Tune in Saturday August 2nd to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.

Phone #: 844-686-5863

If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz

Long time publicist for the Grateful Dead Dennis McNally has a new book “The Last Great Dream: How Bohemians Became Hippies and Created the Sixties.” We talk about San Francisco, the Dead and more!

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dennis-mcnally/id1316200737?i=1000720007210

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/6bdf3584-e777-415b-99e7-cdd632db2016/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-dennis-mcnally

This article positively blew my mind, stopped me in my tracks, caused me to exclaim. I’m writing about it from a news analysis point of view. Something we should all be capable of, but too many refuse to do…that’s gathering all the information one can and then trying to divine the truth. It’s very easy to find information that aligns with your preexisting beliefs, but to investigate and read that which is contrary to them? That is rare.

I get three physical newspapers a day. At this late date, there’s less and less that I haven’t previously read online. But the physical layout heightens stories that are lost and overlooked in the apps. So…

I guess this is just a long intro to keep you paying attention. Because when I get to the meat of the topic your preexisting beliefs might make you stop reading and move on, after being pissed off.

Now I get right wing blowback to anything I write that references Trump or anything political. And the vast majority is uninformed. Or is a direct quote from right wing news outlets. Fox has been doubling-down on what is described as a riot in Cincinnati and my inbox is full of Trumpers wondering why I don’t write about it, why it isn’t covered in other mainstream news outlets. What is scary here is not whatever happened in the Ohio city, but the power of one outlet to create an agenda and infect its acolytes with it.

The other big right wing trope/blowback this week has been about the photo of the starving child in Gaza in the “New York Times.” I won’t say it’s equivalent to the nude napalm photo from Vietnam, but it is something that you see once and cannot forget.

But it turns out that the child has cerebral palsy.

Now my response to said right wing naysayers was that the “Times” corrected its mistake, which too often those on the right refuse to do. Hell, Fox News refused to apologize re election falsehoods and got sued.

I know, I know, a correction never reaches the number of readers the first story reached, but…

But, but, BUT!

There is a piece in today’s “Wall Street Journal” that as I said above positively blew my mind.

Okay, this is about Israel, the most hated nation in the world. You probably have your own opinion on the country and the Gaza conflict. I certainly do. I know that the goal of the Palestinians is to eradicate Israel entirely. I know that every time the Palestinians have been offered their own state they’ve refused. But I too was affected by the photo of the starving child in Gaza. It was just TOO MUCH!

But now read this:

“Gaza Starvation Photos Tell a Thousand Lies – Hamas propaganda exploits seriously ill children, and Western media go along.”

Free link: https://www.wsj.com/opinion/gaza-starvation-photos-tell-a-thousand-lies-palestine-israel-aid-1d689cc8?st=2p5WFe&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

Now this writer, Eitan Fischbveger, was embedded with the IDF over the weekend. He covers the photo controversy. But here’s the nougat:

“…I stood surrounded by nearly 600 trucks worth of food, water and diapers, all ready to be delivered. The U.N. refused to do the job, saying it couldn’t operate safely with Israeli protection. Instead it asked that security be provided by the ‘Gaza Blue Police’—a euphemism for Hamas’s internal security forces. This is the same group the U.N. has repeatedly accused of stealing aid, including in October 2023, only weeks after the Hamas-led massacre.”

“In addition to rejecting IDF protection, the U.N. has declined to cooperate with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, despite its backing by the U.S. The result is that food meant for children like Mohammed is left to rot. Put simply, the U.N. would rather work with Hamas than the Israelis or the Americans.”

Wow! Let me reinforce that Eitan Fischberger was actually there, he saw this with his own eyes.

Meanwhile, on this very same day, the Editorial Board of the “New York Times” goes on record saying “Gaza’s Hunger Is a Moral Crisis.”

Who you gonna believe, the Editorial Board or the guy who was actually there?

Sure, the Israelis shot Palestinians running for food. This is abhorrent to me and seemingly everybody I know. But there appears to be more to the story.

And now the “Times” has driven countries from France to Canada to recognize a Palestinian state.

Hamas is a terrorist group. With a stranglehold on Gaza.

Netanyahu is a flawed character. Who is under criminal indictment. He’s no picnic. And prior to this war the politics of Israel were abhorrent. Trying to neuter the Supreme Court…

But Hamas was the attacker, and Hamas refuses to return the hostages and end the war.

But the truth is antisemitism runs rampant. Sure, you can separate Israel and Jews, but most people conflate them. And unknown to many is that Palestinians have infiltrated American campuses with their propaganda intentionally, it was all part of a long term plan, akin to the right and the Federalist Society. Such that when this war began, many college students immediately took the side of the Palestinians.

Now for those who abhor mainstream media, I say the joke is on you. As I have stated numerous times, the difference between the three major news outlets, all newspapers, the “Times,” the “Journal” and the WaPo, is that they actually report, whereas online it’s almost exclusively opinion, even cable news is almost all opinion. You’ve got to start with the facts.

But the facts are usually ignored in a world that runs on emotion.

It’s not only Gaza, this thinking is rampant in the music business too. Spotify is screwing artists…I heard all these indies complaining they’re not making money, this must be true. Ticketmaster is ripping-off the customer, it gets all those fees, it’s that company’s fault! Both of these takes are categorically wrong, but you can’t convince the public otherwise.

So what is the truth in Gaza?

I’m not exactly sure. But I do know I must read both the left and right wing papers of record, the “Times” and the “Journal,” to try and divine the truth.

Hamas is legendary for lying. Inflating casualties. Never mind stealing aid to build tunnels that prevent this war from ending.

The Israelis are killing innocent people.

Then again, from the above article:

“Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has coordinated and facilitated the entry into Gaza of more than 1.86 million tons of humanitarian assistance, more than 78% of which has been food. The population of Gaza is about 2.1 million. The only comparable effort in modern history is the Berlin Airlift of 1948-49, during which the Allies delivered 2.3 million tons of supplies to 2.5 million West Berliners over 15 months. Even then, the aid was going to an allied population. ‘There is no historical precedent for a military providing the level of direct aid to an enemy population that Israel has provided to Gaza,’ writes John Spencer of the Modern War Institute at West Point.”

I’m trying to divine the truth. And it isn’t easy to uncover. But it does require a constant finger on the pulse of legitimate news outlets.

Hopefully you’re paying attention to all sides too. And are not stuck in your beliefs and can change if you find out your take was wrong.

Modern life is very complicated. And it’s especially worse now that institutions have been neutered…from the media to government, who can you trust?

I’m not sure.

Subject: Re: Passion/Viewpoint/Craft

I’ve been saying for the past couple of years, the audience doesn’t want perfection, they want CONNECTION. Perfection is really impressive — for about 5 minutes. Then you want to know, “Yeah, but what’s that got to do with me?”

Tom Rush

www.TomRush.com

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Re: Spotify’s Numbers

My coworker and I were having a discussion about Spotify yesterday.  King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard left Spotify.  Why?  Because they think Spotify’s tech bros are evil.  Whatever.  Now Gizzard isn’t on the platform and I just won’t be listening to them.  I like the band, but a lot of my listening is done on the go, in the subway, and Spotify is the place where I have spent the time finding and organizing my music, downloading the albums I want whenever I want them.  I have chosen Spotify.  I have put too much work into organizing my library to change — not that I would want to: it’s a good product at a good price.

But this conversation wasn’t just about Gizzard.  It was about artists getting screwed by Spotify.  My coworker made a comment about Spotify not paying their artists anything.  He and I are both songwriters.  I have put out albums on Bandcamp, albums that no one listens to.  And that’s perfectly fine, I do it because I love it.  It’s just what I do.  But these musicians complaining about getting screwed by Spotify drive me nuts.  I would be ecstatic if an album of mine got, I don’t know, 20,000 streams.  But these artists complain as if it’s their right to make NSYNC CD money.  The game has changed.  It’s done, it’s over.  Isn’t what’s most important is that your music is HEARD?  It should be.  And now there’s the potential for your art to be heard by everybody and you don’t have to get a contract, you don’t need to enter the Record Plant, you can upload it and there’s the chance.  Isn’t that beautiful?

In the 1970s no one would have heard of you.  Yet there’s money to be made if your music is good.  You won’t be Led Zeppelin but you might live a good life.  Stop complaining, write some songs, and enjoy how easy it is to get your music out there.  Everyone has a chance.  Get a day job and keep making music.  Maybe one day you’ll be able to quit that job, but no one owes you anything.  Sure, use Bandcamp or whatever else instead of Spotify.  But if you want to be heard, get on Spotify and take your pennies.

It’s over, it’s done, it’s changed.  Accept it and capitalize on what’s good.

Daniel Grgas

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Subject: Lord Huron’s The Night We Met: The 10-year-old song that keeps getting bigger

Like you say, Bob, ” Hold on to your songs.”

Great podcast with Don Was, too.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyxqxv7y4zo

Robert Bond

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Subject: Re: More Ozzy

My first full length album purchase was Diary of a Madman and it was on cassette. I was raised in a very strict religious family and was taught there was evil music out there, and that heavy metal was DEFINITELY evil. I hid the album under my pillow and would listen to it on my walkman at night. I loved it! My parents eventually found the tape, threw it away, and a few days later I bought another copy. This time I did a much better job of hiding it.

I ended up playing in hard rock bands for 25+ years… 

You can’t kill rock and roll!

Kent Carter

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Re: Spotify’s Numbers

Spotify is hugely important for labels, but it has also made millions of dollars for acts with strong legacy catalogs. There are plenty of albums I bought on CD and then vinyl and now I pay to stream almost every time I listen. For artists that made money on records and then CDs and now through streaming, Spotify has been a boon. Today’s artists don’t enjoy the spoils of the CD world, but high quality music will be a more evergreen source of revenue through streaming.

Andrew Coffman

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From: Michael Alex

Subject: Re: More Love On The Spectrum

It’s a good show!  As for they’ll never work:

I have two family members on the spectrum. When they were young their parents were told they would need institutionalization for life.   One is now an attorney, the other an HVAC contractor.

Kennedy is a disaster.  How fast can he take backwards?  The patron saint of polio.

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From: Jack Lynady

Subject: Re: Out Of Touch

“Oldsters hanging on to power”….that’s it in a nutshell Bob. 

I’m x-er. Voted for Trump mostly because the other side looked f*cking old. Biden. Jesus. That was insane. Kamala was just so damn scripted and when she wasn’t it was a hot mess of word salad. To Deny that is to deny reality hitting u in the damn face. 

Now here we are. It’s 2025. And there is an opportunity for the Dems. Will they take advantage of it? Or go back to gaslighting me for voting for Trump? Tell me I’m racist or hate gays? Or hate this that and the other thing bla bla bla?

As if I have time to hate. I’m trying to pay my f*cking bills, save a little for my kids college, have a little fun on the weekends. 

I don’t know the answer. I just know I haven’t seen it yet from either side.

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Subject: Mario Medious

What a blast from the past! Remember him from early ’70’s as very hip Atlantic promo man. Duane Allman had just arrived in Boston from King Curtis funeral to play big outdoor show at Boston Common for Don Law. Manager Phil Walden told me to give Duane $200/300 in cash to give to Mario as a  gift from the band to buy himself some street clothes. Mario was a sharp dressed hipster who knew how to get those new fm stations on a band and he did a great job for the ABB.

Willie Perkins

PS: Great live recording of that concert released years later.

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From: Toni Tennille

Subject: Re: How AI Changes Music

I like this one, Bob.  And I believe you are right.  I remember when musicians in Las Vegas went on strike because they were being replaced by synthesizers and drum machines. I knew that wasn’t gonna work out well for them, having watched my former husband create whole tracks that sounded good, but didn’t have a single real instrument in them.  I always felt there was something missing when he did that… Heart? Soul? Any kind of emotion?

I was very lucky that, as Captain and Tennille wound down,  I was able to make a kind of separate career for myself, singing with Symphony Orchestras and big bands, all around the country and in Canada. My father Frank Tennille, was the band vocalist for Bob Crosby and his bobcats in the late 30s and early 40s. That was the music he raised me on and I loved it. I remember the immense joy I always felt when I took the stage backed by some of the finest Symphony Orchestras in the country who accompanied me with their incredible skill and musicianship, playing the great arrangements that Sammy Nestico wrote for me over the years. I really don’t know how AI is going to create that feeling of total joy through making music.  Maybe MY joy is different from the people creating music with AI.

You probably won’t believe this, but I read every email you send out.  Your perspective makes me think about my musical choices over the decades. All in all, I have had a wonderful,  creative and mostly joyous career.

“With every note I play

I play with love

With every word I sing,

Its coming from my heart

And so I sing a song of joy for you

With all the happiness this melody brings”

SONG OF JOY by BILLY PRESTON

TONI TENNILLE

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Subject: Re: How AI Changes Music

Steve Miller just had a cover with a Kia SUV commercial with Rockin Me. AI enhanced and reconstituted it with cleaner definition. Remixed and remastered and sped up a little. It’s Steve’s original lead vocal but the reverb was stripped away and it sounds crisper and more contemporary. Like you said, AI can live alongside the original art and augment rather than try to clone.

I’m in as long as it behaves.

Kenny Lee Lewis

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Re: Spotify’s Numbers

I am thankful for the clear, no bones about it, honest writing.  This is particularly sharp and on display in this note on Spotify.  I feel a little sad, angry, duped etc.  I’ve always been in awe of the LABEL of course. It’s part of my culture growing up to understand that they seemed to control everything.  When I worked at labels, I felt I had arrived.  Somehow, I made it.  It was a beautiful business.  I used to see that quote somewhere and the romantic notion of it, much to my peril in my 20s for sure. Some of the grand illusion of the industry that you describe was there, a bright light visible behind a door that no one wanted to acknowledge let alone turn the knob to open. This entity of change was inevitable and moved into the room slowly and then, somewhere right before 2008 was on top of you.  Quite a number of folks, including family members, thought I was completely bat-sh*t crazy for leaving my label gig to go work for Spotify. A start up? Streaming???  I can’t claim mystical prescience or inside knowledge or any advantage, but soft skills, lifelong passion for music discovery. hustle, interest and a willingness to understand the new thing and that got me into the next room.  Looking back, at least to me, I’d been sitting in comfortable quicksand doing radio promotion and very soon, I was going to choose to walk through the door or have it crush me.  I wasn’t at big green for a long time but long enough to get through the IPO, extend the lead over other services and create something I’m proud of that continues to stand.  I have a feeling though that streaming can see something in the distance that’s slowly coming its way, devouring everything on its way to them as well.

The two sided business model concept where Spotify eats its own freemium tier users that could drive ad revenue has always been awkward. I mean if you have enough bucks for the premium service (which most of the world doesn’t) you would because it’s so good.  But it’s hard not to see the top end of paid conversions.  However, if Spotify can make free better than good enough and figure out the paradigm for ad revenue growth, this is the hedge and the crucible.  I feel bad for all the post Barry McCarthy CFOs because the gig is ruthless given where the company sits.  They can replace the CFO every year for all I care if they need to because I, along with other investors believe that it’s when, not if, they really crack that code.  Spotify will have hooked 3/4 of a billion people soon onto the platform because it “just works” and there is demand from users for it to be many things because of this.  The hiccups are little sideshows into a story that’s already ended.  Daniel often would use a Baseball metaphor (which I found amusing from a swede) in that Spotify was in the early innings of a baseball game.  To me, that’s not even close. The closer came in and the game is over.  They just played and ended the game in a different time zone and you weren’t watching it.

John Butler – former Spotifyer

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Re: C.T.E.

Bob, I read this email to my boyfriend who recognized that you’ve echoed my sentiments exactly. However, I am complicit and I do feel guilty but it’s not enough to change. Just today we passed grade school and highschool kids out practicing football in Tuscaloosa Alabama. I’ve always said who puts their kids in football, hockey or soccer anymore? Isn’t golf the way to go? It seems so much safer for the kids. Who chooses to shorten their kids lives? Why aren’t people thinking this way? I’m already Debbie Downer in my friend group, pointing out the emergency exits, asking if they’ve thought about the players futures and how they’ll probably be broke and broken shortly after retirement.  No one wants to think this way. There’s no recycling down here. My golf club is called Indian Hills for Christ sake. The big ask from my (adult) kids is to bring some plastic straws home to Canada. Going to a football game doesn’t feel like a crime yet but I do want that to change.  I say all this and I’ll be at two SEC games this fall and I’ll be at the Bills season opener. Do you think because we pay thousands for tickets we feel elite? I think that’s part of it. I wondered if witnessing a horrible injury at a game would make us think again about supporting the sport but nope. It was just a chance to hit the bar for another beer. I went to Talladega in the spring and everyone said the big one was going to happen. I was thinking that meant photo finish or an underdog winning. I was completely wrong – it means a big crash. That’s the excitement at the races – a big crash!!! And it happened and the cheering was louder than the engines! You’ve got me thinking again about my choices and thank you. I feel like a loser for having these feelings about the sport and the damage it does to the players and still partaking. I’ll let you know if I can sort out how to be true to myself and boycott.

All the best,

Sue Schreider

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From: Kevin Cronin

Subject: Re: In The Big Room

Hey Bob,

Early in the Pandemic, I dug out my ‘70s McIntosh stereo amp and pre-amp, and my wife and I set up a little vinyl bar in the Family Room. We were faced with the dilemma of choosing which album to play first. Lisa had worked at Geffen back in that label’s glory days, and had a promotional copy of Peter Gabriel’s “So”. We both agreed it was a stone masterpiece, and a perfect choice as our children’s maiden voyage into the magical world of album listening. So, we gathered our family around that glowing blue McIntosh gear, cranked it up, listened, and watched as all of our attention spans was stretched across this entire LP. “So” held us, mesmerized us, and gave Mom and Dad an opportunity to remind our kids about the lost art of album making.

The first album I ever owned was a copy of the newly released, American version of “Rubber Soul”, the playfully titled Beatle album that Santa left under the tree on Christmas Day, 1965. Sixty years later, I know and love every song on that record, and place that delicious slice Licorice Pizza on to my turntable on a fairly regular basis. 

I wore out two copies of the first Crosby Stills and Nash album, and am currently working on my third. When I got my first brand new copy back to my high school girlfriend’s house, (she had the best stereo), I picked up the needle, and replayed “Suite, Judy Blue Eyes” twelve times before I even got to “Marrakesh Express”! And even as I was curious to hear how our 1978 “You can tune a Piano, but you can’t Tuna fish” would hold up, it would not be my first choice. 

I was amazed at how “So” was received by my little family audience. They all stuck around through the album flipping ritual, and we devoured side two together. I feel very lucky to have grown up and lived through the Golden Age of the Long Playing record. And I do my best to expose my younger brethren to take part in and enjoy the experience of listening to an artist’s fresh batch of songs, in their intended order. (We used to spend days sequencing our albums, and deciding just how many seconds between tracks.) 

Anyway thank you, Bob Lefsetz, for your passion in keeping this art form vibrant and helping to save it from extinction … kc