All you have to know is Paul McCartney came to serenade Jimmy on his deathbed. Jimmy knew everybody, and everybody loved him.

Now when my mother died, my older sister said she wanted “She did it all” on her tombstone. Jimmy Buffett truly did it all. When I think of his time on Earth I feel inadequate. Talk about eating up life… It’s very sad he was cut down short, and I’m sure there was more he wanted to do, but when it comes to living life to the fullest, I know no one who has done that to the extent of Jimmy Buffett. NO ONE! And I know a lot of people.

And a lot of them were at the Hollywood Bowl last night. And a lot of them I do not know, but Jimmy did. It was the movers and shakers of Hollywood, there to pay tribute to an entertainer. Sure, Jimmy was smart, and educated, but he built his success out of thin air. From cogitation. He followed in no footsteps. He even created his own community. We hear about fan bases, but Jimmy’s was the apotheosis, once you were in the club, once you were a Parrothead, you never left. Some even went to live in Margaritaville retirement communities. And if you read the story in “The New Yorker,” it sounds pretty appealing: 

“Retirement the Margaritaville Way – At the active-living community for Jimmy Buffett enthusiasts, it’s five o’clock everywhere.”: https://rb.gy/olq4vv

Jimmy wasn’t selling raw hedonism. Not mindless fun. But middle class fun. You work hard so you can let go after work, go sailing on the weekend. Not only did Jimmy’s fans love his music, they wanted to BE Jimmy Buffett!

And Jimmy may have crashed a few airplanes, but he was not featured in the gossip columns, was not all over TMZ. Jimmy was reasonable, like you and me, but not like you and me.

Now the MC was Mac McAnally. Whom I discovered via his 1983 Geffen album “Nothin’ But the Truth.” And it was. And it made me a fan. But Mac was happier playing second fiddle to Jimmy Buffett than being the main draw. But last night, Mac was in charge, he did the intros, he drove the music, with his Alabama/Mississippi perspective, just like James William Buffett himself. You see the south has a long tradition of storytelling, and Mac fits right into that tradition.

So what we had here was the Coral Reefer Band, both by itself and with special guests.

Now the special guest I wanted to see most was Kenny Chesney, who followed in Jimmy’s footsteps, who took up the mantle of the pirate in the islands. Now if you’re a Chesney fan, you know one of his absolute best songs, my favorite of his, is “Back Where I Come From,” which was written by Mac McAnally:

“That’s where I come from

I’m an old Tennessean

Well I’m proud as anyone

That’s where I come from”

That’s where Jimmy went to make it, Nashville, to break through in the music business. And it took him a while to find his groove, but ultimately he had a hit with “Come Monday.” Which Brandi Carlile knocked out of the park last night.

Now the other song I needed to hear was “Son of a Son of a Sailor,” last night performed by Eric Church:

“Where it all ends I can’t fathom my friend

If I knew I might toss out my anchor

So I cruise along always searchin’ for songs

Not a lawyer a thief or a banker”

Jimmy became a billionaire his own way. He didn’t do what all his contemporaries did. He didn’t sell out. And it was the lawyers, the thieves and the bankers who came to his shows to experience the life they could have lived, if only they were willing to take a risky path.

Now not all of us can write songs. But that does not mean the path to fame is ever easy. Harrison Ford was a carpenter before he became Han Solo, a cultural icon. He testified. He talked about how cool Jimmy was, how he was inspired to get his ear pierced after lunch with the man, back when male piercings were a statement, not de rigueur.

And Don Johnson spoke of being invited to dinner at Jimmy’s house in Snowmass, with Jack Nicholson, the Eagles and a ton of cocaine. Yes, we’re old enough to own our past lives, our faux pas, we lived through it, it was a different era.

But not all the stars were on stage. Larry David was there, and left early, just as you’d expect him to.

But Les Moonves and Julie Chen did not, they stayed until the very end. I mean what else has Les got to do? Then again, even the punters don’t stay until the end in Los Angeles, I mean you’ve got to beat the traffic, right?

And David Zaslav, the most hated man in Hollywood, came dressed down to the point where you almost thought it wasn’t him.

Eddy Cue was recognizable from all the Apple presentations.

Bob Iger…it was kind of astounding that this was the guy in the news every day, running the Disney empire, involved not only in movies and TV, but theme parks and politics, wrestling with Ron DeSantis and the state of Florida. Wearing a sweater, he oozed no airs. Nobody did. Because that’s not who Jimmy Buffett was. He was the anti-tie, an emblem of doing it your own way.

Now James Taylor and Dolly Parton spoke via video. But Jane Fonda was there live, as were John McEnroe and Judd Apatow. It wasn’t like an awards show, people spoke off the cuff, made jokes, it was loose, just like a Jimmy Buffett show.

That’s what it was.

If you ever went to see Jimmy Buffett, you know the crowd didn’t sit in reverence. Some people stood throughout (three, unfortunately, in my line of vision). Others talked, others drank. Going to see Jimmy was like going to see the Dead, but unlike Garcia, Buffett was truly Captain Trips. Well, Garcia took you on mind trips, Buffett truly inspired you to journey…to everywhere there was a body of water, not only to relax, but to participate. Jimmy was a man of action. As Will Arnett said, Jimmy was either coming or going, always in motion.

Now there were some left field appearances. Snoop Dogg doing “Gin and Juice.” But it worked because of the vibe. As did Pitbull’s Miami party shtick. Although Pitbull knew Jimmy, told him he’d written the song “Thank God & Jimmy Buffett,” which he performed with Jon Bon Jovi last night.

And it wasn’t only the stars of the moving picture business there last night. Jimmy’s good friend Tom Freston was in attendance, the two were confronted by kidnappers in Africa, fame meant nothing there, and John Sykes and Allen Grubman, who had the chutzpah to tell those in front of him to sit down, which I did not. And, of course, Irving Azoff, who was Jimmy’s manager, then label head, then manager once again.

Jackson Browne played Bob Dylan’s favorite Buffett tune, “He Went to Paris,” but had to stop because he forgot to put in his in-ears. It was that kind of night, loose, mistakes were forgiven, after all, aren’t we all human?

It was a light evening. When most of these tribute shows are somewhat somber. It was a party. And Jimmy would have loved it. Before the show I thought it was sad that he was not there to experience it, but as you were watching you felt that Jimmy was the victor, everybody on stage was subservient to him, because he’d won the game of life in a way they hadn’t.

Except of course for Paul McCartney. As Solters said, he was the reason we were all here, doing this. And that’s true. Beatlemania was a real thing. Everybody picked up guitars, was glued to the radio, spoke with English accents. The only equivalent in my lifetime was the internet, and that was inert, tech, ones and zeros, whereas the Beatles were positively alive and human. Your heart still jumps when you see Paul. I mean he’s right in front of me, alive, still here?

Yes, and he sat at the piano and played “Let It Be,” after the Eagles performed a trio of songs, much heavier, with more gravitas than what had come before, which is what made them so great, they took it to the limit in both the city and the country, all over the world, and last night they paid fealty to the true boy of summer.

And then there was Mac McAnally’s story about performing for the Navy and the Admiral saying if Jimmy ever wanted anything…

Well, what Jimmy wanted was to be dropped from a helicopter in thirty feet of water.

Like I said, Jimmy wanted to do it all. And everybody there last night was just in his wake. He was accessible, and joked and played and there for advice, or comfort… Carlile talked about fishing tips, I think it was Kelly Slater who went on a hike with him.

Or maybe it was Jack Johnson, who sang Jimmy’s greatest song, “A Pirate Looks at Forty.”

“Mother, mother ocean, I have heard your call

Wanted to sail upon your waters since I was three feet tall”

It was mentioned that Jimmy always had big dreams, and just waited for his feet to be able to take him there.

“I’ve done a bit of smugglin’, and I’ve run my share of grass

I made enough money to buy Miami but I pissed it away so fast

Never meant to last, never meant to last”

It was the seventies. We were all getting high. Not from the refined stuff you get at the cannabis shop, but from the pot dealer, who was not evil like the heroin dealer, usually just a guy you knew, or someone else knew… Then again, there were the big smugglers. They all got arrested, back when we thought marijuana was never gonna be legal.

And that’s the rock lifestyle. You make the money and you spend it. You’re not creating generational wealth. Jimmy had planes… It was only that he was so successful that he ended up so rich.

And every career extension was on brand. Jimmy had an identity. And the music was true to that.

“I go for younger women, lived with several a while

Though I ran ’em away, they’d come back one day

Still could manage to smile

Just takes a while, just takes a while”

When I met Jimmy he was separated from Jane. And, as a matter of fact, he was with a younger woman. But in one of the great love stories, Jimmy and Jane got back together. And were equal partners, seems like Jane got almost as many kudos as Jimmy last night.

Margaritaville is a state of mind. You can be in Alaska in the middle of winter and be in Margaritavile. You’ve just got to let go of your preconceptions, jump into the mental river and go with the flow. Oh, you’re allowed to steer, but if you don’t jump in you’ll never experience what Jimmy did, what we all want to, which is to have new experiences, meet new people, growing all the time.

Jimmy’s one of the few people whose business empire, whose brand extensions, might outlive his music. Margaritaville in all its manifestations, shows no sign of slowing down. It’s kind of like Elvis, not only with pure devotion to the star, but inspiration to take action and find your own way, never forgetting to have fun.

That was the essence of last night, fun. And that’s why Jimmy would have loved it so much. We’re only here for a short while. If you can’t make friends, get high and go on adventures, you’re missing out. You take one step, then another, adjusting along the way. You never know who you’ll meet, you never know what will happen next. But you will know that it’s so f*cking great to be alive. Take that risk now, check items off that bucket list now, that’s Jimmy Buffett’s ultimate message.

If you’re having fun, Jimmy has won. That’s what he did, pursued his dreams, followed his muse, wherever the fun would take him. And not only did it make him rich, it inspired millions of others to wake up and follow him. You can’t ask for more from life.

Guitarist extraordinaire Joe Satriani is presently on tour with Steve Vai, and after that he’ll be on the road with Sammy Hagar’s “Best of All Worlds” extravaganza. Joe is so down to earth and interesting, you’ll love listening to him.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/joe-satriani/id1316200737?i=1000652129147

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/d5a7ba53-1ce6-4b78-9417-9ffa514eadd0/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-joe-satriani

The only people who care are those who don’t listen to his music.

Oh, don’t get your knickers in a twist, I’m not defending this heinous act. He was probably drunk, but he’s got a history of bad choices when he’s drunk, at some point you have to grow up.

But in the old days, a faux pas would negatively affect your career. Not anymore. Because you’ve got your fans and the rest don’t matter. And this is something the rest can’t understand. They’re sitting in judgment of bad actors, waiting for a penalty, and then nothing happens.

This is the essence of the red/blue divide. You’re asking why the Trumpers aren’t affected, disillusioned by the Donald’s bad behavior. They’re invested in Trump, there’s nothing he can do wrong. Didn’t he say he could shoot someone in the middle of the street and get away with it?

Trump is a bleeding edge character, a paradigm-buster, and no one in staid society is willing to admit it. They’d rather talk about his bad behavior. But look at it this way, Trump changed politics completely, he spoke truth. Don’t blow back. But that was his appeal back in 2016, he spoke in plain English when the traditional, compromised pols did not. And this appealed to people. Trump harnessed social media. Everything the “New York Times” hates Trump employed. They hate people who are on their phones 24/7, they hate social media, and Trump has used both to not only become President, but have a good chance of being re-elected President!

As for the stolen election… We had Fox News, but people were under the belief that there were some facts, some truths. But facts and truth went out the window long before Trump said the election was stolen, he just capitalized on this change while others ignored it.

And Trump understands our divided society, our competing teams. You’re either with him or against him, and if you’re against him you’re a pariah. It’s not only Trump, it’s America at large. Participate online and the haters will descend. You may not participate, you may be a lurker, but in truth you’re afraid, because if you enter the maelstrom you’re going to get bitten. The question is how do you keep on going? Taylor Swift sang one song after another putting men down and did it hurt her fan base? Well, for a minute there a few years back, when she was trying to be liked, when she was assembling her Girl Squad, but the point is her fans don’t care, they’re all-in, and if you’re not, it doesn’t bother them, they’re not listening to you.

Teddy Swims has the number one record. I like Swims, wrote about him a few years back, but have you even heard this record? Are you aware of Swims to begin with? What does a number one record even mean? Radio airplay? Who is listening to terrestrial radio? Talk about disinformation… The radio industry keeps telling us everybody is listening and I can’t find anyone under twenty five who ever does. Talk about a disconnect. What are you gonna believe, the corporation or your own eyes and ears? I’ll bank on the latter.

Yes, it’s every person for themselves.

And we don’t care about putting you down as much as we want to be able to follow our muse, do what we want to unfettered.

Furthermore, most people want gun control and now mass shootings are de rigueur, you see the headline, shrug, and then move on.

Yes, in many ways you feel powerless, so you hitch your wagon to something… Could be a musical star like Morgan Wallen, could be a techie like Elon Musk. You need a hero, someone to believe in, and if an outsider questions this hero and your devotion they should be prepared to be excoriated.

And Trump may be insane and dangerous, but Biden and the Democrats are living in the last century, they squandered an online lead to the Republicans and are all about TV advertising. Meanwhile, I think half of what interests me Biden is unaware of.

Don’t blow back, your knee-jerk defense proves the point. You’re invested and the rest of us need to STFU!

I’m sick of being told to STFU.

Just like the Morgan Wallen fans. They’re sick of being called redneck sh*tkickers. They’ve had enough with the pronouns. Even I, a dyed-in-the-wool leftie, have had enough of the left wing orthodoxy, especially as evidenced on college campuses. Trans rights, yes, bathroom rights, yes, but trigger warnings? It’s a damn BOOK!

These are people who are afraid of life, who want to be protected from it. Good luck with that, we’re all on our own, put on your armor and get into the arena with the rest of us. You think you’re better? We know you do, and you’re not.

So Morgan Wallen makes pop music, about life. He leads with his music as opposed to brand extensions. There are chord changes and choruses in his music. And that’s why people are drawn to him.

Even worse, haven’t you messed up when drunk? People are sick and tired of one strike and you’re out. Everybody screws up. Even RFK, Jr., and he’s running for President!

Once again, I’m not apologizing for Morgan Wallen. He should have known better, and when you’re a public figure, you’re held to a higher standard. My point is just because you’re pissed off, don’t think everybody else is. Just because you care, don’t expect everybody else to. And when you only weigh in when someone crosses the line… Wallen fans don’t care what a non-Wallen fan has to say. You carry the flag and soldier on, you’re sick of the intelligentsia, the self-anointed thought police, telling you they know better, that you’re wrong.

Wallen can’t fight this bad behavior with a donation. Even an explanation is not good enough. Even intoxication is no defense. He should not be emboldened by getting a pass from his fans, but man, he needs to wake up. For a guy who tours stadiums everywhere he seems to have quite the small town perspective. Aren’t you supposed to grow up and learn, be better?

Well, not Elon Musk, he’s locked in adolescence, and unlike Wallen Elon thinks everybody is the enemy.

But if you’re up in arms that Morgan threw a chair off the roof…

No one got hurt, and it’s not a third rail situation. Sex, racism… There are some bad behaviors that are beyond the pale. This chair-flinging is not one of them.

So continue not to listen to Morgan Wallen. It’s not going to hurt him a bit, his fans are still dedicated.

If you’re sitting in judgment of everyone else you’re missing the point, you’re not living your life. America today is about actors, not followers. Get in the game, then you’ll have some impact. But just because you went to college, live in a big house and drive a German car… I hope you care, because no one else does. You think you’re impressing others? People are too busy to care about you. They don’t have time for so much, you think they’re going to envy you because you wear a Breitling, drive a BMW and vacation in Martinique?

Keep dreaming.

There is an opening for leaders. Morgan Wallen is not one of them. He’s an entertainer, don’t confuse him with the Beatles. But know that Wallen has an audience and almost everybody bitching does not. It starts with your identity, there must be some reason people glom on to you. Build your audience and then you will have an impact. Because when you’re out there alone screaming at those who are not like you and don’t agree with you, it just demonstrates that you’re not living in the modern world, that you don’t get it.

As for Biden… I hope he wins, but man, how could you run someone who seemingly no one can relate to, and Kamala Harris is worse! That’s a good plan, forget personality, forget charisma, forget belief, forget team sport and just bitch about the other guy.

And Wallen knows it’s about a hit record. You can put out multiple albums, even stream a few million tracks yet be meaningless in the world. If you want power, and power is everything, you can’t complain you’re not getting paid, you must earn your perch, your station.

Furthermore, money isn’t everything, message is.

And my message is this chair incident won’t hurt Wallen at all, won’t dent his live business, won’t hurt his airplay, won’t alienate his fans. Rather than put down his fans, ask why. Those questions and their answers will open your eyes and unlock modern society for you.

Don’t follow leaders and watch the parking meters?

Bob Dylan had it right in 1965 and still does. The work triumphs. Investigate.

Just wondering if you have ever experienced a total eclipse?  I have, and it is one of the greatest experiences you can witness.  Our family has traveled again for this one and truly wish you could be here with us, you might change your mind.

kevin lyman

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I doubt you have ever had the experience of a TOTAL solar eclipse.

If your had, you’d be damn excited for tomorrow if you are in the path of totality!

Josh Cohen

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Maybe actually listen to the Beyonce album instead of just wondering what its numbers will be a year from now.

You don’t want to watch TV or movies or the eclipse or listen to music, that’s your prerogative. But you are curating yourself on to your own little island disconnected from the rest of us. Your sounding like an old crank, a get off my lawn guy, that path doesn’t get better it just gets worse.

Eat some cereal. Take a walk. Don’t take yourself so seriously.

Really man.

Mitch Tenzer

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“Does any adult other than Seinfeld even eat cereal?”

59, finishing off a bowl of Cocoa Crispies as I read this.

Ken Baum

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Hi Bob,

As always you wrote another great piece!

The eclipse will pass directly over Indianapolis at 3:06PM tomorrow. The excitement here is overwhelming. For the most part ALL of the hotels in Central Indiana are at full capacity tonight and they are anticipating around 200,000 people converging here. Personally I am involved with 3 events including a high end event on the spacious grounds  at a large museum (Newfields) and that  alone is just about sold out at 5,000 tickets. They sold all 1,000 VIP reserved tickets on the first day! The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has sold over 40,000 tickets including people from all 50 states and over 20 foreign countries. Lester Holt will be at the Speedway to do the NBC Nightly News live.  Most businesses, schools and services will be closed due to the increased traffic. There are “watch parties” everywhere.

And the forecast is excellent!

I know this all sounds crazy but its true!

All my best!

Steve Gerardi

Indianapolis

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We’re all gonna Diiiiiiiiiiii……

Happy Sunday Bob

Steve Lukather

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I got glasses for free from the Malibu library. An old friend from middle school is going out to Texas to track the eclipse. I would rather stare in the sun than listen to that Beyoncé album!

Blake Einhorn

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In 2017 my wife and I went with our best friends to see the total eclipse. Totally worth it. If you are in the totality path it won’t change your life – but you will remember it. It’s a moment. And it’s cool. It’s not stupid.

Jerry Gray

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Give cereal another try

– Greg Garbowsky

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Hi Bob, of course you’re blasé about the eclipse. You’re almost 1000 miles away from totality’s path. I’m about 50 miles. We’re excited! So is everyone in the coffee shop I’m in right now. I can hear everybody talking about it. Small towns on Lake Ontario’s north shore and in the Niagara Falls area are telling people to stay away.  Schools are closing.  It’s going to be crazy tomorrow. Digital signs on the big highways are warning about delayed arrival times, even for people just going to work.

Steven Ehrlick

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I don’t know how much time and money people will have spent to fly to a sweet spot to see the eclipse, but it has been montetized to death. I’ll pass as it will be minimally noticable on the West Coast. The most telling story about how horribly things have gotten is the news alert that hustlers were making fake viewing glasses. People were buying them not knowing they useless and won’t protect you. How many will go blind today? Hard to say.

John Brodey

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“I’m not. Furthermore, wasn’t there a once in a lifetime eclipse just a few years back?”

yeah like ever 2 1/2 years it seems like

Jeff Lorber

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I was at the eye doctor yesterday.

They are expecting to take in a few burned out retinas tomorrow by 4:00 pm.

It’s not like you have to look up to see the effect, and given the inaccuracies found on the internet these days, I’m quite sure there will be many more blind people tomorrow about this time. Being partially blind myself I already feel sorry for them.

Will Eggleston

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I’ll tell you who is excited about the eclipse – CHILDREN!!! They want to know what the eclipse is all about, so you describe the eclipse, which leads to a discussion of our solar system, the relative sizes of the planets to the sun, to each other, the pull of the moon on tides, the moons around Saturn, the Voyager space probes that are still going after 47 years, the pictures they have sent back, the “Earth Rising” picture which brings you to the Whole Earth Catalog . . .

At this point my grandson says, “ Bubby, you should write this all down for me, a big book that tells how everything works.”

Bingo.

That’s why we watch the eclipse.

Liz Dean

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Here in the Midwest, you better believe we’re excited about the total eclipse. I just turned 72, around the same age as you, so I’m looking forward to experiencing totality for the very first and probably only time in my life.

My wife and I drove two hours south to join our children and grandchild in the Indianapolis area. My brother and his wife are also joining us. The weather looks good. We will sit in the backyard having a picnic, playing ball with the grandson, drinking a few beers, telling stories and gazing up at the sky with our special glasses.

Totality- Certainly a once in a lifetime experience I don’t want to miss.

Rob Evans
Francesville IN

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I’m taking a pass on the eclipse as well. Instead I’m going to listen to Manfred Mann’s version of “Blinded By The Light”. Maybe the best Springsteen cover ever. And no eye protection required.

Eron Epstein

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I’ve also noticed the many fads and hype cycles in recent years; Pokémon Go, Stanley cups, NFTs, crypto, meme stocks, the Caitlin Clark phenomenon, every Beyoncé release as if it’s going the best album in history, the comeback of vinyl (in an era where you can stream almost anything), White Claw drinks, and now the eclipse. There were probably others that came and went quickly. It’s kind of sad to watch American consumers get so easily sucked into fads, especially when it costs them money that can better be used for something else, particularly if they’re in debt to begin with.

I’m interested in the eclipse. Seeing it on the news after the fact, or perhaps on a live stream if I’m free at the time will be enough for me. But hopefully those traveling to see it and spending their hard earned money on viewing equipment will have a memorable experience, and not end up disappointed.

Anthony Ferrara

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Face it … you’re an old curmudgeon, but we already knew it !

Doug Pomerantz

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I agree with you on the eclipse. But I eat cereal almost every day…

Tom Truitt

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Bob

Yes, I am  excited.

It will be the last one I‘ll ever see.

I think you’ve becoming a  Curmudgeon.

Ron Stone

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The funny thing is, Bob, Maine is the only state in the path with forecast clear skies tomorrow. We can see 97.1 % totality from my house and that’s fine with me.
Sugarloaf is having a big bash.

Jim Bowers

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Grouchy Bob,

I usually am on board with your missives, but not this time. This one reminds me of Andy Rooney… 

I don’t spend a lot of time reading entertainment news, so I don’t know what they are saying about Bey, but Cowboy Carter is the first album of hers that I have listened to more than once. I love it. Not sure why you are trying to dunk on her.

But even more importantly, my family cut short a friend’s wedding to fly to see the eclipse. So many people told me that the last totality was one of the coolest things that they have ever done. It is my wife’s birthday so we celebratimg it in astronomical style. I know others doing the same thing thing.

-Nate Bonilla-Warford

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My friends’ band was hired six months ago to play “Dark Side of the Moon” live at an outdoor venue in Conneaut, Ohio. They have been rehearsing for months to get it right. I wish I could be there to support them.  Tickets sold out months ago. There is a lot of excitement about the eclipse in Ohio.  Then there are my religious friends in Ohio who fear the world is going to end and the eclipse is part of biblical prophecy. But they’re still planning to vote for trump. Incongruence.  Why plan beyond April 8 if the world is going to cease to exist? My money is on seeing the sun again for many years.

John Swetye

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As I read your posting, I’m literally in a rent a car with my husband and his parents in Dallas. We all flew in today. It’s not MY thing but they are all astronomy and eclipse fans so I figured I’d tag along. We’ll see what happens but at least the barbecue will be good!

Turk

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Certainly everyone is entitled to their opinion. I thought it was nice that something that is science based and spiritual was a nice break from all the negativity and disagreeing we live with. I guess you won’t be in the dark but we will!
All the best ,
Steve Langford
(From Paducah Kentucky)

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Hi Bob!  I love your posts, read them religiously, but man . . . I am worried about you.  Have you just had any . . . Fun recently?

What’s next?  A hit piece on apple pie?  My late grandma’s baklava?  You are always b-ing and m-ing about the lack of mass community but when a natural event like the eclipse occurs, albeit for only a few minutes, you have to dump on it.

Douglas Trapasso

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Bob, you of all people should know that it’s not a good idea to be uninformed and try to write about a subject. Your comments about the total eclipse show that you have never seen one. If you had, you would never make such comments.

First of all, looking a photographs that will be “better than being there?”  No.  There’s not a camera on this planet that can capture what the total eclipse will look like, or feel like.  Photos are maybe 20% at best.   It cannot be photographed and look like it really looks.  You can’t describe it either, because no words do it justice.

What you’ve experienced is a partial eclipse, not totality.  Too bad for you.  It’s maybe 1% as cool, if that. No wonder you are disillusioned with the hype. You don’t know what you are missing.

Mike Blakesley

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Mainstream media biased and useless

Pushing the eclipse on folks to scare them back to the Stone Age and keep them docile, managed and easy to shear.

One party that is angry about the other and running on that ticket – get out your fingers and count  Bob….there are two

Steve

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I live on the West Coast of BC and it’s going to be raining and even it if was sunny the event means nothing here.

I guess it’s something to fill any lulls in between Trump TV Breaking News.

Is it just me or is anyone getting sick of seeing this guy everywhere 24/7?

I really wish he would just go away.

Mike DJ

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The eclipse is a big deal if you are in the path of totality. I am planning on sitting in my driveway a 3:15, wearing the glasses I got in 2017 and enjoy a new 4 minute experience.

in 2017, I looked at the partial eclipse for a few minutes, it was a chunk missing from the sun, maybe a little darker.  Not that big a deal but worth the cost of eclipse glasses ($7.50 a pop when you wait till the last minute in 2017). at least I’m down to $3.75 an eclipse now.

But totality, when it gets dark as night, that is something special. Or so I hope. But here in Ohio, there will probably be clouds. So I might not get to see the corona.  but the darkness will be interesting.

Dale Janus

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As for the eclipse, OK I get it, you’re not in the least bit a romantic and aren’t getting caught up in the beauty of the celestial mechanics taking place.

But look at it this way: for at least a day we get to think about something other than taxes, Trump, Biden or Gaza.

Cheers,
Chris Nissen

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Come on, man! It’s gonna be fantastic. Get out and enjoy the realization that your place in the universe is subject to cosmic forces beyond your control, but not beyond your ability to understand and appreciate. We are lucky to live in an age that isn’t beset with superstition and a deep mistrust of science (MAGA be damned). Don’t act like one of them! Fight the urge to “curmudge”.

Stephen Gordon

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The best part about the eclipse was some commonality. In today’s world we need all we can get.

Alan Johnson

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Watching the eclipse coverage on TV, I thought of your hostility to solar eclipses. People fascinated with eclipses filled up the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to watch it, and you’re like, “I skied through an eclipse. It got dark. Bah humbug.” I made the last sentence up, but dude, the way you describe him, you sound like Gene Simmons.

Don’t worry, Bob, I still think you’re harmless.

Take care,
Michael Ball

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I’m not any more interested in the eclipse than it sounds like you are, but as I tried to get home on the NYS Thruway this afternoon, the northbound traffic I sat in tells me you and I may be in the minority. That’s traffic from NYC and its suburbs, so probably not people completely on the other side of the culture divide from you.

Is there a little bit of irony in you writing about how “our world has been decentralized. And the mainstream media acts like it is not,” while at the same time seemingly not allowing for the idea that something that means nothing to you is, in fact, a big deal to a whole other slice of our world?

Love your writing regardless. Thanks for putting it out there.

Andrew

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How can one not be at least interested in the eclipse? It’s an incredible and rare natural phenomenon. It used to freak out the ancients, which is enough for me.

I know loads of people into it, though in many cases I’d say in SPITE of the hype. Enough already … being inundated by the media at every turn can make an extraordinary event seem as bland as Wonder Bread. And, the never ending barrage of alerts and advisories … we get it – DON’T LOOK AT IT. Somehow as kids we survived it; our parents and friends said ‘hey, don’t look at the sun during the eclipse’ and that was plenty. We didn’t need NBC and all the rest driving the point home 300 more times. I guess I’m showing my age.

And we wonder why everyone is going underground …

Marc Platt

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Everything since at least the 1990’s has had to be ‘the first,’ ‘the best,’ ‘the most or the least,’ ‘once in a lifetime,’ ‘1000 year event,’ and other euphemisms with similar importance or lack thereof.

I could make a list, from memory if I was so moved, but I won’t —- and you could certainly do the same — you and I are within a few years of age of being in the same generation, growing up on the eastern seaboard/NY Metro area, etc. etc.

If the moon blocking the sun for less than 10 minutes on Monday April 8th passes for an entertainment opportunity, justifying spending lots of money on hotel accommodations and travel expenses, it is truly shocking  —

Now, I do admit that discussing solar eclipses in history can be a fascinating educational experience, about how European explorers could win over native populations by ‘commanding’ the sun to disappear at a precise moment — etc. etc.

But to watch the moon cross the face of the sun in the afternoon on a given date — really?

How ’bout that politician from the east coast who blamed the recent New Jersey quake on climate change?

Have people become THAT stupid?

R Lowenstein

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I’ll tell ya who is REALLY excited about the eclipse.

The QAnon conspiracy whackos.

The flat earthers saying it’s just a projection onto the sky.

Nasa’s launching rockets into it.

There’ll be a massive power outage that will break the world’s economy.

The sun couldn’t possibly be in line with the moon because the sun is in Pisces and the moon is in Aries.

I sh*t you not Bob, these are things people have either said to me or the laughers I keep in my feed because well… they make me laugh.

But they all believe it!

Exciting stuff!

Dan Millen

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“eclipse schmiclipse” lol. not my cup of tea either.

After spending over 30 years peddling false needs in consumer electronics as a manufacturer’s representative based out of San Francisco I can give you a little anecdote about Beats and how they found a hole and filled it for a jackpot of $3 billion from Apple.  I believe the real genius behind Beats was not so much Dr Dre as it was his partner Irving or Irvine? (senior moment I can’t remember his name). Together, he and Dre figured out that a whole lot of young kids had money to spend, were into hip hop (and a solid base beat sound) and headphones could reflect fashion, lifestyle and hipness, yet there was no audio brand out there at the time offering this. Sony, Yamaha, Bose, RCA and other audio brands were clueless when it came to delivering sound as a fashion and lifestyle accessory.

Dre and Irvine (spelling?) had the billion dollar idea, and easily could get the product built, but had no way to break into retail store distribution locked up by all the traditional but unhip old audio brands.

So the genius of Irvine was meeting Noel Lee, the founder and head of Monster Cable who had entre into every retailer in the country and their audio accessory shelf space, through his network of very successful independent reps and Monster Cable’s unique dealer and salespeople reward programs that no other audio accessory brand could compete with. Lee had already done with audio accessories what Irvine and Dre wanted to do with headphones.

Starting with hook up cables, probably the least significant part of any music system , in the consumers mind , Noel had turned it all around and convinced salespeople and they in turn convinced consumers that if they wanted the best sound and something to brag about and enhance their audiophile self image they had to have Monster Cables not just any other no brand cables.

Noel was not in the headphone business but he knew how to build a brand and more important retailers would buy anything associated with Monster Cable because it was the most profitable line they carried in the slim profit margins other than speakers and needles audio gear provided them.  So a marriage was made, and Noel was obviously swayed by the glamour and celebrity of Dre and Irvine and their celebrity friends surrounding him.  Noel and his organization and marketing skills took on an exclusive deal with Beats and got it into every retailer selling their accessories and in less than a year it became a had to have brand name in headphones by everyone except real audiophiles and bargain hunters.

I suspect Noel is still kicking himself for not getting a longer contract or a piece of equity in Beats, because after a year or so from Monster Cable starting the snowball into avalanche sales of Beats and getting it into the retailers. Irvin pulled the plug on their deal and eliminated Monster cable and ran with it independently and shortly thereafter sold it to Apple for $3 billion.

As my father used to say to me when I complained about the lack of ethics of some of the manufacturer’s I delt with, “business is business”.

Alan Segal

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Bob

With all due respect, two things in this selfish, purposely uninformed rant stick out like elbows in a foul.

for a long time now, you’ve prided yourself in your coolness: Your worldly weariness about most of the art that you get paid to cover  – that earns you your living  – cheats your readers out of needed information. We don’t care about your coolness and hipness. We expect you to cover all of the business- fairly and without prejudice. Nevermind ‘oh Bob’s too jaded and worldly to cover X.’ We do not care about your taste. All you’re telling us is what you personally love or hate. Let’s all agree upfront that you are knowledgeable to a fault. Please quit blowing off steam about your personal pets and pet peeves – and simply do your job. That will permit the rest of us to come up with our own conclusions instead of receiving only the tiny niche of reality you’ve deemed worthwhile.

You also love to pontificate on topics about which you have no knowledge or background – not to mention intellect. Case in point: who needs Bob’s clueless rantings about an eclipse. Instead, why not earn your money and actually interview a scientist who specializes in such matters. Do you have any idea how utterly stoopid you come off dismissing eclipses out of hand because they’re of no interest to you personally. Here’s an idea: stop doing a column on the music business. It’s a broad and deep field requiring constant focus of the kind you’ve apparently lost as you’ve become increasingly mired in your own personal, narrow opinions. instead, change the topic of your column to skiing. It’s more suited to your narrow focus, and you apparently know something about it.

In your increasing focus on yourself, you have unintentionally provided the reader with a stark and revealing comment on our country. It’s fairly unique to recent times to judge what’s going on politically solely by its impact on the individual. Your comment that the vibrant economy means nothing because it doesn’t impact you personally is as revealing and empty-headed as any recent comment from that segment of the populace who illogically demand that an administration satisfy each individual’s unique needs and opinions in order to be judged successful.

Whatever happened to selflessness and ‘the good of the country.’ With your view, it would be impossible even to raise a standing army, for example. ‘It hasn’t helped me so I’m not going to support it’ is the rallying cry of the ‘disinformationalists’ who want simply to abolish national government.

Worst of all, you are, in effect, supporting Trump and the advent of the strongman presidency – I.e., the end of democracy as we know it. Your country’s very existence depends upon your ability to quash your puerile whinings about Biden’s age and/or relative effectiveness. The choice is simple: democracy v non-democracy. Take a stand.

Manny Freiser

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You cranky old fart. It doesn’t have to be a cereal box. The carton your Depends are packed in will do.

Minky

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“the news just repeats itself

like some long forgotten dream”

John Prine

David Ray