Who would you like to produce your record, living or dead.

Tune in today, August 16th, to Volume 106, 6 PM East, 3 PM West.

Phone #: 844-6-VOLUME, 844-686-5863

Twitter: @lefsetz or @siriusxmvolume/#lefsetzlive

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You’ve got no choice.

That’s what Prof G, i.e. Scott Galloway, said on his podcast.

There are two podcasts featuring Galloway. One is Pivot, with Kara Swisher, the other is The Prof G Pod, which is his alone. You can read about Galloway here: https://nyti.ms/3AoCZ2l

Scott is absent from the Pivot podcast this month, so don’t tune in. The magic of Pivot is Scott’s responses to Kara. Kara alone…she drop names and is so inside as to lose the plot too often. But Scott is on the ball. He called Elon/Twitter right.

In Galloway’s Prof G podcast, which airs twice a week, just like Pivot, he answers questions. And a recent one was whether Twitter made a mistake shutting down Vine. Galloway thought so, but he ended up singing the praises, waxing rhapsodic about TikTok.

It’s about the data points.

Scott said after a brief view Netflix only has a few. TikTok has hundreds! Watch just a little and the algorithm starts adjusting to serve you up what you want to see, even if you didn’t know you wanted to see it. Like I keep getting golf shots on Instagram Reels, whose algorithm is nowhere near as good as TikTok’s, and I’ve never ever liked a golf clip, don’t follow any golfers, but I enjoy what is served up!

Now Scott said the average person takes ten minutes to choose what to watch on Netflix. Which kind of stunned me, since everybody I know seems to go by the algorithms, or what their friends say. I research much longer than ten minutes, because I don’t want to waste any time watching lowbrow, boring, obvious television.

In other words, there’s a barrier. What Scott calls a tax.

And there’s none on TikTok. On TikTok you just launch the app and clips are served up. You get NO CHOICE!

This is exactly what we need in music. I’ve written about this before, and it got no traction then and it will get no traction now. There should be one track a week promoted by ALL streaming platforms. Or at least each platform should only have one. The Track of the Week. We’d all check it out. So we could talk about it! After all, everybody would be exposed to it. Would we like every track? OF COURSE NOT! But we’d check it out. Now many people don’t check out new music whatsoever, it’s too overwhelming.

Of course Spotify has Discover Weekly, a personalized algorithmic playlist, but I gave up on that, too many tuneouts. And Release Radar? The problem with algorithms is they can’t see the facts. If it’s a reissue, a remix, a remaster, IT’S NOT NEW! Sure, you want to make me aware, but it clutters up the flow and I don’t listen.

Now you must know your TikTok thread is personalized to you, AND ONLY YOU!

And what that means is what you may be into, few others may be into.

Last night I got on a comedy jag. I was looking for this young, deadpan female comic who is really good. I hadn’t followed her, which was a mistake, because I still haven’t found her again.

And I found some good stuff, and then researched these comics, and some of their YouTube clips only had hundreds of views. A couple had thousands of views. And in terms of career traction, THAT’S NOWHERE!

I mean you’ve got to start somewhere. But the road to the top is longer than ever before. And concomitantly those at the top reach fewer people than ever before. So, if you’re lucky you’ll be able to give up your day job, AND MOST OF THESE PEOPLE HAVE NOT!

And they don’t understand the basic rules. QUALITY COUNTS! Do not post a TikTok clip with bad audio. Not only does the audience tune out, the algorithm sees you skipping their videos and…they’re out of sight and out of mind! Quality is more important than frequency, remember that.

And the barrier to entry is NONEXISTENT!

This is music on steroids!

I mean it’s simple to make a song and post it. You can buy the beats, Macs come with GarageBand… Whereas every other kind of entertainment on TikTok…requires much less history and much less talent. EVERYBODY knows how to talk, not everybody knows how to play an instrument, never mind write a song.

And in truth everybody knows crappy TikToks go nowhere. And TikTok is not about impressing your friends, but people in general. So why bother if you’re not going to play for real?

And the level of innovation is mind-blowing. Sure, there are clichéd verticals, sex and beauty, but some people say the damndest things. You’ll find more wisdom about relationships on TikTok than you will in a slew of self-help books, and they’re BITE-SIZED!

And sure, special effects, trickery has an audience, but really it’s just about the person/people in the clip. You may be good-looking, but do you have charisma? Are you wooden on screen? Can you connect with people?

TikTok is YouTube on steroids. Because there’s no searching! Oh, you can search. But really, you just see what the algorithm delivers and go on your own personal hejira. There are very few tuneouts, and if you hit one and scroll past it, TIKTOK KNOWS!

TikTok is not pressuring you to watch anything. They just want you to watch period. Which means the same people on all the other social media platforms, the “winners,” don’t own all the airtime. They’re competing with the nobodies for views, you can never rest on your laurels, and nobodies can go to the top with a single clip, even their first one!

As for the comedians…

I was stunned how many there are. I mean I lived through the comedy boom in the eighties. You’d think all these comedians on TikTok would be crummy, complete amateurs. But in reality, they’re all professional. And some have hilarious jokes, that will get you chuckling even though you’re alone. Whereas others will say stuff that you think is funny, but it doesn’t stick with you.

Now I was mostly watching female comedians, looking for that one I’d seen previously. But there were some pros mixed in. Like Jimmy O. Yang, whose name I knew, I’d been exposed somewhere along the line, but I really didn’t know his material.

It’s the bit about the fortune cookie that kept me watching:

https://bit.ly/3Pi50g8

So I watched more Jimmy, he’s a cut above. And he’s got traction.

Not quite as good, from a relative nobody, who’s funny, is Isabel Hagen:

https://bit.ly/3ph3Sib

I could post clip after clip, but I won’t, I just want to say the more you watch the more you see who is a pro and who is close and needs better jokes. And then there are the ones who’ve carved out a career as actors, as voiceover artists, whose material is just not good enough to sustain them as a standup comic.

I don’t even want to listen to the new music.

I mean mediocre music is intolerable, whereas mediocre jokes you can endure.

So you’re now competing with the whole world. Not only those alive, but dead. And every individual only has a certain amount of attention. And multitasking has been proven to be a fraud, that’s not how the brain works, either you’re paying attention or you’re not.

And you thought the road to success was hard before…it’s so steep these days that four wheel drive won’t get you there.

But at least you can expose your work for free and get started.

But when you hear all this crap about going viral on TikTok…

I’m beginning to think it’s pure luck, you can’t really make it happen. The company can push your track, but someone who is creative has to choose to use it and to make a great clip with it. Once again, only great works.

So if you’re a musician…

Sure, the record companies can chase phenoms on TikTok…

But if you play music… Suddenly, you’re not only competing against musicians, but seemingly everybody! They’re all displaying their talent online. And most give up. But those who sustain…

This is not like the days of yore, where you could get by being mediocre in your own market because the big talent never came to town. No, now EVERYBODY comes to town. At least virtually.

The world is decomposing as we sit here. Becoming more and more individualized. We don’t know where to turn, we don’t know what to dedicate time to, and TikTok makes it all easy, IT CHOOSES FOR US!

As for the non-surfers, the non-users, pontificating negatively about TikTok, other than the Chinese data collection, I’m talking about the ones railing about misinformation…they don’t realize there is no mainstream on TikTok, it’s positively rural. A million hamlets and burgs, and there may not be a road from one to another.

But we all want to go on a journey.

If you haven’t been hooked on TikTok, you just haven’t used it.

You’re interested in something. And however obscure that might be, there’s someone talking about or doing it on TikTok. And all you need to do is surf. You don’t need to do any looking, searching, contemplating…just live in the moment and entertainment will come your way.

This is the opposite of network TV.

TikTok is where the algorithm works.

But you can’t beat the game like you can at Google or YouTube. It can’t be wired. You can just dive in and create, or watch.

And the more you watch, the more depressed you will be if you’re a creator. The competition is fierce, and winning the TikTok game, having a viral clip, does not mean you’ll get a big, rich Hollywood contract.

Something is happening here.

And the more you use the platform the more it becomes clear.

But don’t think clarity is just a few superstars at the top of the chart… NO WAY!

You can watch the first season on Amazon Prime.

But you’ve got to pay for the second on Topic. Which made me reluctant to check it out, I’m already paying for too many services already. But in truth, I’ve watched all the great available series on the channels I’m already subscribed to. And the “New York Times” recommended “Lykkeland”:

“‘State of Happiness’

When to watch: Now, on Amazon (Season 1 only) and Topic(Seasons 1 and 2).

This Norwegian drama (in Norwegian and English, with subtitles) starts in 1969, and its characters are connected to the emerging oil industry, as divers, as secretaries, as executives, as farmers in danger of exploitation. Anna (Anne Regine Ellingsaeter) is our Peggy Olsen, straddling class and culture divides to forge a way in the business world.

‘State’ lands right between ‘Call the Midwife’ and ‘For All Mankind,’ shows about drive and social change, with no real villains but many good costumes. There’s also a refreshing lack of twists or schtick; all the energy and urgency of the show come from relatable human behavior. Incredible! If you liked ‘Deutschland 83,’ the newest season of ‘Borgen or PBS shows in which young people hold lambs and fall in love on lush green landscapes, watch this.”

That’s right, Lykkeland’s English title is “State of Happiness.”

Now I’ve never watched “Call the Midwife,” all those PBS classics. And I found “For All Mankind” a poor-man’s “Right Stuff,” the look was good, the script was so average. But I LOVED all the “Deutschlands.” And there’s nothing better than “Borgen,” and the new season was totally up to par, so I felt I had to check out “Lykkeland.”

Now I’ve been to Oslo twice. And it’s not like Sweden. Not everybody speaks amazing English. The country has a different vibe. Maybe because it used to be poor.

Not that I knew any of this, after all, I LIVE IN AMERICA!

The record company guys told me about the sixties, with one radio station and no money. It didn’t sound like Scandinavia, but Eastern Europe.

And then they found oil.

You see there’s a sovereign wealth fund. I’ll make it simple, the overall umbrella is called the “Government Pension Fund of Norway” and everybody in Oslo watches the number just like Angelenos watch the number of smoking deaths on that billboard on Santa Monica Boulevard. Everybody knows the number, you see Norway is RICH!

And despite the country running on oil bucks, it’s an environmental advocate’s paradise. Ten years ago I saw more Teslas in Oslo than America!

But as I said above, I only know all this because I went there.

You probably haven’t.

The two seasons of “Lykkeland” are the story of finding oil and how it plays out with the companies and government.

But it’s not a documentary. The facts are overlaid with identities, personalities, love, changes. It’s not ultra-dynamic and gripping, but you watch a few episodes and you say to yourself…THIS IS FANTASTIC!

Especially the second season. At first it was hard to get into. The years gone by, the changes. And then in the middle I was positively mesmerized, it was so well done.

The glue is Anne Regine Ellingsaeter. Born on a farm, she wants more. She’s engaged to a boy from a rich family and…

What’s it like being the scion of a rich family? That’s Christian’s dilemma.

And you know family businesses, the father starts it and subsequent generations are complacent and run them into the ground. That’s Fredrik, Christian’s father.

And Fredrik is married to Ingrid, who can’t lose her social status.

And the two Texas cowboys who work for Phillips 66 are only interested in oil and money, until…

The whole country is transformed by the oil wealth.

But the oil discovery in Norway was much later than in other countries, they could learn the lessons, forge an independent path, favoring the country and its citizens. Or, should they believe the energy titans who say that drilling is no place for amateurs and…

Do you take the corporate money and shut up?

Or do you stand up for truth?

And there’s plenty of money.

And the Americans believe their way works, that they have all the power, they don’t want to kowtow to the Norwegians. Especially in this offbeat town with a religious bent.

The relationships are done so well. What Anna goes through. And Anna knows business, she knows how to dot an “i” and cross a “t,” but she’s terrible at personal relationships.

You will get invested. You’ll happily pay the $5.99 to Topic for the second season.

And half of the show is in English for those who abhor subtitles, maybe more than that.

And honestly, I was debating whether to give “Lykkeland” a rave review. Because I know it’s not some people’s kind of show. It’s not slow, but it’s not fast. It’s not car crashes. But it is plenty intense, PLENTY intense. Both interpersonally and action-wise.

And that’s what I’m looking for. A show so true to life that I can’t think about anything else when I’m watching it, my mind doesn’t drift.

“Lykkeland” might take place in Norway, but I could see so many parallels to my own life, my own choices, it made me feel connected, even though in no way was I any of the people involved.

You can’t always trust the “New York Times”‘s recommendations. I’ve learned to research them before I watch them. Because I’ve had a couple of bad experiences. But “Lykkeland” researched well.

“Lykkeland” is a winner.

Either you’ll watch three or four episodes (they’re forty five minutes each) and say it’s not for you, or you’ll get hooked, and ultimately you’ll go on the emotional roller coaster.

They don’t make American shows this good.

Unfortunately. 

https://amzn.to/3phwCHG

I’d never heard of it.

But it was the second best selling book in Los Angeles, as reported by the L.A. “Times.” How could that be?

Well, you can’t trust the L.A. “Times” best seller list. It’s easily manipulated. The system is opaque. And as a result there are anomalies all the time. Usually L.A.-centric books or authors. But this one?

I immediately went to Amazon and researched it. “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” had four and a half stars with over a thousand reviews. That’s extremely hard to achieve. Especially since there are always people posting one star reviews having nothing to do with the content. They didn’t get the book, or it came damaged, or…

And the book was published by Knopf, the Mo Ostin’s Warner Brothers of book publishers. There’s no trash on Knopf. There’s a reason to publish every book. But I’d never heard of this author, Gabrielle Zevin, who was not a newbie, she’d had previous books published. How did this elude me?

Not that I was ready to commit. I trust the wisdom of the crowd only so far. So I went to Libby and reserved it.

And I’ve been on a Jennifer Haigh kick. “Mercy Street” is one of the best books I’ve read this year.

And I’d already read 2016’s “Heat & Light,” but one day I went on Libby and downloaded the rest of Haigh’s books, I was sick of reading unrewarding work. I don’t write about everything I read, nor everything I watch, this is not a document of my life, I only put fingers to keyboard if I believe it’s worth your time, your attention.

And the net said “Faith” was the best Haigh book I hadn’t read, and I devoured it. Really good. And I plan on reading the rest, but all of a sudden, “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” became available.

Not that I was expecting much.

Not that I’d invested much. I mean this was a library book. I’d give it a whirl, if it didn’t float my boat, no big deal, I’d move on, go back to Haigh.

But “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” is astounding!

Let me make this clear. “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” is the new “Goldfinch,” with a bit of “Garp” thrown in, you remember, the unexpected surprises in that John Irving book?

But Donna Tartt’s “Goldfinch” was about art. Highbrow. You could feel good reading it. Especially once it got traction. You were part of the cognoscenti, the intelligentsia, despite the criticism that it was basically a YA title (“Young Adult”.) And “Garp” was ultimately about family, and done well that always resonates. Whereas “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” is about VIDEO GAMES!

And that gets no traction amongst the aforementioned intelligentsia.

But video games were the rock music of the nineties and the first decade of this century. They flourished almost underground. They got no attention, no respect, just like rock music in its infancy/ascendancy.

And of course the real breakthrough was Atari, there was gaming in the eighties, but that company crashed, taking down Warner stock, the ignorant thought video games were history. And then came Nintendo. And then came the PlayStation and the Xbox.

And then came Twitch.

Used to be all the innovation came through music, but if you want to observe the cutting edge pay attention to video games. If for no other reason than there’s more money in video games than music!

The nineties were the wild west. Independent publishers. Like music before the seventies, like tech before the twenty first century. It was innovation 24/7. And then the dust settled and the big companies triumphed. Not that the entertainment conglomerates didn’t notice the gaming tsunami. They thought it was easy, but they lost millions. Creating a game everybody wants to play can cost more than a movie to make, and the barrier to entry for the consumer is higher, video games cost much more than a movie to buy/see. There are hits…and then everything else. And just because you attach the name of a famous movie that does not mean you’ll have success. You can’t pull the wool over the eyes of the gamers, they know.

So Sadie and Sam are addicted to gaming back in the eighties. Just like boomers were addicted to music in the sixties. That’s all they cared about.

And when they went to college…

They had a whole gaming history. Sadie carries around her classics, for reference, to keep her warm at night, just like you schlepped around your albums.

And eventually the games go online and…

This analogy to music runs throughout the book.

But that’s not what “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” is about, the place of games in the firmament. The main characters live in the gaming world, they’re oblivious to what else is going on. They’re working 18 hour days. If you want a life, don’t sign up. It takes a special kind of oddball.

But are Sam and Sadie boyfriend and girlfriend? What exactly is their relationship?

Do you take the money or go with what feels best?

Do you make a sequel for the easy bucks or continue to push the envelope?

But it’s really all about relationships. Connections. Acceptance. Gaming is just the framework. And “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” is in no way predictable. You reach a point where it becomes addictive and you can’t put it down, and when you’re not reading it it calls out to you.

And there’s too much life wisdom to recite here.

Because the outsiders don’t go through the motions. They have their own philosophies.

If you were captain of the football team, or a cheerleader, “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” is not for you. If you got good grades but never got laid, sign right up. If you realized the only way to succeed was to own your identity and march forward, come on down. If you’re willing to take the time to read a book to get the rewards, you’re gonna dig this.

But not everybody will.

Because everybody doesn’t like everything.

But “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” is a major work. And it’s succeeding on word of mouth, which is the only way to sustain in today’s marketplace. Hype can buy you at best a week’s worth of attention, after that you’re on your own.

I loved this book!