I was waiting in line at the grocery store when the two Mexican (i.e. from Mexico) women in front of me whipped out their Centurion cards.

You may not know what I’m referring to. It used to be called the Black card, but Amex forgot to trademark it and then other companies started to use the term, you can get a Black Mastercard. So now it’s called the Centurion card, and although rappers have rapped about it, most people still don’t know what it is.

Let’s see… You’ve got to be invited in, you just can’t apply and get one. Right now, in the U.S., the annual fee is $5,000. With a one time initiation fee of $10,000. My research (well, Wikipedia) tells me it’s cheaper in Mexico, only $2,907 a year, but that’s still a lot of dough. Traditionally, to get a Centurion card you have to spend $250,000 a year on a lesser card, like the Platinum.

So I’d been waiting for over twenty minutes. You see there was only one lane open, and I had too much stuff to self-check, although all four self-check outlets were busy anyway. And these two Mexican women in Moncler jackets with two carts had a bill of $570. Not that they were ready to pay it. You see the bagger had left, so they were bagging their own groceries. But the Latina checker interrupted them and in Spanish told them about the bill. So one lady, who looked like she’d just left the dance floor, came around to insert her card, that’s when I saw that it was a Centurion. But somehow she couldn’t put it in right, so the other woman came over and inserted her Centurion card, that worked, and they went on their  merry way, and the checker proceeded to scan my groceries at light speed, trying to whittle down the line of almost ten carts behind me.

Maybe you don’t know that Mexicans have money.

Well, I bumped into this guy the other week and we were talking and I asked him what he does for work in Mexico. He said he was in telecommunications. I remarked that one man controlled the whole business. And this guy said yes. And then I asked him if he was related to this guy, and he said yes again.

So just now I was dealing with a service person. He grew up in Kansas, he didn’t go to college, he’s twenty eight and working a barely better than minimum wage job. And I’m getting his story and then I ask him what is his dream.

Well, he might go to trade school, but that takes a lot of money, time and effort. So what he really wants to do is be a stockpicker, he told me he’s got a feel for it, he’d put a put on this one company and he’d made three hundred dollars.

And I’m standing there thinking how screwed up the world is.

Used to be there were three classes of people, at least when I grew up. There were the poor, but let’s ignore them, everybody else does. Then the middle class, who worked hard, honestly, to get ahead, and the blue bloods, people who wore chinos and boat shoes and drove old Country Squire station wagons and looked lower middle class but in reality had more money than everybody else. They’d inherited it, and they didn’t brag about it. You had to be exposed to them to know. There were a number of these people in Southern Connecticut, where I grew up. But I was clued-in at Middlebury College, which a lot of blue bloods attended.

Now the blue bloods weren’t necessarily that rich, but they were certainly beyond middle class. I remember this one nerd who inherited $24 million on his 21st birthday. His family was in the tool business, not that you’d know.

But everything changed in the eighties and nineties. Reagan legitimized greed, the baby boomers took the bait, tech took hold and suddenly we had a class of billionaires. Bankers blew up the economy in 2008 and then bitched that they didn’t get their bonuses after the government bailed the banks out.

Everybody knows about these people. Because that became a story unto itself, the lifestyles of the rich and famous. Unlike the blue bloods, the new rich bragged about their money. And lorded it over the rest of the populace. It was a way to be fabulous without being an artist. Used to be artists were atop the celebrity heap, but now the truly rich could buy the artists for private occasions. Everybody’s got a price, and these people have got the money.

So what’s a poor boy to do?

Certainly not play in a rock and roll band. You can’t make that kind of money in the music business, which is why today’s best and brightest don’t go into it. Music is for the uneducated with few skills. Odds are long, but you can make bank without portfolio. As for the intelligent and educated, they don’t like the music business odds, they go elsewhere, like banking and tech and…

The opportunity to pull yourself up by your bootstraps is very thin. You see the rich have rigged the game, and they don’t want to let you in. Jared Kushner’s father gave a building to Harvard so he could be admitted, because otherwise he wouldn’t. But this is not a right or left issue, this is a money issue, and both sides play the game.

Used to be you could make a big buck working in manufacturing. But all those jobs went to Mexico or overseas, where employees would work for a pittance.

So what you’re mostly left with is service jobs, which may not even pay the rent, you might have to have two.

But everybody needs hope. And now that hope is based on the stock market. You can make a killing. But what the hoi polloi don’t know is the game is rigged, it’s not only inside information, but relationships that allow you to buy at a low price and…it’s a professional business.

But just like Spotify, anybody can play. So that’s what people are doing to try and get ahead, playing the market. They’re also investing in crypto. I mean how else can a regular person get rich?

And then there’s the Russian oligarchs. Word is they possess Putin’s money, they’re hiding it for him, essentially laundering it, but they know when Putin calls, they’ve got to deliver. And now governments are doing a good job of cracking down on the Russian oligarchs, but not those in the rest of the world. It’s hard to make a billion dollars honestly. What’s that aphorism? Behind every great fortune lies a great crime. That’s attributed to Honoré de Balzac, a French novelist and playwright, I dare you to come up with a businessman from 175 years ago.

So America has turned into a giant casino. And you know what they say about Las Vegas, the whole town is a monument to losers, it wouldn’t exist if the house didn’t have an edge and make money.

The house has the edge in life. And you probably don’t know it unless you were born in the house, or somehow became a club member.

This is the underlying problem in America today. And just like climate change, there doesn’t seem to be any progress. Then again, those in the house don’t want to let people in, not that these outsiders know it.

So the American Dream is gambling, on the lottery, on the stock market, it’s the only way for most people to get ahead.

I woke up with the song “Head and Heart” in my brain.

In case you don’t know, the “hit” was by America, it appeared on their second album, “Homecoming,” which contained “Ventura Highway.”

But the song was written by John Martyn.

What stunned me was that neither recording sounded like the version in my head. The song had become my own.

And then my brain told me to listen to “Easy to Slip,” an unknown Little Feat track that has gained some traction over time with inclusion in greatest hits/repackages, but when it opened the band’s second album, “Sailin’ Shoes,” I didn’t know a single soul who knew it, never mind owned the album. It wasn’t until the band’s third album, in my eyes its best, “Dixie Chicken,” appeared that the band had any penetration into the marketplace, which was cemented by the follow-up, which gained airplay with a Billy Payne song, “Oh Atlanta,” which was kind of surprising for the Lowell George-led band. But it was “Easy to Slip” I sang skiing the bumps at the ‘Bird, and my friend Al started singing it too, in his own way, even though he’d never heard the record.

And I could have written a whole essay about the foregoing. First and foremost about John Martyn, who’s dead and gone, who succumbed to the effects of drugs and alcohol according to Wikipedia, which they say is as accurate as an encyclopedia, then again no one buys those anymore since there is Wikipedia. And I’m thinking of all the acts from back then, the late sixties and early seventies, that all dedicated music fans knew, even if they didn’t own the record, like the Incredible String Band, and how no one mentions them anymore. They weren’t big successes back then, but unlike the tripe of the late seventies and eighties they were original and valid and they’re all sitting there on Spotify to be discovered. Then again, go down that rabbit hole and you’ll be alone, when today it’s all about being a member of the group, it used to be about being an individual.

So while I’m listening to Alexa spew these songs I’m reading the MacKenzie Scott article in the “New York Times,” inspired by her philanthropic giving. I found it astounding that she’s already given away more than Eli Broad in just a few years. And I’m thinking how admirable Scott is but as I plow into the article, I realize she’s a kiss-ass. Never mind her real last name being “Tuttle.”

There’s a game. I don’t know if it’s identical from when I went to school, but I can’t see how it could have really changed. You do the work, suck up to the teacher and if you continue on this path you get good recommendations and you get into a good college. You don’t make any waves, you don’t get detention, you’re calm and studious, you do what’s expected.

I hate those people.

If you’ve been following the education beat, and I guess I still do, even though I’d never ever want to go back to school, you know that all the colleges are getting rid of standardized tests.

But it was standardized tests that saved us. Those who colored outside the lines, those who were independent thinkers, who questioned authority. Bottom line, we could ace the SATs and get into superior universities based on that. But now it’s all soft credits. They say it’s to help the underprivileged, but it’s killing the originals, the people who change society, for the better. You grade-grub, you get good recommendations from your teachers, and you get into these prestigious schools as an automaton. No wonder the greats drop out. Steve Jobs. Mark Zuckerberg. To be successful, to push the envelope, not to make a lot of money necessarily, but to change the world, you’ve got to do it your way, a different way, that resonates, that gives people what they want even though they don’t know it.

Like Elon Musk.

This guy is insane. His personal life is a travesty. He gets in trouble with the SEC. But he spearheaded Tesla and SpaceX, never mind PayPal.

And just recently he bought a big chunk of Twitter, and a couple of days ago he tweeted…, let me find it:

“Most of these “top” accounts tweet rarely and post very little content. 

Is Twitter dying?

TOP 10 most followed Twitter accounts: 

1. @BarackObama 131.4M 

2. @justinbieber 114.3M 

3. @katyperry 108.8M 

4. @rihanna 105.9M 

5. @Cristiano98.8M 

6. @taylorswift13 90.3M 

7. @ladygaga 84.5M 

8. @elonmusk 81M 

9. @narendramodi 77.7M 

10. @TheEllenShow 77.5M”

That’s the dirty little secret of today’s online world. It’s all statistics, rankings, no one pierces the surface and asks what the numbers really mean. If someone is rich, you can’t question their motives, their intelligence or how they made the money. If someone has a zillion followers or a zillion likes they’re perceived to be a big, influential star, you can’t pierce the veil and garner the truth.

So Elon Musk is stating the truth. Never mind fake followers, most of the big “stars” with big followings rarely post on Twitter, which is really the only valuable social network, because it’s based on information, it’s INFORMATIVE!

On Facebook and Instagram you can see what people have done, you can watch them shine, but if you want reality, you need Twitter.

And I’m not gonna try and convince you, it’s just that everybody who uses the service knows this. If you post what you’re doing on Twitter, no one cares. Add to the conversation, deliver facts, analyze, it’s a treasure trove of not only information, but inspiration, Twitter makes you think. The world runs on Twitter, but too many people are out of the loop.

These are questions that need to be addressed. And here we have the largest shareholder in the company asking them. Musk is not a drone. He’s revealing, and calling out truth. He wants to improve the service, not have it rest on his laurels. And, ironically, it’s his Twitter feed that gets the above info noticed and spread. As in he’s got an identity, he’s not shaving off his rough edges, and therefore he’s interesting to follow.

Like artists.

John Martyn and Lowell George were originals, far from me-too. They were part of the music scene, but they were not compromising, duplicating what the hitmakers did in search of a hit.

You’ve got to go your own way and blow institutions up. Music was famous for that, but it hasn’t really changed in twenty years.

And then we’ve got SNL… For all the ink you’d think everybody watches it and it affects the culture at large, but nothing could be further from the truth. Now in truth, broadcast TV is irrelevant, but if this were fifty years ago artists would be poking fun at an establishment production, and remaking it in their own hip way. But no, today all the automatons report what was on SNL like it’s manna from heaven.

Meanwhile, everybody talks about “Squid Game” and “Tiger King.” One thing you can say about both of them is they were originals, you’d never seen them before.

Now I’m not saying to go against the grain just for the sake of going against the grain.

And I’m not talking about holding back the future, trying to restrain people in their activities.

I’m talking about moving forward, cracking jokes… For all the standups out there irreverence has never had a smaller role in our society. God, if you make a joke the media police will come out and get you. Never mind if the joke fails. That’s right, you’ve got to miss a lot to hit.

But in truth, we’re all on our own path and no one is paying attention to what we’re doing unless we’re unique and different. Everybody’s fighting for attention doing the same damn thing, and that’s what the institutions like. Go to a record label with something that doesn’t sound like what’s on the radio and they’re not going to sign you, never ever.

For all the risk we hear about in Silicon Valley…

Most of that is funded by VCs.

No, true risk is personal. Something that you decide to do as an individual. It’s the only way to the top of the heap. The only way not to be a drone. Sure, you can make a ton of bread being a VP at a bank, but money is only one metric, and a far cry from importance from someone’s brain.

All these jokes about the liberal arts… English and art majors are derided, but these are the people creating the culture we indulge in. We live for the movies and the music and television, our gadgets, tech is just a tool. Isn’t that what Steve Jobs said?

But Steve Jobs is dead.

As is so much of what he represented.

You can have rough edges in pursuit of truth. Single-mindedness is the key to success.

It’s great that MacKenzie Scott is giving away all that money.

But I’d rather hang with the dead Lemmy and John Lennon than be a cog in the wheel of a corporation. We venerate those who Think Different. And those who Think Different don’t have to convince us they’re right, they don’t spam for attention, their work speaks for itself.

In order to make a difference you need to be different. You can’t be scared. But too many are.

That’s it.

Hayes Carll is an award-winning singer-songwriter from Texas. We discuss how he performed virtually during the pandemic, as well as what it’s like to be a touring musician singing his truth today and the tension between needing to have a presence online yet still focus on the work. Hayes also describes what it’s like to pursue songwriting excellence as opposed to fame. This is the other side of the music industry, someone who has a presence in the landscape yet has to work for a living, who is known but is not famous enough to survive on recording income and sponsorships. Hayes is authentic, you’ll enjoy listening to him.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hayes-carll/id1316200737?i=1000556513509

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/6c7551cc-1293-41c4-be69-d4dc622763b0/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-hayes-carll

https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast/episode/hayes-carll-202144435

Hey Bob,

You may not know it, but I’ve long admired your writing.

So it was that I was quite taken aback when a friend of mine in the States mentioned that you’d written a piece entitled ‘Living In A Fantasy’ – taking inspiration from my 1980 song.

It’s a beautifully written article (as always) and I find it so very humbling that my words and creativity have such an effect on people.

When you’re creating songs you never think of the effect, just putting down emotions as they come to you, trying to describe to yourself how you feel, to let it all out, air your thoughts. It’s a very cathartic exercise, rewarding and satisfying too.

I have had a very long career, which is still going strong even though I’m now I’m in my 74th year.

I’m living these days near Sydney in Australia, still writing songs, making records, still performing gigs and tours with my voice as good as ever – and remarkably I’ve still got all my hair!

I feel blessed by my life as a songwriter, even more than my success as a singer, and articles like yours make it all worthwhile.

So, thank you!

Leo (Gerard Hugh) Sayer.

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

Subject: Leo Sayer video from Jack Tempchin

Hi Bob

In the year 2000 I had a birthday party every Monday night at “The Joint” on Pico and Sepulveda.  I had “special guests” drop in and play with my core band.

Here is one night when Leo Sayer played.  He was incredible.

There is backstage footage.  Terry Reid, Waddy Wachtel, Rick Rosas, Bernard Fowler and Phil Jones and I were the band.

There was always a cast of characters backstage.

I had it all filmed and recorded and this year they are being posted.

Leo Sayer blew my mind.  I had no idea from his records how great a singer he was.

thanks

(I read you every day)

Jack Tempchin