

Just playin’ the game”

“Wings of Steel” is a bit quieter than “Still in Love,” more meaningful, and the sound of the verse was great, but then I got to the accelerated chorus:

“I’ll fly like an eagle wild

On wings of steel and thunder

I’ll run with the wolves at night

I’ll go where the action is

Ride fast on an endless highway

I’ll fly like an eagle high”

And it sounded so good. Not like I’d just heard it yesterday, but like reconnecting with an old friend you went to camp with, someone you knew intimately, everything about them, but haven’t spoken to in decades.

So that’s three cuts that are ringing my bell, I decide to look at the complete track listing. And that’s when I realize I know track 3, “Lorraine,” by heart. And this seems so weird. This is just an album cut, not made to wow you, just for fans. And I know it as well as I know classics.

In truth this is a passé sound. As a matter of fact, it was squeezed off the airwaves by the Seattle sound, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” hit MTV in September 1991 and things were never the same. Kurt Cobain was authentic and credible in a way the hair bands never were, he didn’t care what you thought, he wasn’t pandering, he was just being himself.

And Stage Dolls had big hair. Not that they wrote a power ballad, at least not one I’ve heard, but they were definitely genre specific. But this kind of polished rock had a long run, from sometime in the seventies until the end of the eighties. And you might pooh-pooh it, call some of it yacht rock, but this was what dominated the airwaves back then, that resonated with the majority of the audience. We turned the records up loud on our multi-thousand dollar stereos. When our favorites played on the radio we moved our bodies, we banged our heads.

And today I hear so much that turns me right off.

But I’m listening to this Stage Dolls album and it’s turning me right on.

Kinda like that Roxette album “Joyride,” a near masterpiece, listen to “Watercolours in the Rain.” The American company didn’t want to release any Roxette music and then the band went to number one. It’s different today, the labels are interested in the international sound, but usually it’s country, region specific. Yet in this case these Scandinavian acts were doing the American sound, just as well as those born in the U.S.A. You could listen and not know they came from a foreign country. Rock dominated the world, and America was the heart and home of rock. Sure, there were great British acts, but they were influenced by American blues.

Now sometimes you play the old records and you wince. They’re period pieces that make you cringe decades later. But I’m listening to “Stage Dolls” and I feel at home, this is the sound I cotton to, that no one makes anymore. Sure, there are rock bands. But melody is not a feature. It’s like everybody listened to Metallica and jumped off from there. That music is not for everybody, just a sliver of the population, albeit lucrative. But once upon a time this rock sound was everywhere.

Stage Dolls were not a breakthrough. They were in many ways me-too. But it all comes down to the material, and that one song that closes the album is an absolute stunner.”

“It was early in the mornin’

Back when I was five

Somebody’s knockin’ on our front door

One chilly winter’s night

My father put his jeans on

And opened up the door

They were all dressed in uniforms

He was up against the wall”

Now in the Second World War Germany occupied Norway. But that was back in the forties, and this was the eighties, what exactly was the band singing about?

“My mother took us to the kitchen

My brother and me

She said ‘Listen boys, your father’s gone

There was someone he had to see’

And she cried her tears in silence

The sun began to rise

Oh, those moments I recall so well

Written down forever in my mind”

And it’s nearly eleven last night, and I’m trying to put “Ammunition” in a pocket, in context. And I think they’re singing about the U.S.S.R., Germany, Eastern Europe. This was before the wall fell.

“There was a black car on the pavement

Loud voices in the night

As they dragged him to the waiting car

He’s puttin’ up a fight

The streets were black and empty

Bedroom windows cold and damp

I held my arms ’round my brother

‘Cause he didn’t understand

The car moved from the driveway

And went into the night

Leaving two kids by the window

Holdin’ each other tight”

You can see it, you can feel it. As generic as the rest of the lyrics I’ve quoted above are, “Ammunition” is different, it’s personal, it’s a mental movie. You can only sit in the dark and contemplate it, why were these rockers singing this song, why did they write it, there’s got to be a story.

And then you play it again. And again. Because you don’t want the mood to evaporate. You don’t need to go to the show to shoot selfies, this is absolutely personal. The band is not playing to the back row, just you.

And then comes the chorus:

“Boy when you’re all alone

Holdin’ back when you wanna go

Take a stand ’cause it’s not over now

Ooh, kid, keep your head up high

Dry your eyes and touch the sky

Take a stand ’cause it’s not over now

Ammunition.”

Now this is not a unique sentiment in rock and roll. Us versus them, stand up to the power. But the lyrics are not the dumb words of so many songs imploring listeners to do that. In this case, it goes to the core, the dad is gone, unjustly, how do you cope, how do you keep your optimism?

It’s insanely difficult. This is the authoritarian system we’re fearful of. Right doesn’t matter, nor does innocence. You’ve got no power against the system. It’s inherently unjust.

And the title of the song is only mentioned twice. Ammunition. That’s what the offenders have given the oppressed. They’ve got this ammunition and they’re holding on to employ it, to shoot it in the future, when those in control least expect it.

This ammunition is the essence of rock and roll, the other. Our bands didn’t sell out to corporations, they existed in their own rarefied world, which we were drawn to, since the system didn’t understand us. They were beholden to no one, not even us, which made their words have even more power. They were soothsayers. When we listened to their music we not only felt good, we felt like we were understood. Our music provided this, nothing else could, no movie, no book. There were these people, often without portfolio, who seemed to create this sound out of thin air, who knew exactly what we felt, who were inspiring us, giving us answers, they were irresistible.

Ammunition.

The first half is about concert promotion. The second half is about the Grateful Dead. I guarantee you will hear things you’ve never heard before.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/john-scher/id1316200737?i=1000639322188

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/1233a80b-a973-4035-acfd-c62757099382/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-john-scher

And why shouldn’t the rule of law apply to everybody?

Yes, the courts are doing what the Democrats refuse to do, hold Trump accountable. Not that I expect the Supreme Court to take the side of Colorado, not after what happened back in 2000, when the election was handed to Bush.

Then again, Gore conceded. Isn’t that the issue, that Trump never conceded, that he refused to accept the results of the election?

How does that work in regular life? Do you lose the World Series and say you won? Do you get fired from your job and say you still work there? Talk about topsy-turvy, just because someone says something that does not make it true. Then again, that’s how much the MAGA people hate the liberals. But the liberals are told not to hate the MAGAs.

Yes, that was the first thing I just heard on the TV news. That this decision is going to embolden and empower Trump’s base. Solidify it. Cause Biden to lose. Yes, we’d better be afraid of the MAGA people, we’d better not piss them off. Don’t hold them accountable, because it’s unfair. Best just to wait until the voters weigh in.

The voters?

At least in court we can see which justices decided which way. We can’t debate stolen ballot boxes, stuffed ballot boxes, the justices vote one way or the other. And you can’t have it both ways, you can’t have a Supreme Court that gets rid of Roe and then say the justice system is tainted.

Bottom line, if we don’t have belief in the justice system, that it is the last word, then the country is screwed. Then lawlessness truly reigns.

Everybody’s got their own beliefs these days, irrelevant of facts. They don’t want to hear facts, because they mess with their emotions, and emotions are everything in today’s world. They trump education, they trump science, everything is up for grabs. But when everything is up for grabs we depend upon the legal system to divide the word of truth. And if the legal system fails…

Let’s see, those on the left had to endure Mitch McConnell’s refusal to allow a vote on Obama’s Supreme Court pick. But we Democrats must accept it and believe in the system, but the rules don’t apply to the right. How does that work?

I watched January 6th on television, and there are millions of people telling me, along with major news outlets, that I didn’t see what I did. I thought the camera didn’t lie? What kind of world can we have where there is no truth?

The truth is Mark Burnett made Trump President, and somehow he’s escaped scrutiny. Burnett depicted a false impression of Trump on TV and since America loves celebrity and money, Trump became President.

Concomitantly, Hillary Clinton was so out of touch with the populace.

That’s what I can’t understand, how the Democrats refuse to play in the present, a world run online. All we hear from the Dems is to put down our smartphones, which is like telling a baby not to drink milk. Why not use the internet to your benefit? Why not rally the left. Tell them to hate the right. Because one thing is for sure, the right hates the left.

But when a Democrat is confronted with a bully they go to the principal, they complain, and they’re laughed at. Everyone knows the only way to win, to neuter a bully, is to stand up to them. But we are told time and time again that if we stand up to Trump there will be negative consequences, he and his team will only get stronger.

And then there’s Joe Biden… Talk about out of touch. He’s too damn old. But the left calls that ageism. Almost no one wants him to run but they won’t confront him. Now we’ve got a stacked court hearing the Colorado case because the previously lauded Ruth Bader Ginsburg turned out to be a narcissist who refused to take one for the team. Who was sick with cancer to boot. Talk about legacy, hers is toast.

I like a lot of what Biden has done, but if you can’t make the case yourself why you should be president, you’re not going to be. Come on, self-promotion is part of the gig. And if you’re too lame not to do this it’s time to get out of the way.

I mean America is holding on by a thread. I thought when they got rid of abortion there would be riots in the street. But instead it was those on the right who rioted over a falsehood, that the election was stolen.

But the Democrats tell us to just wait for the vote, that people are upset and will come out and… Don’t you understand the flaw in logic here? This is internet 101. You want to remove the friction, eliminate the steps, otherwise people pass. I’ve got to register, I’ve got to leave my house, I’ve got to stand in line all the while believing my vote makes a difference. Well, not according to Trump and his minions.

So where does the buck stop? Don’t talk to me about the election, one thing is for sure, if Trump loses he’ll say he won, and then what. And if he wins… He’s not going to make the mistakes of last time, once bitten, twice shy. It’s over. This guy has a history of not being beholden to the legal system, but if he wins again he’s suddenly going to?

Of course not.

So it’s time for those on the left, the anti-Trumpers, to stand up. Not to watch MSNBC, not to be somnambulant. This is your fight, nobody else’s. Each and every one of you. Don’t let someone tell you that you need to respect the MAGA people, they’re not respecting you. You can’t reason with these people, you can only defeat them.

The wagons have circled. Trump has been caught red-handed, again and again. And what do our leaders and the media tell us? Back off. You don’t want to piss the MAGA people off.

Well I’m pissed, isn’t that enough?

The odds of the Supreme Court upholding the Colorado decision are miniscule. This is a court that has a history of deciding on a conclusion and then warping the law to fit it. Which means if you’re thinking today’s Colorado news is a great victory, all I can tell you is it’s just a beginning.

This is the time for a full court press. This is a time to stop telling the people that they’re wrong about the economy. Life is hard in these United States, own it. And people are angry. And too many on the left disrespect those with little income. Perception is everything. And perception is Biden is too old and times are hard. Good luck trying to convince people otherwise.

But there’s also a perception that Trump is a crook. He can complain all he wants that the system is stacked against him, that they’re out to get him, but isn’t that what every criminal has to say? This decision today is another brick in the wall. And it’s your responsibility to build it.

We need the justice system to hold Trump accountable, even more than the ballot box. This guy believes he’s above the law, like too many rich people. We’ve got to show him otherwise. We’ve got to put it all on the line, because everything is up for grabs.

Stop being afraid. Start taking a side. Those on the right have no problem doing this. Jason Aldean speaks his “truth,” but too many left-leaning musicians stay quiet, for fear someone won’t like them. Boo-hoo, is this the world we now live in, is this the result of everybody gets a trophy? Why are we so scared of offending people? And it’s the left that has this problem, I don’t hear the right calling for trigger warnings.

It’s your responsibility to make a difference, this is the story and the fight of your life. The MAGAns are the minority, are we going to let them win? The game is stacked against us, with the Electoral College, with two Senators per state. Which means we’ve got to fight even harder. But we always pass responsibility on to someone else. We’re too busy living our lives like the Israelis, while HAMAS was a ticking time bomb that finally exploded.

Today the Colorado court did the right thing. Showing there is some justice in this world. And Trump’s offenses are so egregious that it will be hard for courts down the line not to hold him accountable. We must beat this drum loudly, counteract the MAGA right. We must say that the buck stops with the law, unlike those on the right.

But we’ve still got to fight.

The future is unpredictable. The past might be prologue, but it is not definitive. Don’t tell me about 2022. The past repeats itself, but always with a twist. Today’s decision was an unexpected twist. There will be more. Be prepared, be very prepared. The right wants authoritarianism, they want the trains to run on time, they want answers, not questions. They want solutions. They don’t want to be told to wait. We have to show them our way is better. And we’re doing a piss-poor job of it.

But at least the legal system is helping.

Endorse it, otherwise those on the right are going to try to disqualify it.

Today gives us hope. And hope is everything. We need hope on the left. Let’s take this flicker of a flame and turn it into a conflagration. Trump is nothing without his team. Too bad we’ve got a lame leader on our side. But still, the team can organize, get it together, tell our story, say we’re right and we believe in the system.

Because once the system is up for grabs…

It’s almost over.

PUBLICITY

There must be a story, that first and foremost intrigues the writer who believes it will intrigue the reader, otherwise the effort is worthless. Many publicity people will take your money and they’ll send out mailings to people like me who will instantly delete them. If all you want is a listing that your music is coming out, or that you’re going on tour, a press release might be sufficient to achieve that, but not anything more. Publicity is a game. You’re selling and the writer/outlet is buying. Think of how hard it is to get someone to buy anything these days. Then think about how hard it will be to get someone overloaded with input to buy what you’re selling. The story must benefit them, and you only secondarily.

Having said all this, today most publicity is wasted. It reaches nobody, or those who do not care. Better to have targeted publicity, that reaches the core audience. Better to be narrow than broad. Specific rather than general. Only boomers and a few Gen-X’ers are reached by print advertising and broadcast/cable television. You reach everybody else via the internet. Facebook, YouTube, X, TikTok, Snapchat… Your story must be intriguing, if it is the audience will spread the word.

THE MUSIC

Is an advertisement for the act. Period. Unless you’re a rapper or a popster who will end up in the Spotify Top 50. If you’re complaining you’re not making money on your recorded music you’re missing the point. The key is to make it available so if someone is interested they can hear it with a click. And then a mysterious, unpredictable process happens, or not. Either the listener loves it so much that they tell other people about it or they do not. And if the listener likes it, they want more of it, and then will come to a show, buy merch. Think of ones and twos, not millions. An avid fan is worth more than a hundred, if not a thousand, passive ones. I wish we could be more targeted here, know exactly what will move the needle, but we rarely do. Only a few tracks are obvious hits. As for the rest, it’s unpredictable, history is littered with album tracks that became hits, and promoted tracks that did not. The key is to be in the marketplace, working, otherwise you don’t have a chance to catch fire. Fans want more music, more of you. Forget reaching those in the metaphorical last row, who are not passionate, concentrate all your efforts on the hard core.

As for the music itself… If you’re truly an artist, do whatever you want, follow your muse. But few people have this vision and talent. So the rest must study the market and see what is working and try to riff on that.

Also, if you catch fire, if you have a fan base, then you can expand. Don’t worry about being locked into expectations, burdened by history. Those days are through. Today there’s so much in the marketplace that if you miss, no one remembers. Keep stepping up to bat.

HONESTY/CREDIBILITY

This is what propelled Noah Kahan to stadiums. The more personal you are, the more you reveal your warts and problems, the greater the chance you have of hooking people. People are dying for connection, it is your goal to provide it. Sure, people like cartoons, raw entertainment too, but that usually does not bond a listener to you. A listener wants to believe that they know you and that you are speaking only to them, that if they meet you you’ll understand them and their life will be complete. Of course this is fantasy, but it’s this fantasy that creates hard core fans. You are an antidote to the rest of the world which is difficult and does not understand them.

Beware of messing up your image. Today everybody knows everything, or can find it out with a click. If you play a private for a dictator, if you party on the boat of an oligarch, people are going to know. And if your image is based on honesty, it’s going to take a hit. The TMZ acts playing the game the majors understand can get away with this, they’re essentially cartoons, however the market share of this music is declining. Literally. Will a new sound come along to replace it or will there just be a zillion niches…we don’t know.

PLAY LIVE

Period. That’s where the bond is solidified, at the show. Today there are two worlds, recordings and live performances, and the power has switched to the latter. If you want longevity in the music business then you must be able to play live. Making a hit record in your bedroom is nice, albeit difficult, but that does not mean anybody wants to pay to see you. And the most money is at the gig. So if you’re starting out, start playing out. Whether it be with guitars or synthesizers, you must have a show. Something that rivets those who are interested. This is not easy…to get anybody to pay attention to anybody playing music. And the show does not have to be perfect, but it must connect with the audience. The show must breathe, a click track usually works against you. Live is where you evidence your humanity.

Y0UR PERSONALITY/IDENTITY

It’s in your music, but that is no longer enough. You must have a presence online, a genuine presence, not one created by a team. Where people can look into your life, into your brain, and get to know you. Don’t worry about making a mistake, pissing people off, it goes with the territory. The more edges you have, the greater the chance people will be hooked.

And never ever be defensive online, never get into a flame/X/Twitter war unless someone high above you is punching down. And it’s best to fight back with humor.

DUES

You never stop paying them. You’re always practicing, always working, always building a platform to take you to the next level. It’s frustrating because you want the fame of yore, when MTV made you a worldwide star overnight, but those days are through, no use lamenting their passage. You must play by the new rules. And you must be not only digitally native, but digitally proficient. Most youngsters are, most oldsters are not. You must know how your smartphone and computer work, you must follow online trends in platforms and fads. Only by being aware of the marketplace can you win in the marketplace.

DON’T BE AFRAID

You’re going to piss people off. But the dirty little secret is not everyone is going to love you, and while you might be angering one slice of the population, another might be thrilled and cheer you on. Take a stand. And if you have any traction, that frequently becomes a story that spreads unto itself. Having said that, if you have no traction don’t send out e-mail saying you wrote a protest song or have a take on the issue du jour…who cares, it makes you look like a joke.

THE WILDERNESS

That’s where we are now. Anybody who tells you they’ve got it nailed is wrong. And those invested in the past are those who are losing out most in the future. You’ve got to be nimble. There is no formula. It’s all cottage industry. And remember, no one needs you or your music, absolutely no one. They need food and water and shelter, but not your music. Be thrilled if you have any traction at all. And if you don’t…you can keep on keepin’ on, that’s your choice, or maybe the universe is telling you to do something different.