Dann Huff was a top session musician, then guitarist and singer for the band Giant, and is now an elite record producer in Nashville. Dann goes deep into the practicalities and creative process of making records, and if you’re at all involved in the recording process, if you’re an act and want to have success, you need to listen to this.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dann-huff/id1316200737?i=1000555092935

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/df719603-3f28-4aaf-84a0-e550d8d83a1a/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-dann-huff

https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast/episode/dann-huff-201677475

RE: SACRIFICE

I have been wondering for some time what the differences are between a Russian and an American oligarch. The only thing I can think of is that in Russia the government tells them what to do but in the USA the oligarchs tell the government what to do. But in the end is there any real difference?

Zack Schindler

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Great piece, Bob. I remember Ken Kesey once said in an interview that Americans no longer know how to forebear. He was comparing the Baby Boomers and younger Americans to earlier generations. People who lived through the Flu of 1918, the Depression, and World War II knew sacrifice in their bones because they had so much firsthand experience with loss and hardship. That hasn’t been the case in our buy-now/pay-later culture for decades.

I’ve often wondered what kind of shock would recalibrate the scale. There was a brief moment of unity right after 9/11, and some people felt called to serve their country, but then George W. told Americans to go shopping. A global pandemic didn’t do it. I shudder to think what it might take at this point.

Stay well.

Matt Kohut

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I agree with this sentiment. but young people today think they can become billionaires via crypto trading, or being on Tik tok or an IG influencer. To achieve financial independence via practicing law on my own took years and huge risks were required. The kind where you say to yourself, well if this doesn’t work out I guess I will just go BK and start over. That kind of risk made me sacrifice getting married and having kids, which I don’t really regret now but as a youngster, I assumed I would get married and have them.  Had to break up with girlfriends I could have had a nice life because of that.

Brian Barry

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Bob, you CAN have it all.
You just can’t have it all at once.

Peace,
Susan Dorsey

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RE: DON HENLEY PLAYLIST

This one was -is impossible as I love everything Don has ever done. Honored to have played on record with him a few times and he is still an old friend.

Don could sing the alphabet and make it great.

+ Eagles rule

Luke

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Some truly great songs/vocals in here. And they hold up.

Tom Johnston

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Subject: Re: Proud Mary

I played guitar for John for about a year. My first gig was in St. John, Nova Scotia in front of 10,000 people. I had never experienced anything like it in my life. I was used to a 45 minutes to an hour and a half gig, tops. These were pushing 2 1/2 hour shows easily and filled with hits! My favorite Fogerty song has to be “Long As I See the Light,” but “Proud Mary” was a roof raiser as was “Born On The Bayou” (although I got relegated to congas because I was the new guy!) But, every night watching these people sing along to these songs blew my mind. Some of the greatest songs ever written and here I was playing alongside the person that wrote them. And the songs are so basic, but timeless.

David George

Moozer Music, Inc.

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Subject: Re: Elton John Favorites Playlist

I love this list… I have been ever so lucky to play almost all of them with him.

Quite a few years ago, there was a set list that Elton wrote out by hand. It was songs he wanted to play I assume, for a show where he didn’t perform mostly the hits.  There is about 28 albums and maybe 3-5 songs from each one. Would have been pretty cool if it ever materialized.

Lot’s of them are on your list.

Thank You Bob,

John Mahon

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From: Chip Lovitt

Subject: Re: William Hurt

Wow! A great but sad tribute to a great actor. My father used to joke that you go from reading the “funny pages” pages in newspapers to the sports pages or the news, and eventually you turn to the obits…Like Paul and Artie sang in Old Friends, how terribly strange to be 70…I didn’t quite get that line back when I first heard Bookends. Anyway, nice piece!

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From: Jose Sala

Subject: Re: Even More Covid

One of your readers  (Trent Keeling)  mentioned how orderly things were in Puerto Rico regarding Covid.

I have lived here all my life.

Mandates were generally lifted 2-3 weeks ago, and still everybody wears them in most places, especially inside. No drama.

Its just common sense and being considerate of others.

What makes us this way vs what I see wherever I go in USA? My theory:

– basic values that stem out of Family and to a degree, Religion

– that our people truly care for each other: friends, neighbors or strangers (ask any tourist)

–  the reality that we struggle thru catastrophic events TOGETHER continually (hurricanes)

When you put those 3 together, you have a “cohesive society”. 

Pulitzer Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz used that phrase in a speech here to describe our people.

These 3 elements are visible now in Ukraine.

Joey Sala

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From: marc brickman

Subject: Re: Podcast is up!

hi bob,

thanks again for letting me be myself.

i did make a mistake when i spoke about 

Lou Kellman/ NFL films.

Lou’s nephew was Ed Sabol. 

founder of NFL Films.

Morris Kessler was founder/designer 

of SAE audio here in LA.

xo,

marc

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RE: JOHN OLIVER ON TICKETMASTER

From: Russ Turk

I paid $315 each for McCartney at MetLife stadium in NJ. Floor seats, section 14 on the aisle. I have no problem with that price and those seats. It’s McCartney and even at close to 80 years old, it’s Paul Freakin McCartney. I’ve paid about that price to see him for the past 15 years every time he plays NJ or NYC. How many more times will we be able to see a Beatle play the Beatles live before our eyes? Worth every penny.

Turk

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From: Bill Nelson

Haven’t seen the J Oliver bit.  I was looking for NCAA Tournament tix on Ticketmaster.  Nothing but “verified resale tickets” which always reminds me of “certified pre owned” vehicles acquired in trade or at auction.   I know. It’s different.  But it’s the same.  Kind of.  And you’re right.  People will bitch and moan about high prices for tix.  But they’ll (we’ll) pay up cuz we wanna fuckin go, like, YESTERDAY!  I saw the Eagles recently and, yeah they charge what the tix are worth.  But I still paid more.  No regrets.  And I’ll pay “more” for upcoming shows cuz I like taking my youngest son, who will be seen in public with me if I pay.  So I pay……all of it, merch, beers, whatever.  The memories, are worth the bucks.

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Hi Bob,

The fans love scalpers? The only way to stop ticket touting is to inflate prices?

It’s an interesting perspective. But there’s more than one way to skin a cat.

In the UK, I’ve been overseeing a campaign called the FanFair Alliance since 2016. It’s supported by managers and teams for many of the world’s biggest artists, and won backing from the vast majority of the UK’s live music business.

Our work has helped secure many important legislative and regulatory changes, and a much improved enforcement of consumer protection law.

The situation isn’t perfect, but here’s the upshot.

1. Unlike North America, British consumers have at least some transparency when they use sites like viagogo and StubHub. For instance, they must be told where seats are located, or if there’s restrictions around the use of a ticket. They must be shown fees upfront. Pressure selling techniques are banned. Speculatively listing tickets (ie fraud) is unlawful. And if the seller is a “trader” (ie a business, rather than a fellow consumer) they must be provided that info too. In short, you need to understand what you’re buying and who you’re buying it from.

2. As a result, artists and promoters can enforce their T&Cs – making clear that commercial resale is prohibited, while allowing fans to resell for the price they paid or less. Technological innovation (e.g. mobile-only tickets) further enhances these strategies.

3. The UK now supports an increasing range of capped consumer-friendly resale services. Every major primary ticket agent – including Ticketmaster – offers this kind of service, alongside specialist resale platforms like Twickets. This is the direction our market is moving.

4. Consequently, artists and promoters have been empowered to disrupt and prevent exploitative online ticket touting. If they want to, they can set the “market price”. They can successfully implement anti-touting strategies. And they can guide their audiences towards consumer-friendly alternatives for resale.

5. On the flip side, legacy platforms like viagogo and StubHub are in decline. These sites are entirely artificial constructs anyway, and wholly reliant on two things: a small number of large-scale commercial resellers and a dominance of paid-search on Google. Remove the touts or the advertising, and the whole business crumbles. They’re also plagued with non-existent or speculative listings. These sites don’t serve a demand – they simply increase scarcity, or, more truthfully, the illusion of scarcity.

6. With greater transparency, we can see that the value of “secondary ticketing” has been massively over-inflated. When the UK’s business regulator, the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA), investigated the merger of viagogo & StubHub, the two Parties claimed the value of tickets resold via the UK’s online secondary market in 2018 was worth up to £2.5bn.

The CMA’s estimate?

£350m.

Less than 20% of what viagogo and StubHub will have potentially told their investors.

And this is a business reportedly looking to IPO with a $13bn valuation!

Best, Adam

Adam Webb

AL1 Communications

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From: “Allen S. Miller, MS, DC”

Subject: Re: Brandi Carlile Responds

Dear Bob.

I go back through my father an ex-LAPD detective, to the days when gay men were arrested in Parks. I was a bodyguard to Dinah Shore in the early late 70’s and early 80”s and it didn’t dawn on me at the time, how pivotal this amazing woman was in this movement. We had many guests from her show up to the house for dinner, and it was a safe haven for everyone that had been on the “couch”. So many at the time were fearful of the atmosphere and could not enjoy an average evening out with their partners, or enjoy the simple act of holding one’s hand in public. Rock Hudson, Danny Kay along with straight actors and actresses all under one roof laughing and enjoying Paulines cooking.

This atmosphere was unique at the time. I am at a complete loss as to why, what Brandi desires is not the rule. I don’t understand the fear, and anger that exists, as this is a no-brainer. How did the paranoid few make things so hard on those that just want to live, be happy, coping with the insanity of the world that roles over us. I’m sorry, I just don’t get it…

One more thing, Ms. Carlile’ interpretation of Elton John’s, Madman Across the water was just amazing, and it gives me chills just writing this. It was a fitting and respectful cover while adding a standalone sound of her own to this song, while showing great respect to Elton John. A wonderful tribute to him his music and hers.

Thank you as always,

Allen Miller

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From: Hugo Burnham

Subject: Re: LGBTQ Protests

In our miniscule way, not meaning shit in the bigger picture of weight to throw around – we are selling bits of smashed-up microwaves, worn/broken drumsticks (with ’These Drumsticks Fight Fascists’ hand-written on them), and branded guitar/bass picks at our merch table – and donating the $ to Planned Parenthood. If someone brings us an album or a grabbed Set List to have signed, it’s, “Of course! But will you please go and make a contribution to P.P. at the merch table for it?”

We also have branded condoms ‘For Your Top Left Pocket’ (- for those that know why…)

Hugo B

https://spoti.fi/3L5ZWcV

Witchy Woman

Nightingale

Doolin-Dalton

Desperado

On the Border

One of These Nights

Hotel California

Life in the Fast Lane

Wasted Time

Victim of Love

The Long Run

The Disco Strangler

King of Hollywood

Those Shoes

No More Walks in the Wood

Waiting in the Weeds

Long Road Out of Eden

Dirty Laundry

The Boys of Summer

Not Enough Love in the World

Sunset Grill

The End of the Innocence

The Last Worthless Evening

New York Minute

The Heart of the Matter

For My Wedding

Goodbye to a River

They’re Not Here, They’re Not Coming

My Thanksgiving

Words Can Break Your Heart

Everybody Knows

Yes It Is

Leather and Lace

Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough

Inside Out

You can’t have it all.

That’s what they told women, back in the seventies, at the height of the liberation movement, that they could have it all. But you can’t. You’ve got to give something up. Sure, you can have a high-powered job and kids, it’s just that you might not be home when your child speaks their first word.

But this isn’t about women. They were held down and still are, but it’s representative of the seventies. The war was fading in people’s consciousness, they kept saying it was gonna be over, that peace was at hand when it wasn’t, at least not until 1975, and the human potential movement popped up, resulting in what Tom Wolfe called the “Me Decade.” EST, therapy, you wanted to be all you could be, before the army went all volunteer and co-opted the slogan.

Then came the eighties. It was all about greed. There was even a movie where it was said “Greed is good.” The boomers flipped from love everybody to love me, I’m first, and up until the dot com crash of the twenty first century things appeared pretty groovy. Clinton created a surplus. The wall fell. The USSR disintegrated. We believed peace would reign, ain’t that a joke.

The past few decades have revealed the cost of the economic run-up. Turns out many were left behind while those with lowered taxes and higher incomes were living like royalty. To the point where dissension appeared in our homeland, never mind overseas.

And now it’s even worse, we’ve got more questions than answers.

This is the world you’re living in. How do you get ahead?

Well, maybe you were born into wealth, and mommy and daddy can sustain your lifestyle, even after death. But that’s an elite few, what about the rest of us?

We have to sacrifice.

Sacrifice has been a dirty word ever since Jimmy Carter told citizens to put on a sweater during the energy crisis. But we’re America! We’re entitled to drive gas-guzzlers, you can’t impinge on our lifestyle, even if we drive the environment off a cliff.

And sacrifice is involved here, and the youngest generations prioritize the environment and have a different ethos than their parents, and this sacrifice is important, but it’s not exactly what I’m referencing here.

To be successful, to have an impact, you must sacrifice, severely, you cannot have it all.

I talk to uber-successful people all the time. On the surface they might appear to have it all, but in truth, they’re so busy working they don’t have time for their accoutrements, even for their family. It’s so hard to make it, and always has been. This is what they don’t tell you. You can’t be raised by society, it’s all Madison Avenue marketing messages. If you’re lucky, you’ll have a parent who steers you right, but that assumes that parent knows the score to begin with.

But the boomers’ parents didn’t grow up in luxury. Many of their grandparents were immigrants. These boomer parents wanted more for their kids. But they were aware of the manual labor, the picking themselves up by the bootstraps, of their parents. The boomer parents made a life, saw the landscape and wanted to give their kids a leg up. Education was key. You needed to ring the college bell. You had to be prepared for a career. Forget that so many veered from this prescription, and some successfully. But back in the seventies, the goal was to be a doctor or a lawyer, your parents wanted to know that when they died you’d be protected, that you’d have enough money, that you’d survive.

But then the boomers told their kids they could have everything. That no one should lose. You got a trophy for participating. And if someone stepped on your toes, in truth or metaphorically, they would run out and protect you. Bullying was taboo. And the school was at fault, not you.

And education became polarized. Public schools declined. There was a clear line of demarcation between the haves and have-nots. But still, people were told they could have it all, still are.

Like the online influencers. It’s a casino, only you have to gamble 24/7. Even the most successful influencers burn out and abandon the role, they’re working themselves to death, providing content for Mark Zuckerberg and the Chinese so they can become billionaires. That’s the pitch, you too can be rich, just make me rich by bringing in eyeballs.

And the musicians. They just can’t understand why they’re not rich. The game is rigged, stacked against them, there must be some reason why they’re not world famous, rolling in dough.

No one wants to speak the truth, that you need to sacrifice. Greatly. To achieve one significant thing. Hyphenates? Very rare. Don’t specialize too early, but by time you hit your twenties, maybe it takes until your thirties, you’ll see the destination, it will come into focus, and if you want to get there…

You’ve got to give stuff up.

Maybe you can’t drive a new car. Maybe you can’t own a house. Maybe you can’t afford to even get married, never mind have kids.

And you can’t party ad infinitum.

But this doesn’t square with what you’ve been told, that you can have it all!

Which is why the hoi polloi are flummoxed when icons are held in front of their eyes. How’d they make it? I’m entitled too!

Yes, everybody is entitled, but not everybody wants to go down the road less-traveled. What’s that AC/DC song, “It’s a Long Way to the Top”? Never mind staying there.

So the Ukraine war has turned everything we know upside down.

We thought the Russians would cream the Ukrainians virtually overnight. We had no idea to what lengths the Ukrainians would go to defend their country. And this revealed the chinks in Russia’s army, turned out when engaged in battle, when truly tested, it wasn’t that good.

And all day long we’re confronted with images of bombing and death. It’s reminiscent of World War II. It’s unfathomable to Americans, we’re safe, right? Well, that’s debatable. But one thing is for sure, Americans are not into sacrifice, quite the opposite, they believe they’re entitled to all of it. To not be vaxxed, or wear a mask, and be free of Covid. It’s like if they believe it to be true, it shall be. And too much of America is ruled by televangelists, scamsters getting rich on selling falsehoods. When you tune in the channel they sell salvation, and your eyeballs pay their handsome salaries. It’s a good game if you’re the purveyor. As for the receiver… Give all the money you want, there’s no guarantee you’re getting into heaven, that there even is a heaven.

So it’s not only the Ukrainian public willing to die for their country, it’s their leader too, Volodymyr Zelensky. The leaders are usually inviolate, far from the frontline, sipping their brandy in comfort. But Zelensky is right there in the action, with his people. He doesn’t think he’s better than them, he knows he’s an equal. And that the public needs leaders who speak truth. Funny how much truth resonates, we all know it, but few are willing to stand up, sacrifice for it.

Like Alexei Navalny. That’s today’s news, how Russia has given him nine more years in prison.

Now this guy was poisoned by Russia, recovered in Germany and went back to Russia to go to prison on false charges. I can’t think of a single American who would do such a thing. He’s standing up for his beliefs, which are more important to him than the trappings. In a rigged system. Anybody gets wronged in America and they say they’re going to sue. And if they actually do, and lose, they say they’re going to appeal. There must be someone who’ll make this right, who’ll make me whole.

Yes, Americans believe that there’s insurance for everything, that you can never lose. Your job is protected, nothing can be taken away. But this isn’t how the world works, there is progress. And this brings winners and losers. And you might be on the wrong end and have to adjust. This is why the self-esteem movement is rotten at the core. Losing is a part of life. The earlier you start losing the easier it will be to cope when you lose as an adult.

And there aren’t enough resources to make everybody whole.

And if you protect the past, you die inside. Only by pushing the envelope can society be protected. Just yesterday in the “New York Times” it was stated that Toronto is a hotbed of tech innovation. One of the drivers is the immigrants that Trump wouldn’t let into the U.S. Turns out you can’t throw out the baby with the bathwater. But somehow, Americans believe that letting in these immigrants will cause them to suffer, when quite the opposite is true.

So we weren’t prepared for a world with Zelensky and Navalny. Money was paramount, you should point your life in that direction. If you lie, cheat and steal along the way, that’s fine, maybe you too can own a three hundred foot yacht. But suddenly they’re seizing those. These oligarchs thought they were inviolate. Are they ever going to go after the oligarchs in America? I’d like to see that, and I’m not the only one.

Am I willing to sacrifice for that?

That is the question. I mean would you go back to Russia after they poisoned you knowing that you’d be put in jail? On the surface I say absolutely no way. But today, reading that Navalny believes he’ll never serve the nine additional years because the government will fail before that… I’m inspired. One person can make a difference, they just have to sacrifice.

And it’s not one day and one decision. It’s a long time coming, it’s cumulative. You realize the whole is greater than the individual. That there truly is right and wrong. That there are bad guys, and they’re almost always guys, but they’re just guys, they’re just human, and truth is more powerful than the sign of the cross. Everybody knows it, they’re just afraid to speak it.

Except for these guys.

Can you say no to the endorsement/sponsorship? The artist’s great club is the ability to speak truth to power. But so many immediately put this aside, do what they’re told, all in pursuit of money. To the point where we can’t have an anthem in the United States anymore, to the point where a forty year old song has more power than any track on the hit parade, that’s right, Kyiv’s calling. Joe Strummer might be dead, but he’s got more power, more meaning than anybody making music today. He’s got a legacy, along with the song’s cowriter, Mick Jones, and the rest of the Clash. Did the band always get it right? No, but they knew what was important.

So you don’t only study history to learn lessons, you study what’s right in front of you.

Everything’s up for grabs, nothing is protected except you and your mind.

To make a difference you must sacrifice, there is a cost. Because the game is rigged against you. They don’t want to let anybody new in, they don’t want any change.

But the heroes are always the innovators. Those willing to go against the grain. Those willing to stand up for what they believe in.

And each and every one of them sacrificed, severely, to get where they are.

Most people have no idea of this level of sacrifice. But for decades, sacrifice has only been about work. And work is important, but it turns out there are things bigger than money, like right and wrong, like human dignity, and the greats sacrifice for that.

Do you want to be great?

Then you’ll have to sacrifice.