Would this have happened if she wasn’t in the public eye?

At this writing the cause of death has not been revealed, but I am not optimistic it was natural causes.

They don’t make stars like Sinéad O’Connor anymore. There’s nowhere to project a unique talent to everybody simultaneously, to deliver to the public a unique voice that blows them away. That was the power of MTV. And FM rock before that. And, of course, AM radio before that.

You only had to see the video once. You know, the Prince song, “Nothing Compares 2 U.” He’s gone now too. Which is hard to fathom, since he said he was fine, talked about rumors of his supposed imminent death just before he did die. And Sinéad and Prince were similar in that they came up in an era where they wanted you to do it their way, as opposed to the way the artist wanted to do it, their way.

So this was a different era, one of a plethora of record labels. Chrysalis was now a standalone company, after being an imprint whose records were distributed by others. It started just before the turn of the decade, from the seventies to the eighties, with Blondie. And then Pat Benatar and Huey Lewis. Somehow, Chrysalis could make stick what previous companies had been unable to break through.

So by time we hit 1990, MTV ruled the world. It had been around for nine years, was now established all over the world, and radio, which still mattered, was in lockstep with the music video channel. Such that “Nothing Compares 2 U” was instantly everywhere.

And this was not Chumbawamba. There was not only one good track and a plethora of dreck on “I Do Not Want What I Have Not Got.” It was deep and sparing throughout, just like the hit. It stuck with you. It was personal. Not done by committee. And it was a huge hit.

And then Sinéad ripped up the picture of the Pope on SNL and it was all over. That’s America, don’t fight with God. And those who don’t care are afraid of those who stand up to God.

Then again, most Americans didn’t grow up in Ireland, still haven’t been to Ireland, don’t comprehend Ireland. There’s a long history of literature exposing the Irish condition, but America doesn’t read, it’s got to be delivered easy, via moving pictures. Hopefully like “Ted Lasso,” upbeat. We don’t want to be reminded of the underbelly, but Sinéad was all underbelly.

O’Connor never had another hit. And we can argue whether her material deserved presence at the top of the pops or not, but one thing is for sure, she was silently blackballed. Because she was dangerous, because she was uncontrollable. And this is what record labels and radio abhor. They don’t care how talented you are, if you’re a loose cannon, if you don’t play it their way, they want nothing to do with you. You’re trouble.

And Sinéad O’Connor was perceived as trouble.

Now the funny thing is O’Connor continued to have some success overseas after her stock crumbled in the U.S., but eventually that faded away too. Sinéad was a has-been. Seen by many as a one hit wonder. Even though she was never about the hits, meaning her work delivered, she was an artist, who had something to say, who was in pain.

And suddenly that pain was everywhere.

Radio and records might not want to touch you, but the press loves famous people who act irrationally, who make crazy statements, who behave wildly. They’ve got to fill the pages. And that’s where O’Connor started to appear.

There were marriages and babies, a religious conversion, an institutionalization, Oprah and Dr. Phil. O’Connor was self-destructing in front of our very eyes. And the weird thing is these people don’t get help, they’re seen as entertainment. Until they die.

So… Would all of this have happened to Sinéad O’Connor if she hadn’t had a hit record and become recognizable around the world?

Well, O’Connor came out and said she was bipolar. And if this is true, and unmedicated, bad behavior, weird behavior, is part of the diagnosis.

Then again, fame is a drug that once experienced is hard to give up. Knowing that everything you say will be fodder for the news, distributed around the globe.

Then again, there are mentally ill people living desperate lives around the globe who go unnoticed, because they are not famous.

Was Sinéad O’Connor destined for this path, or was the world complicit?

Now the bipolar are some of our greatest artists. Today everyone is seen as a possible musical star. How do you look? We can put you together with a team, we can build a monolith. But you used to need something extra, we called that talent, and it had nothing to do with self-promotion, but raw musical creation. Our artists had insight, they were beacons. Sinéad was constantly pushing the envelope, warning others of the ills of the music industry, but her statements fell on deaf ears. Seen any real repercussions of #MeToo in the music business? No. It’s an independent contractor enterprise run by men. Of course there are women, but oftentimes they have the values of men. Criticize me all you want, but this is frequently true, because you have to have that killer instinct to survive.

The machine needs music. It thrives when there are artists. And artists are not about breaking records, but breaking hearts and minds, getting us to question ourselves and the world. Artists are not concerned with what the prepubescent think, not that they’ll turn away their business, artists are speaking to those who’ve grown up, who’ve experienced, and it’s not only their fans but society at large. Don’t forget, they attacked John Lennon for saying the Beatles were bigger than Jesus. Back in an era when “Time” asked if religion was dead.

Actually, religion is dying in America. But politically it’s more powerful than ever. Sinéad O’Connor was standing up to the ills of religion, but this message went unheeded, never mind being from a girl.

But unlike so many of those with success in the past, Sinéad O’Connor won’t be forgotten, because she had it, what most people don’t possess, and she delivered it.

And what she delivered…

Of course there was “Nothing Compares 2 U.”

But on that same album, there’s “The Last Day of Our Acquaintance.” And “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” And “Black Boys on Mopeds.” And “I Am Stretched on Your Grave.”

I was at the Lilith Fair at the Rose Bowl, outside the Bowl, watching Special K and Billie Myers, and then I heard this sound floating over the stands, I had to run inside to listen.

“I am stretched on your grave

And I’ll lie here forever”

That voice! Pure and powerful. Natural. Not aided by studio trickery.

And then there was that moment on Letterman. Sinéad singing “You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart.” It’s disappeared from YouTube, because of some rights issue, but not only did it slay me the first time through, I kept it on VHS tape, so I could watch it again and again.

Sinéad was possessed by the music. She felt the music. She was the music. It was transcendent. It’s one thing to take the stage, it’s another to lift the entire auditorium.

The song was from the film “In the Name of the Father.” If they even make those films anymore, they go nearly unseen. This is not what Universal, the film’s distributor, or the rest of the majors put out these days. They want cartoons, not truth. Because most people can’t handle the truth. And the truth is life is now so hard that people don’t want to be reminded of the fact that there is no upside, that they’re stuck. Which is why people believe in falsehoods, conspiracy theories, because the truth is just too scary.

But Sinéad O’Connor was all about the truth. Directly from her heart to ours. She looked us in the eye and delivered. Like the rock stars of yore. She might not have died at 27, but she shares the lineage of those who do. She just wasn’t made for these times.

“Oh, you lost

Oh, you lost all

You lost all

You lost all”

Spotify playlist: https://tinyurl.com/484muvrf

____________

“Alcohol” – The Kinks

“Have a Drink On Me” – AC/DC

“Cold Gin” – Kiss

“Elderberry Wine” – Elton John

“Margaritaville” – Jimmy Buffett

“One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” – George Thorogood & the Destroyers

“I Drink Alone” – George Thorogood

“Red Red Wine” – Neil Diamond

“Whiskey Rock-A- Roller” – Lynyrd Skynyrd

“Gin and Juice” – Snoop Dogg

“Tequila” – The Champs

“Alabama Song (Whisky Bar) ” – The Doors

“Bottle of Wine” – The Fireballs

“Nighttrain” – Guns N’ Roses

“Roadhouse Blues” – The Doors

“Same Old Wine” – Loggins & Messina

“Hey Nineteen” – Steely Dan

“That Smell” – Lynyrd Skynyrd

“Tubthumping” – Chumbawamba

“Send Me No Wine” – Moody Blues

“Why Don’t We Get Drunk” – Jimmy Buffett

“Spill the Wine” – Eric Burdon & War

“Beer In Mexico” – Kenny Chesney

“Closing Time” – Semisonic

“John Barleycorn” – Traffic

“Tennessee Whiskey” –  Chris Stapleton

“However Much I Booze” – The Who

“Tequila Sunrise” – Eagles

“Mas Tequil” – Sammy Hagar

“Sweeet Cherry Wine” – Tommy James

“Cold One” – Eric Church

“Cigarettes and Alcohol” – Oasis

“Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” – Rupert Holmes

“Whiskey Glasses” – Morgan Wallen

“You and Tequila” – Kenny Chesney & Grace Potter

“Take Your Whiskey Home” – Van Halen

“Drunk On a Plane” – Dierks Bentley

“Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting) ” – Elton John

“Piano Man” – Billy Joel

“Whisky Train” – Procol Harum

“You’re Not Drinking Enough” – Don Henley

“Days of Wine and Roses” – Andy Williams

“Drinking Song” – Loudon Wainwright

“Barbie” is pop. “Oppenheimer” is rock and roll.

Sure, “Barbie’s gross exceeded that of “Oppenheimer,” $162 million to $82.4 million, but “Oppenheimer” will have longer legs in the public consciousness, because when you go deep, that’s when people resonate.

Now if you weren’t aware of “Barbie,” you were living disconnected in Ted Kaczynski’s old shack in Montana. The story was everywhere. This is the carpet bomb publicity that’s been employed to almost no effect throughout the 21st century. You can’t reach everybody and they don’t care anyway. And I was getting overwhelmed with the “Barbie” hype until I saw the movie was directed by Greta Gerwig, from a script she wrote with her significant other Noah Baumbach. I have respect for both of them.

Greta Gerwig was the queen of mumblecore, a film movement from a few decades back that only film aficionados are aware of. You might go to the movies today, but are you aware of their history, can you place those films in context? Probably not, you’re a fan of what is called “popcorn movies,” high concept blockbusters that are entertainment as opposed to art. But I caught the bug as a result of the buzz and checked out some of that genre’s flicks and Greta Gerwig was phenomenal in them, as an actress. And then she did “Frances Ha” with Baumbach. It was a financial blockbuster. Well, no, it grossed a grand total of $11.3 million, on a budget of $3 million. But if you saw it, you’ll never forget it. Oh, it’s not that good, it’s subtle, but so is your life.

And Baumbach did “The Squid and the Whale” and while everybody is going to USC to become a director, Noah graduated from liberal arts enclave Vassar. That’s right, avoid the liberal arts, they’ll kill your earnings potential. And that’s statistically untrue, in the long run liberal arts majors can and frequently do make more, because they’re more nimble, but one thing is for sure, your horizons will be widened, you’ll have something to say if you get a liberal arts education.

And then Gerwig became a director herself, with the indie success “Lady Bird,” and then the general public became aware of her with her mainstream success “Little Women.”

In other words, Gerwig had a track record. She’d paid her dues, developed her so-called “craft.” Had experience. Furthermore, the audience was aware of her as a high quality filmmaker who delivered, there was eager anticipation for “Barbie.” Then again, the main driver was that title, because it’s hard to start from square one like with “Oppenheimer.”

Christopher Nolan has a similar career arc to that of Gerwig. He too started off in indies, although not quite so far down the food chain as mumblecore. Nolan made his bones with “Memento”…talk about innovative. And sealed the deal with “Insomnia,” wherein Al Pacino and others wander in Alaska during the midnight sun…Pacino’s inability to sleep is palpable. And then Nolan dove completely into the mainstream with Batman movies.

Now stars might not mean much anymore in the movie business, but writers and directors still do, and just like with Gerwig, but even more, the general public is aware of Nolan, and waits in anticipation of his next release.

And although Nolan did make three “Batman” movies, both he and Gerwig do not repeat themselves, every film is a new adventure.

Contrast this with the music business, where the goal is to blow up someone young with no experience, someone the public has never heard of. Experience works against you in the big time music business, because if you’ve got it you’re too old to play the game, they don’t even want you. However, you can kill on the road. That’s the story of the twenty first century, the older people on the road playing music that sounds not a whit like what is ensconced in the Spotify Top 50, never mind played on terrestrial radio.

So… If the movie was called “Barbie” and Gerwig and Baumbach were not involved it would have been an uphill climb, been seen as a dash for cash. But the imprimatur of those two along with good word of mouth and ultimately great reviews put gasoline in the engine and there was great success.

But that’s “Barbie,” what about “Oppenheimer”?

The “Oppenheimer” buzz didn’t reach me until a couple of weeks before release. And the story was primarily about it opening on the same day as “Barbie.” In addition, “Oppenheimer” is not sexy and light, it’s anything but “Barbie.” I mean really, a three hour epic about the advent of nuclear weapons?

But the public hungers for deep and serious. This is what the mainstream gets so wrong. All we hear is about the younger generations’ short attention spans, meanwhile they’ll burn through a Netflix series in a day. The younger generations reject crap.

But crap is what they’re fed all day long.

So the theatrical movie business is on the decline, it certainly took a hit during the pandemic, and no matter what anybody says, it will never fully recover. Theatrical is for event movies. It takes too much time and too much money to attend, it had better be worth it, and most stuff is not. The old boomer days of going to a flick on a whim are history, furthermore you’ve got A+ entertainment in 4k at your fingertips at home. However…

Turns out if you deliver what people hunger for, high quality fare, they’re interested, they’ll show up. But the studios started focusing on dumbed-down product that can play around the world. Meanwhile, Hollywood movies are now tanking in China. Time to get back to the garden. But the opportunity cost and the number of dollars are such… Well, it’s worse than that, the people running the studios don’t even remember the good old days, the last time film burgeoned, in the seventies. They’ve got no point of reference. As for indies… That market is dead. You can make it, but it won’t be distributed and no one will see it. Even worse, the streamers no longer want to pick it up.

Which means the public is looking for fare that is available to all, that is unifying, that is seen as something we can all relate to.

And the lessons for the music business are…

Legion.

Where is the unique product proffered by the major labels? Nonexistent. They just shift the same old stuff, new stuff just like the old stuff, written by committee and remixed ad infinitum, with the human element shaved off. Such when something truthful shows up, it dominates. This is the story of Chris Stapleton.

But how many Chris Stapletons are there? I don’t see another on the country charts. As for the wannabe Americanans… Chris is 45 and has paid his dues. He can write, sing and play, all at a high level, whereas his imitators cannot. I mean if you haven’t got a palatable voice, you’d better be one of the best lyricists of all time.

But all we get in rock is the Foo Fighters, who were retrograde to begin with. The Foos are comic book movies. Seen one, you’ve seen them all. Where is the innovation?

People want something new and different that challenges them. And one hit record can lift the entire business, never mind inspire others to follow in the creator’s path.

But we haven’t got that hit anymore. Nothing that everybody in America is talking about, that they want to check out. What we promote is niche, no matter what the media says. Drake? Taylor Swift? They’re doing incredible business, but you can ignore them and feel just fine about it, it’s not like the music of either is inescapable, like the Beatles with “Sgt. Pepper.”

Yes, “Sgt. Pepper” was a great leap forward, and never forget there were no singles. And it was embraced by the public.

But “Oppenheimer” is more like the White Album. Longer and darker. Leaving you with more questions than answers. If it’s all there on the screen or in the grooves, if you can stop and forget about it, it’s not going to last.

We’ve got so many complaining that they’ve got the goods. But they haven’t paid their dues like Greta Gerwig and Chris Nolan, never mind not being as talented. They believe they’re entitled. TikTok is their market, where you live and die on your creativity, where it’s all inherently niche. But as far as something more mainstream…

Mainstream doesn’t necessarily mean compromised. Look at “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.” Mainstream means most people are aware and care. The music business lost this formula decades ago. It’s not even looking to recapture the essence. It’s like everybody at the labels is brain dead and compromised, which is why you no longer know their names. The legends took risks, affected the culture at large, the newbies are playing a role.

So ultimately “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” are good for America. They have created rallying points. You can say you went to see a Tom Cruise movie, but there’s nothing to talk about when it’s over. He did his own stunts? See if that gets you into Harvard. It won’t. It comes down to what you’ve got between the ears.

It’s all about pushing the envelope. But that’s too hard for most people. They want a safety net, a guaranteed return. But it’s always the outside that breaks rules and sets trends, always. I mean what can you learn from a new “Avengers” movie, or “Mission Impossible”? It’s like the latest pop confection. There is a market for it, but the rest of the public shrugs its shoulders, if it’s aware and cares whatsoever.

And this does not only apply to art. Tech is all about breaking boundaries. When did everyone in America decide to play it safe?

In politics we keep hearing about what we can’t do, when we used to hear about what we could do. And we hear from politicians that their hands are tied, that certain people won’t go for it. But that doesn’t mean you should stop, but push harder.

The opportunity for the lone warrior is always there. One person can make a difference. And it’s not about money, but message. If people are only talking about the gross, you’ve missed the point. Quick, tell me what the biggest selling Bob Dylan record was! Hell, he never reached the sales pinnacle of even the nineties has-beens, he’s never had a diamond record.

Money changes everything.

But what people don’t realize is if you listen to your inner tuning fork and go your own way there’s plenty of money to be made. But even more cultural impact. Bill Gates made more money than Steve Jobs, does that make him Jobs’s equal? No.

Refocus.

And you’ve got to do it yourself because the overlords don’t want you to, they want business as usual, they want predictable. Unfortunately, this is not what the public wants, and the public always wins in the end.

We already know this guy is a right wing, racist prick, but what exactly are we accomplishing by amplifying this story?

Just hardening his fans to him. Aldean becomes a beacon, a rallying point for people just like him.

Meanwhile, the holier-than-thou police, most of whom have never heard of Jason Aldean, or only through the controversy of his wife vis-a-vis Maren Morris, are up in arms like their agitation and viewpoint will make a difference.

Twitter rules… You don’t respond, because if you do you amplify the story.

Yes, CMT was correct in banishing the video. But the endless pile-on thereafter has only flagged the flame of racism as opposed to waking up America to the despicable viewpoints of Aldean and his minions.

This is what the left wing doesn’t understand. You end up pouring gasoline on the story and in the end it hurts you.

After all, truth is fungible.

“Rolling Stone” reported that some of the protest images in “Try That in a Small Town” were actually shot in Canada. Aldean doesn’t care about truth, it’s all image. He wants to cement his bond with the ignorant and racist, truth has nothing to do with it.

As for small town values…

Why is it that rural burgs are seen as the true America? As if America hasn’t progressed in a hundred years, if not more. This is another right wing trope. Got to give them credit for forging it though, because not enough people live or have been exposed to small rural towns to combat it!

Man, the right wing is expert on this. The hellholes of the city. According to the right wing if you live in Chicago your life is endangered, it’s worse than Ukraine, which we should get out of.

It goes on and on, they’ve built a platform amplified by Fox News to the point where they want to elect a criminal. Whew! Get your knickers in a twist. Everybody knows that Trump is a delusional, dumb narcissist, but he’s convinced these same Aldean nitwits that he’s standing up for them. Aldean is standing up for no one but himself.

Meanwhile, Aldean didn’t even write the damn song. Because that’s not his talent. The words of cynical others are sung by this doofus, he’s responsible for amplifying something he can’t even articulate in the first place. But why did these “writers” write this. This is not Neil Young writing from the heart, or even Jason Isbell. This is cynical men, and they’re all men, no woman would write this tripe. They’re writing for a market. They’re fanning the flames of racism.

Meanwhile, all this hogwash about Black Lives Matter. Whenever you bring anything up to the right it’s Hillary’s e-mails, or Black Lives Matter, it’s false equivalence on parade. Meanwhile, did you see that New York City just agreed to pay $13 million to 2020 BLM protesters? Maybe the problem is with the police, ever think of that? 

Man this country has changed. Used to be people were suspicious of the police, that was the sixties mantra, amplified by Rodney King. Yes, thinking people realized that too often the police were a gang, a rogue gang, your enemy as opposed to your friend.

But then came the Iran crisis. And 9/11. And suddenly we’re all up the rear end of the police, they’re gods.

As for Defund the Police… Only the left could come up with such a bad moniker. There’s a problem. We all know we need police. But can we at least try and address the ills as opposed to make it a pro or con vision?

Believe me, when you want the police they oftentimes don’t come. And when they do they’ve got a hair-trigger, they don’t want to die. But you blindly defend them, ignorance on parade.

And as the right wing country singers double-down on their heinous values, the rest of the “artists” are silent, afraid of pissing off some potential fan. But Jason Aldean has proven that having a position actually advantages your career, it bonds fans to you, they want something to root for, they just don’t want bland platitudes. This is how hip-hop killed rock. Rock became safe, was no longer focused on the truth, and it was eclipsed. And in case you didn’t know, a lot of the heavier metal/Active Rock music is performed and loved by the right wing. That is the rock of today. Scratch these guys, they’re all right wing. Well, not all. But many believe in the police and gun ownership and under your very eyes, the landscape has changed. These are not the guys I want carrying the flag of rock.

Somehow it’s fine to have an identity if you’re right wing, but if you’re left wing, you must be silent.

As for Aldean… He is laughing all the way to the bank. Do you know how hard it is to get this amount of attention today? Nearly impossible. Now everybody, or at least a hell of a lot more than before, knows his name. He’s a hero to his constituents. As for Aldean and his fans saying he was canceled, this is one of the best, if not the best thing to happen to him in his career. I mean come on, when they made this video they didn’t think it would blow up and cause controversy? Of course they did! That was the goal! Meanwhile, the rest of the “artists” are dancing geeks or complaining about what some other “artist” said about them or dealing dope and going to jail. That’s another strange thing, we lionize these rappers who shoot others and do drugs. Talk about a sick society. Then again, we can’t address the problems of the Black man because it’s been almost two hundred years since slavery and they should pull themselves up by their bootstraps, like the rest of society. We’re color blind, don’t you know? Doesn’t this video illustrate this? STFU and be beholden to the billionaires, the upper class, they know better.

And then we’ve got RFJ, Jr. An antisemitic conspiracy spreading lunatic who is seen as an alternative to Biden. First and foremost, he’s being pushed by cynical right wing operatives, but how come nobody on the left can see Biden is flawed? Nobody wants him to run other than himself and some out of touch left wing operatives.

But we’ve got to play it safe. Just like the Democratic musicians. You don’t want to make a stand, risk blowback. I mean how can you win if you never go on the offensive? We need a rebirth on the left to combat the recalcitrance of the right, which wants no change. We’ve got to give people options as opposed to just pointing fingers at the bad behavior of people who aren’t listening anyway.

Morgan Wallen was not hurt by the n-word controversy. He’s the biggest act in recorded music, period. And unlike the classic rock acts, he’s not coasting on the past, it’s all new music, mostly derived from classic rock if you think about it. How come he can do this but no one on the left can?

In other words, you might hate Wallen based on the n-word controversy, but chances are you’ve never heard his music and his fans don’t care whatsoever, they’re happy, and Wallen is going straight to the bank.

If we want to change America people must vote.

Then again, Donald Trump says your vote doesn’t count. Put this guy in jail. Poor people pay consequences, rich people hire expensive attorneys and deny. And it’s not like there’s not evidence to prove Trump’s criminality, and we should continue to prosecute his bad behavior, but it is having very little effect on his voters, just like this Aldean blowback is having very little effect on his fans.

Yes, Aldean is from Macon, not a small town. Yes, Aldean is not struggling in a meth-infested village. Aldean is not reporting his truth, not whatsoever. But he’s got you amplifying his vision, what a joke.

You cannot convince these people they’re wrong. Please stop trying, you’re only emboldening them.

Meanwhile, all of you out there claiming to be socially liberal and financially conservative…. That makes you a Republican. Period. Don’t deny it. If you’re financially conservative that means you don’t believe in a healthy safety net, you don’t believe in more money for the IRS, you only believe in your own pocketbook. Everything takes money, and if you think you can run the government better why don’t you get involved instead of complaining. The fix is not to starve the beast, even though this is the right wing mantra.

The left is operating on an old playbook, as if the internet didn’t exist. And when someone on their side stands up and fights for right, like AOC, they’re isolated. AOC would be a hero to the right if she was on their side, why are she and her brethren anathema to the left?

That’s the story here, not that some redneck geek crossed over the line. Jason Aldean and his fans will be fine. They’ve won, complaining that they’ve lost all the time.

The song was on an album in the marketplace for months. No one even cared about the video until CMT took it down. Meaning if everybody on the left didn’t get pissed-off this song would have faded away and not radiated. But now it’s a cause celeb.

Don’t be knee-jerk, think about this. Stop amplifying heinous behavior. You’re only emboldening believers. If you don’t talk about it, it doesn’t exist. Now people know more about Jason Aldean than they do about Biden and his economic policies, something the left has been trying to amplify for weeks under the label “Bidenomics.” Once again, the left has lost the battle. Will it lose the war? Yes, if it continues to turn nothingburgers into conflagrations.

I know this, doesn’t anybody in D.C? Doesn’t anybody on the left with a viewpoint?

Looks like no.

The left wing fans are hungering for a leader who speaks the truth. But all we’ve got is a tired old man, who can believe in that?

You want us to have hope? Then give us someone to believe in.

The right has this in spades, on the left? CRICKETS!