Re: Stage Dolls

Hi,

I’ve just read your post about our band and want to say thank you so much.

You really nailed it to the point about the song ‘Ammunition’.

My brother was studying in West-Berlin in the mid 80’s and I visited him there.

We went over to the other side one day and you could climb up on stairs to look over. I remember how strange it felt standing there knowing that the people next to me were stuck here while I could freely go back..

I didn’t get the idea for the song right then but I guess the experience stayed in my mind..

Thank you again and a Happy New Year!

Best,
Torstein Flakne

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Subject: RE: Re-Stage Dolls

When I was a writer for Kerrang! during the mid-eighties I thought Stage Dolls would blow up big time. The hooks, songwriting and the melodies were stupendous. And let us not forget the incredible production by Norwegian studio master Bjorn Nessjo – a man that was every bit as talented as Mutt Lange who went on to produce TNT, another Norwegian act that should have broken through. I was flown out to Oslo to see the band live and they delivered big time. Wow wonderful memories.

Derek Oliver

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From: Sepp Donahower

Subject: Re: Aspen Live-Day One

Bob

Nice write up here….good to see all the accolades for Louis Messina….He is one of the last of the first generation promoters active, along with Don Law, and few others.  Thank you for the mention of California Jam, the festival we helped put together at Pacific Presentations.  It was game changer….It was the precursor to the modern festival as a business endeavor, and not just a cultural endeavor.  At the time, it set the record for the highest PAID attendance at any event in the world at anytime…over 200,000 PAID…My partner and I, Gary Perkins, were under 30 at the time.     Paul Tollett, Mr. Goldenvoice / Coachella,  graciously sent me a text a few years ago when they released the Goldenvoice / Coachella documentary, that basically said “ without California Jam, there would have been no Coachella “ .   Being a promoter is a special gig….Not for everyone, and not many able to do it correctly.   Most of the event production these days is herding cattle through a gate….what Louis Messina does is different….it echoes back to what us old timers considered being “ Impresarios “  of a sort….We all crafted events and experiences, with memorable lineups…….along with  creative and memorable marketing that is actually ART and now highly collectible.   Also, back in those days, kids went to shows in mass  every week….they were tribal gatherings….and they could afford the tickets.

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Subject: Re: Consensus Hits

I am a former music biz guy, both retail and radio. It’s been 10+ years since…your emails, my son, and a couple of good music pals keep me abreast of what is good. Note I did not say popular. Because that’s not really an adjective used before the word music, here’s proof.

As a high school golf coach we listen to music in the team van to and from matches. Used to be kids wanted to control the tunes. Now? It’s on me (which I like!). No one wants to play “their” music because of their fear of being judged. Kids have no clue if others like what they like. To lay yourself out there?! It’s scary. They literally refuse to plug in their iPhones.

They never talk music nor movies…even video games are less ubiquitous. And it’s not that they don’t listen to music, watch movies or play video games…it’s just awkward “sharing.” 

They text each other more than they talk. In the van.

I have to pull conversation out of them. And those are the best times when we find common ground. It’s not that hard.

We may think the generations behind don’t have the same need for something soul bending. I think they do. It’s just no one it pushing them toward the deeper waters where truth and courage exist. Far be it from me to think it was us parents who didn’t have the courage to challenge our kids to search. To teach critical thinking, the desire to explore and engage in the uncomfortable. 

-Frank Jenks

listenin.org

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From: Conor McNicholas

Subject: Re: Consensus Hits

Exactly this.

The past was an anomaly. We were lucky to have it. Now music is democratised again it’s owned by no-one and drifts. 

But people buy narrative. I’ve always felt that. It’s the frame around the picture. Strong stories promote emotional connection. We need a platform for more of them. 

There is a land beyond the Spotify jukebox. For many years now the storytelling of music was largely dumped because people thought it was just about the audio and the storytellers should get out of the way. Now we discover that that was 50% of what we fell in love with. 

I have thoughts on what the future could look like if anyone wants to hook-up. 

Conor McNicholas,

Previously Editor of NME. 

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From: Nico Moolenaar

Subject: Re: Best Streaming TV 2023

What an honour to be mentioned in this list, Bob. Netflix will make another Ferry movie, but the series you have seen this year was my last contribution in this Undercover/Ferry universe. I want to quit when I’m still having fun and am currently developing something completely new (also for Netflix). Which is amazing and terrifying at the same time, the best place for a creator to be. Thanks for watching my shows.

Best,

Nico

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From: Ron Ozer

Subject: Re: Final Aspen Live

So very glad to see you mention NIVA and our work on Save Our Stages and Fix The Tix and the amazing Dayna Frank who I first met on Zoom in May 2020 when I was suddenly on a team trying to save all of my favorite venues from closing for good. It’s hard to separate the fear at the beginning of the pandemic from the fact that joining this group of people was truly life changing. Here were buyers, promoters, venue managers and owners who only months before were fighting each other in the marketplace for the best shows, but now were a team with a common goal. And I discovered they were powerful personalities, as entrepreneurs can be of course. By the end of 2020 Dayna and the many other crucial leaders in the organization like Hal Real (World Cafe), Audrey Fix Schaefer (IMP), Chris Cobb, Adam Hartke (WAVE) and Rev. Moose (Marauder) had somehow gathered support from the Broadway League, Museums, Talent Agents and even Independent Movie Theaters to move Congress to do the impossible, pass the largest investment in the arts in US history ($16 billion, 100X the typical annual NEA appropriation). And what did being around these people do for me? It made me realize that after 20 years as a volunteer running a small music series in Delaware, it was time to try this work full time and give up my day job in chemical engineering. Helping start a new independent (NIVA member!) music venue in a small town in Maryland?  Why not! Bob, do come join us in New Orleans in June at NIVA Con.

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From: Marty Walsh

Subject: Ursus and Raf

Bob, unreal. What an interview. Everyone who wants to be in the entertainment sphere needs to listen to this.

Well done.

Marty Walsh

BTW every student I have next semester is going to write me a report on the podcast episode.

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Subject: Re: Re-Promotion

I couldn’t agree with you more that promotion is in the artists’ hands. I am routinely asking myself and our staff, “What’s the role of a label in 2023/4? Why should an artist sign with us? What value do we bring?” The answers are moving targets. Adaptability to constant change is the key. Today (and this could very well change in a few months), it’s helping the artist be effective with short form video. Provide the tools and teach them how to be good at it. Invest in stealth digital marketing, build email lists, nurture the artist-fan connection by trying to grow a community … rinse, wash, repeat. Tour, tour, tour. Have a point of view. Be vocal about it. Be willing to alienate the wrong people in exchange for bonding with the right ones. Understand that TikTok is not social media…. it’s a pure entertainment platform on which you must be visible. If you’re not on TikTok or using Spotify Marquee, I probably have no idea that you’re active. Boycott it at your peril, unless you’re so adored by your fans who do the work for you (i.e. Ghost “Mary On A Cross”)… truly no substitute for that, but yeah, good luck. Go ride that unicorn.

If you can build a meaningful audience through this kind of daily grind, then PR and radio can be really effective in broadening your reach…. telling the story, not breaking the story. Big difference.

Anytime I see one of these old school campaigns I cringe, but I understand how and why they happen. It seems that whatever era in which an artist first broke, they think that the same rules apply and if they don’t do X, Y, and Z like they did in 19-whatever, the record won’t happen. They put out new music and they’re scared that it won’t reach anyone. Too often, instead of embracing the new, they rely on the old. It doesn’t work and they ask why the music business is so hard. Tell me, Bob, when was it easy?

Niels Schroeter

Blue Élan Records

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Subject: Re: The Slate Skiing Article

Hi Bob, 

Brian Shirley here, writing in from Boise, Idaho. Proud to say that my father, Mike Shirley, was a key driver in the ski industry’s return to affordable skiing. 

He took over as General Manager at Boise’s local non-profit ski mountain, Bogus Basin, as a second career in the early 1990’s. At the time, Bogus was charging a baseline rate of over $500 for a season pass, with layers of stratified “special deals” that were confusing and hard to use. And partially as a result, season pass sales and skier visits were declining, as they were across the entire industry. 

After a few financially tough years in the red, and with mounting capital needs required to replace the old slow two-seater chairlifts with new “high-speed quads” but no way to afford them, Dad knew something had to change. 

In 1998, he tried an experiment, slashing season pass prices to $199, and removing the accreted layers of “special deals”: Make it so mindlessly cheap and simple that it would be stupid NOT to purchase a season pass. The only requirement was that you had to buy the pass in spring, so that Bogus had the capital when they needed it the most, over the summer when mountain improvements are made. 

While this sounds like an obvious solution now, it is hard to overstate the vocal opposition at the time to even attempting such as experiment, including by large swaths of the industry, several members of his own board, and plenty of local residents that would have loved to keep skiing a “luxury experience”. The entire ski industry was watching carefully to see what the results would be. 

The innovation proved a stunning success, immediately driving a nine-fold increase in season pass sales, and supercharging Bogus’s capital improvement fund. Dad’s model moved from an object of derision to something copied by dozens of ski areas across the country, including Vail, and helped recharge an industry desperately in need of new skiers.

The new model was here to stay, and Bogus Basin’s finances remain on solid ground to this day, with several new chairlifts helping keep lift lines short. Dad steadfastly kept prices at $199 EVERY YEAR after that, until his retirement in 2012, despite continued pressure from his own board. Part of his rationale for $199? “This is what a lot of families spend at Costco without thinking too much about it.” 

Thousands of local skiers that would have otherwise been priced out of the experience owe their lifelong love of skiing to him, and the National Ski Area Association eventually honored him as the “Father of Affordable Skiing”. At one such event, Warren Miller introduced him as “The man who figured out how to sell 39 thousand passes in a single season, and has enough parking for at least five thousand of those…”

On a sad note, my father passed away this last August, at 81 years of age. Below I include a photo of a plaque his friends and supporters created to honor him, which will be mounted at Bogus Basin later this season. 

Bob, thanks for allowing me the chance to share the story of my father and his innovation, and keep up the great work!

Brian

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Subject: Re: 2023 Deaths Playlist

Date: December 30, 2023 at 11:31:55 PM MST

Dear Bob,

Yesterday my longtime client, musical collaborator and wonderful friend and Brother Les McCann ‘graduated with honors at 3: 55 PST…………..His massive Soul Jazz hit “Compared To What” from the Live at Montreux “Swiss Movement” and the more than 80 albums, 150 samples of his recordings by a who’s who of rap and hip hop made him one of the most beloved and influential musicians of our time.  He discovered Roberta Flack and signed her to Atlantic………….he ‘produced’ Lou Rawls first album “Stormy Monday” with his Jazz Trio Les McCann Ltd.

‘They are not making any more Les McCanns’  I am sure most of the Artists on your list knew his work as well as your readers too.

Sincerely,

Alan Abrahams

Woodside Ca.

Spotify: http://tinyurl.com/26fpjnja

Gary Wright

“Love Is Alive”

Jeff Beck

“Brush with the Blues”

Sinead O’Connor

“I Am Stretched on Your Grave”

David Crosby

“Long Time Gone”

Robbie Robertson

“Broken Arrow”

Jimmy Buffett

“A Pirate Looks at Forty”

Gordon Lightfoot

“Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”

Tina Turner

“What’s Love Got to Do with It”

Randy Meisner

“Certain Kind of Fool”

Jim Gordon

“Rock ‘N’ Roll Stew”

Gary Rossington

“Don’t Misunderstand Me”

David Lindley

“For a Dancer”

Steve Harwell

“Walkin’ on the Sun”

George Winston

“Prelude”

Keith Reid

“Shine On Brightly”

Tom Verlaine

“Ain’t That Nothin'”

Terry Kirkman

“Cherish”

John Gosling

“Money Talks”

Burt Bacharach

“Walk on By”

Cynthia Weil

“We Gotta Get Out of This Place”

Rudolph Isley

“It’s Your Thing”

Wayne Shorter

“Tears”

Tony Bennett

“I Left My Heart in San Francisco”

Jane Birkin

“Je t’aime… moi non plus”

Jean Knight

“Mr. Big Stuff”

Bernie Marsden

“Here I Go Again”

Bob Feldman

“My Boyfriend’s Back”

Harry Belafonte

“Banana Boat (Day-O)”

Barrett Strong

“Money (That’s What I Want)”

Astrud Gilberto

“The Girl from Ipanema”

Not the city, not “Babylon Berlin,” but the prequel to “Money Heist.”

Did you know about it?

I didn’t even hear they were making it, but earlier in the week I saw a listing in the “New York Times” saying it was premiering on Friday and made a mental note to check it out.

Last time we left “Money Heist” it was done, over, history, there was nowhere to go. This is the story of Berlin, you remember that each character had a city name, and a whole new cast of criminals.

So on some level it’s a formula, but as the formula plays out you become more comfortable with it. Yes, you miss Tokyo and Nairobi, but their replacements are becoming more 3-D. As for Raquel, the cop who switches sides, that appears to be Camille, at least for the two episodes we’ve watched already.

Not that I can rave. Then again, there was a lot of set-up, and now it’s getting juicy.

Anyway, when I went to pull up the show on Netflix yesterday I was worried about getting the right “Berlin.” There’s no copyright in  titles, this is not the only vehicle that has employed that name. But I was stunned that Netflix served up “Berlin” when the app launched. Does it do this for everybody or just for me? I don’t know. But if I hadn’t seen that listing in the “Times,” Netflix itself would have made me aware of the series.

That’s how strong Netflix is, it doesn’t need advertising.

You can’t get the message across to anybody these days. People are impossible to reach. In the Style section of the aforementioned “Times” on Thursday, they had a two page spread on social media peaks, trends, highlights:

“Top Social Media Trends of 2023: Roman Empire, Grimace Shake, Keith Lee and More – You may have forgotten—or wanted to forget—what happened on the internet in 2023. We’re here to refresh your memory.”

http://tinyurl.com/4wbnkvya

That’s a free link, and I implore you to click through, because I believe, like me, you will have never heard of most of these memes and trends.

That was another story this week, how what is perceived to be big is not so big on social media. The news covers a story about outrageous behavior and it turns out it happened in an echo chamber, very few were aware of it. So people get the wrong impression. Even worse, there are bad actors, like the retail giants who cried about organized shoplifting in San Francisco, you know, you have to keep everything behind a locked door, the Bay Area is a hellhole. Only that turned out to be untrue, it was blown up by Walgreens because they wanted to close stores: http://tinyurl.com/2n3564n7 You probably missed this, it made a good story, but it was a lie.

And then there’s the canard that we live in a lawless society where people are being murdered left and right. But the truth is just the opposite:

“Homicides See Historic Decline In 2023 Despite Perceptions That Crime Is On The Rise”: http://tinyurl.com/yyjd3xbw

Even in Chicago, the right wing punching bag, that’s right, homicides in the Windy City fell by 12.7%.

Now your head is spinning, mine certainly is. Everything we were told was wrong. Or something like that. But even worse is today’s news about Brexit:

“Brexit has completely failed for UK, say clear majority of Britons — poll – Only one in 10 feel leaving the EU has helped their finances, while just 9% say it has benefited the NHS, despite £350m a week pledge according to new poll”: http://tinyurl.com/2p9ykrve

That’s right, a bunch of dirty, lying scumbag politicians ruined, or at least negatively impacted, an entire country. As for keeping immigrants out, immigration is up!

The public suffers.

Anyway, we all live in our own verticals. Oftentimes manipulated by others. And we’re averse to input contrary to our beliefs, outside our silos, if for no other reason than we’re overwhelmed!

Did you see that subscriptions to MAX have dropped? They removed the halo of HBO and now they’ve got a second-rate service that people don’t want to pay for. Maybe it will be merged with the third rate Paramount service. As for Disney, other than “The Mandalorian,” what has it got?

So Netflix was hiding in plain sight and everybody tried to compete and failed.

First and foremost there was a first mover advantage. But Netflix was all about a plethora of product appealing to a wide variety of people. There just isn’t enough new product on the other services, not enough to keep people paying month after month.

And isn’t it funny that only Netflix drops all the product at once. Because Netflix is trying to satiate the customer, and knows that most shows get no word of mouth at all! “The Morning Show” on Apple got negative reviews at first, supposedly it has gotten better, but who has stayed with the series? If it’s not good enough to drop all at once, it’s just not good enough. The product must speak for itself, don’t rely on the public to do your work in a world where fewer go to the office and if you do you bring your own Stanley water bottle as opposed to hanging at the water cooler.

So Netflix is just for you. Not that I trust the algorithm, but I am happy it serves up Scandinavian dramas, it knows I’m into them, most are not worth watching, but some are, and I wouldn’t have known about them otherwise. And I don’t care if anybody else is watching, it’s a one to one experience. And in a world where everybody is trying to be broad, appealing to everybody and offending no one, I’m glad I’ve got my own little bubble sans b.s.

And you might like the “Berlin” bubble. One thing is for sure, there’s a lot of riffing on love, and a lot of it is true. It’s not like an American show, and production wasn’t hurt by the strike, you can pull it up right now.

I’m excited. I might ultimately be disappointed after I finish the eight episodes, but for eight hours I won’t have to deal with the crap of the outside world. That was the magic of movies before the industry was ruined by the studios. Yes, a dark room, where you can watch something uninterrupted, marinate in it.

Seemingly everybody blowing their horn loudly is full of it.

So we gravitate to the niches.

But how do we find out about the niches?

Well, the most powerful real estate in the world of television is the Netflix homepage. It’s a captive audience. You’re being served, made aware of stuff you might like. This is so different from the smorgasbord of messages we’re inundated with every day that we do not care about.

The world has changed, but too many want to tell us it hasn’t.

What we’ve learned over the last few years is no one is in control. Other than you. You’re an individual with a limited amount of time. You want to be directed, you want help. And there are very few outlets you can count on. Sometimes, it’s the Netflix homepage. And that’s very powerful. 

You’re completely correct about the changing paradigm of what people watch on television. At least as far as my own kids are concerned.

My daughter and her husband are 33. When I visited them this past September I was surprised that they did not have cable. Their subscriptions were Disney, Hulu, and Netflix. That was it. They don’t miss all of the cable channels showing mostly nothing along with the monthly fee those channels cost.

But it gets better. My son and his wife are 26. When I visited them last month I was even more surprised that they subscribe to NOTHING!!  They watch what they want on YouTube (not YouTube TV). They’re completely happy and don’t feel like they’re missing anything. (In fact my son just purchased a Toyota based mostly on watching several different YouTube clips of mechanics discussing which cars they see most and least in their shops. He also watched several clips on how to negotiate at a dealer and what to look out for in terms of dealer add-ons)

Jim Blaney
Nashville

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I think you should draw the line at bashing the Kennedy Center Honors. Honoring our older artists is important. Most of them have been to hell and back over the years and honoring their work is something every civilized culture should do. Please show some respect and a little more class. It’s a better look for you.
Happy new year,
Chris Frantz

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I usually agree with you but today we differ.

I really enjoyed the “variety show” last night. It gave me hope that the government can still support the arts. Biden was there ( unlike Trump who never bothered to attend).

The fact that you skipped Queen Latifah and Renee Fleming just shows how deep into your silo you are. I can’t speak about rap/hip hop but there were 4-5 of the greatest living opera sopranos on stage giving tribute to a truly genre-bending artist. You should go back and get a lesson in singing technique and expertise.

We turned it off after Renee Fleming. The BeeGees could only be a let down after that.

George Kahn.

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Couldn’t agree more with your sentiment!!

All the best, Susan Slamer

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By skipping Renee Fleming, you missed my favorite new singer: Ailyn Perez.

Too bad for you. 😉

Regards, Steve Schermherhorn

_____________________________________

Thanks for saying what I was thinking. However you were a more gentle about it than I would have been.

Roger Humphrey

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AMEN TO ALL OF THIS

Kurt Osenlund

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I love reading you when you are on the rag. Dionne’s voice was very special. She sold B/D songs like no one else could.

Respect your elders and the elderly. IOW: respect yourself.

The border not his frailty will sink Biden AKA RBG in drag.

Michael Fremer

_____________________________________

Man, I used to adore variety shows.

Standing ovation for you. Thanks for saying this.

Natalie Davis

NYC

_____________________________________

You really nailed it with this one.

We want bold, brave and true.

Not old, lame and blue(haired)

Delia Rae

Burbank, Ca

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Oh, Bob…your review was much more entertaining than the show was. And as depressing as your message was, I laughed all the way through it. Good stuff.

Tom Gribbin

_____________________________________

Spot on, Bob

Happy New Year…

Cob Carlson

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They missed an opportunity to have two older, black performers, who can REALLY sing, honor the man, and at the same time present them to a new audience. Al Green is still working and he recorded How Can You Mend A Broken Heart in 1972.

Also, Candi Staton, who is also still working, did a great version of Nights On Broadway in 1977.

Kevin Kiley

_____________________________________

As a lifelong Democrat and sometime left-wing radical, I agree with you. Biden makes me wince, although who else is there to vote for? I choke on my oatmeal everytime I hear about all the “other” candidates. Nikky Haley is toast.

She’ll never get past that quote about slavery, no matter how hard they spin it. Someone has to whisper in Joe’s ear “Time to step aside Joe”.  And I like Biden, but his “Speak softly and carry a big stick” approach is a tough sell in 2024.There are plenty of Democratic warriors on our side. But it may be too late for them to jump in. I’m secretly hoping Obama can sit with Joe and tell him the truth, but that’s not gonna happen. Biden is like the Raiders quarterback.

He’ll have to do. I think we can win with him.

Tom Cartwright

_____________________________________

I can respect some of your comments, Bob, but you don’t know what you’re talking about with Queen Latifah. She’s definitely not B level to the hip hop community and beyond. Any artist would love her career accomplishments.

Stacy Turner

_____________________________________

The singers of “Alfie” and “Walk On By” were not good. Nothing but vocal histrionics from the first. The “Walk On By” singer had a weird, nasally voice. It was awful.

Thomas Quinn

_____________________________________

Agree 100% Bob about Biden and I’m a diehard Democrat.

Robert Pisaneschi

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I hate when you fall into, “ angry old man” complaining.
Some of what you say is true but not enough…not every endeavor in the arts or farces has only you in mind.
DeNiro’s remark wasn’t a dig…it was an endorsement!
You’re all wrong on Biden you know.
So what if his body is old, his experience and expertise saved this country and trashing him could give us Trump again.
Big fan of most of what you write but not this one.
Lighten up Bob, enjoy!
Alan Crane

_____________________________________

Biden is basically unelectable and I am having a meltdown about it. Clinton, Reagan, Kennedy have/had charisma and charm and smarts. Biden has smarts. You need more. Ugh.

Alan Stewart

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Well said Bob!  To me the last truly great and surprising performance/tribute the Kennedy Center Honors had to be in my opinion, Heart doing Stairway to Heaven when the surviving members of Led Zeppelin were inducted. How long ago was that now? (Just googled it and holy crap that was 11 years ago!). That was a truly stunning and complete unexpected performance. Hell even Robert Plant who had long since tired of the song, was moved by it!  Sadly even when Jon Stewart was inducted a few years back, you expected some bite and John Oliver did oblige but overall it was still a pretty meh tribute, it being a “polite DC society” and all event.

Some things are just best to let go of gracefully and lament their passing than watch it die a slow agonizing death while trying to pretend there is nothing wrong. Seems the KCH and Biden/DNC are ignoring this fact.

Michael Moniz

P.S. Biden is our 1/6 is an all time bad take.

But your point is salient about our own eyes.

My question would be where are these acolytes ?  Do you know people in your life that say its not true?  Or are you just referring to media.

I don’t know anyone in my life who is a fan or defends him.  Just the typical “he can beat trump” arguments , but always whole holding their nose.

Theres a clip somewhere of a comedian where someone yelled “f*ck joe biden!” And hes like “is that supposed to offend me?  You’re making fun of my 17th choice for president?”

Seems to be the consensus to me

_____________________________________

Biden should do what FDR did, he knew his health was bad- also knew that Wallace was too progressive, and the country had turned more center. He decided to let the convention pick the VP and they picked Truman. We all knew what happened then. I think that may be the thing that will help Biden. Confidence in who may have to take his place.

Peter O’Fallon

_____________________________________

Man, this was like watching television in the ‘70’s. Love the audience shots of old white people trying to groove… Sad to say the “Honors” jumped the shark.

Doug Pomerantz

_____________________________________

Gimme some truth
Thank you for the truth it is SO rare that I hear it now, it just stands out and stands up
Thanks for telling it
Peter Stema

_____________________________________

Wow, Bob, I didn’t expect to see Florence Greenberg get well-deserved credit in this one. You don’t often navigate towards classic soul.

She earned it. Not only with Dionne, but with the Shirelles, Maxine Brown, Chuck Jackson, Tommy Hunt and more. Hey, even the Kingsmen and B.J. Thomas. You know those artists’ hits, if not their names (let’s not discuss the British covers).

Hooray.

Adam White

_____________________________________

The reason kids love/watch YouTube is that teenagers are always more interested in each other than any celebrity nonsense the media manufactures. If you pay attention to young people you will learn that this has always been true.

Liz Dean

_____________________________________

Absolutely fabulous piece Bob. As someone that has produced, a live broadcast of an award show celebrating the arts for the last eight years, it is discouraging that most broadcasters and streamers don’t have an appetite for award shows or variety style shows such as the Kennedy Center Honors .
Broadcasters will tell you that in the face of declining ratings there is not much an appetite from the public for this genre of entertainment but what they failed to understand is that it’s way beyond ratings it’s about supporting artist, discovering new artists, celebrating extraordinary talent and Ensuring that the arts continue to thrive. I do applaud Netflix for picking up some of the award shows that have been abandoned by Traditional broadcasters, and I do hope other streamers will find a home for variety and award shows in the future.

Barry Avrich
Producer/Director
Melbar Entertainment Group

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Hear, hear Bob.  I agree with every word of this letter.

R. Scott Furtney

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Bob  I enjoy your writing  please keep piushing for new leadership w Dem,s  Michigan governors Adam kinnzinger if not Newsom   Scared of Trump return and Winn by default  please keep pushing

Dave Prutting

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You may be correct that award shows are losing their relevance and audience, but last night’s performance of Alfie by Cynthia Erivo was riveting and worth tuning in If for nothing else. I was also there in the audience during the filming and felt transported to another world by her voice and presence. I was unaware of her prior to that moment and I’ve been obsessing ever since!

I have a 10 year old who watches mostly tik tok and YouTube and last night I had her watch just that song on the honors and her reaction to Cynthia reminded me of how I reacted when I saw Streisand in the movie Funny Girl as a child. Together we went down the YouTube rabbit hole finding Cynthia videos but few compared to what we just watched on KCH which was a brilliant matching of voice, song and production elements. Stunning.

Jennifer Cooke
Artist Manager

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This show, along with Tony’s are the only things left that come close to a classic Variety Show.

Who the hell chose those songs to honor Dionne?! The Spinners’ duet? A horrific arrangement of Walk On By.  I Say A Little YAWN! Cynthia killed Alfie – thankfully.  Where was Manilow? He doesn’t have a KC Honor yet, shockingly. But it was he who produced Dionne’s comeback album for Clive (winning her two Grammys). And while it may be a cheesy moment, the right 4some belting That’s What Friend Are For, which Dionne personally made sure made millions of dollars for AIDS, could have been a “moment.”   Either the bookers don’t bother or don’t realize that some talented youngsters like Jonas Bros, Olivia, Ariana, Miley, Shawn Mendez, Puth, Demi, Normandie would likely jump to salute their – or their parent’s – idols.

Interestingly, it seems this show only gets it right when they honor Broadway star or creator.

Latifah?! Really? Janet Jackson isn’t in there! Why? Because it’s CBS? Still? C’mon now. Taking nothing away from Queen and her career accomplishments (I actually am a huge fan of her singing voice) – but the tribute – leaning on her hip/hop contributions seems interesting.  She spent 9 years releasing 4 albums which maybe in all had 3 bonafide R&B/Rap hits.  So – a KC Honor? Was something inside CBS at work here – where’s she’s one of their stars? Hmmmmm?

Of note: in addition to Manilow, Johnny Mathis and Liza have YET to be honored.  As much of a shame as Cher not in the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame.

As for Barry Gibb… that tribute was questionable at best.  Almost thrown together haphazardly.  “Lonely Days”? – they penned hundreds of hits.  And this was a hit.  But a memorable one?  Compared to the catalogue?! No.

I mostly yelled at the TV.  Maybe they’ll ask us for help next time, Bob.

Jerry J. Sharell

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Longtime reader & songwriter down in Tennessee. I couldn’t agree with you more. On EVERYTHING in this email.

People are so afraid of everything that is happening and it seems like all anyone can do is just stick to the things that make them feel incredibly safe. Which is incredibly lame. And gets you absolutely no where fast.

Yes the world is a dumpster fire but it doesn’t mean we quit innovation. It means we gotta f*cking hustle before the great big ball in the sky burns out!

Shows like the Kennedy Center Honors are sailing right along down the river of safety for all these liberal folks who think they are so open-minded but refuse to admit when they are wrong and when cornered they start screaming. And listen, I’m a liberal but I can see the writing on the wall. Both sides of the political spectrum are equally f*cked and divided within their own parties so why on earth would anyone be persuaded to be part of either side?! The narrow-minded point of view will do us all in because those at the top, with the most power and the narrowest view are steering us into what looks to be the same kind of shipwreck you’d find down in the waters of Cape Horn.

But either way, I look forward to more of your writing and emails. They bring me comfort and I appreciate your willingness to speak the truth at a time when people choose not to hear it.

Happy New Year,
Lolo Pritchard

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Re:  Youtube (and smaller screen)

Ironically Bob I’m 50 and I watch more youtube than anything else.  And, aside from watching shows / movies with my wife on our big screen, I watch almost everything on my 14 inch Samsung S8 Ultra, which is basically a mini TV with a much better / brighter screen and portable.

This isn’t a commercial for Samsung, however when I bought one of their phones a couple years ago it included a six month trial for Youtube Premium which is basically no commercials, and I was hooked.  I pay $14 a month now for zero commercials.

There’s an endless treasure trove of documentaries, how-tos, MSNBC clips, political analysis by really fresh creators, I even sometimes watch OAN and Fox News when I want to get what the RepuliQans are spewing.

The only thing I / you / we have to be careful with is the recommendation engine.  Watch the wrong video that has a little bit of a rightward bent, and suddenly that algorithm will go nuts showing you click bait Jewish space lasers, illuminati, stock market crashes, Andrew Tate stuff, and other right wing conspiracy nonsense or hate-filled garbage.

The algorithm clearly WANTS you to go down that rabbit hole.  Obviously more money in it for google.

Ironically some of that comes from watching more right-tilted redneck country stuff that I have to check out for work, and also enjoy a bit of, some of it is great music, and I need to pay attention to the genre.

Also, Joe Rogan is a biggie.  Watch a couple Joe Rogan clips, even of him just telling jokes and talking about supplements, and Youtube will start recommending the craziest sh!t.

Watch military or WWII documentaries, movie clips from more violent films, it doesn’t take much for that engine to start blasting you with nonsense.

So I ignore the algorithm and watch what I like, but I can see why people with lower critical thinking skills can get pilled pretty quickly just by casually watching Youtube’s recommended videos.

Were I a parent, I’d be more concerned with my kids accidentally watching a couple of mostly harmless things that are tangentially connected by the algorithm, and winding up redpilled incels or end of the world doomsday preppers.

Anyway, I guess that’s the price of unfiltered free content.

Dan Millen

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I was scrolling through channels when I stumbled onto it.  I saw Queen Latifah and just kept scrolling. Don’t they know that people would rather watch it an hour later on YouTube with no commercials, anyway? Even boomers!  And in whatever order they want ignoring what they don’t want Chrissakes!  But you covered that in your piece.

But there was nobody present with the capacity to raise the dead.  And speaking of hagiography does anyone still wanna watch the Saints adoring the Saints? Welcoming them into heaven? The Elite adoring the Elite? Seriously?  (and all the accompanying close up very emotional
“audiencefulloSTARS”camera shots)

I don’t.  I didn’t.

And what a lame lineup!  No apologies.  Just lame.  But I’m old and who cares what I think?  If any of them devoted 10,000 of Gladwell’s hours to practice it was Renèe.  So good for her!  But  the only lineup that would please me would have to include British Rocker Saints and perhaps some others…..even born in the USA.  Heroes for longer than 15 minutes.    And I’d wait for youtube. F*ckabuncha commercials!  Maybe I’ll check out The Bee Gees minute.  But right now I’m listening to Foxtrot.  A record I bought over 50 years ago.  And it’s all I need at the moment.   (Hackett, thankfully, is keeping it alive) Am I digressing?  Am I the old paradigm? Still listening to actual albums on a turntable and not   Spotify playlists?  I want the whole experience.  Even on Spotify.   I know, there’s a  vinyl “movement.” Vinyl is “cool.”  Great.  But it was what we had.  What we did. What we lived.  And there was no tech except mebbe stereo gear, home and car, and that was analog and all about good sound and how do you explain the ethos of those times to the newlyfounds? Vinyl wasn’t cool.  It was everything.  And more.  It still is if you were there.  You can still plug in.

Anyway I’m allowed to digress.  I’m f*cking old. Colin Hay said in a song “I was invincible now I’m invisible” or something similar.  He wasn’t singing about me but he was…. Nobody sees or hears me except cashiers when I’m tapping or swiping a credit card or my kids when they want money.

Anyway Happy New Year to ya

Bill Nelson

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You’re way too angry man. Take a walk outside. The sun is out. You’ll
live longer and maybe be happier. Really.

Mitch Tenzer

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You are the last cool one of our generation.  Love your writing!
PS yes, I know it’s “uncool” to say “cool”!!

Terry Savage
Nationally Syndicated Financial Columnist
www.TerrySavage.com