It doesn’t matter if you LIKE it, it matters if you can HEAR IT!

This is why I wrote such a long screed about this track. To warn/ward off/give a heads-up to the wankers sitting at home who think they know better, the holier-than-thou jerks who believe their opinion is definitive when it couldn’t be further off-base.

I didn’t get a single e-mail, NOT ONE, from anybody who actually works in the music industry who believes this track is not a hit.

As for those who don’t, the armchair quarterbacks… I got a slew angered at the auto-tune, more who didn’t listen to the whole thing. It’d be like someone introducing a bill in Congress with no knowledge of how that institution works. It doesn’t matter if your bill is a good idea, worthwhile, only if you can get it PASSED!

Which part of music BUSINESS do you not understand. Yes, BUSINESS! The same people complaining about “Throw it Back” are the same people complaining about low Spotify payments. Their songs get anemic streams yet they’re not only flummoxed that they’re not making a living in music, THEY’RE ANGRY! And since they’ve got time to sit in front of their computer complaining, unlike those in the industry who are actually busy working, their story gets amplified, even though it’s plain wrong. Oh, I could analyze that one again, but it’s a waste of time. In today’s world people don’t want to hear the truth. In a world where most Republicans think the election was stolen from Trump, “musicians” believe that Spotify is ripping them off, even though almost seventy percent of income to Spotify is passed through to rights holders as royalties. But no one ever looks at the facts anymore, they just go with their feelings.

And you wonder why your music gets no traction.

There’s a marketplace. How are you doing in it?

Another point of my essay was that it’s no longer sufficient just to be good, even great, that there’s so much noise in the channel that your track needs a push, the odds of it building organically are close to nil. That was the point of my missive about Trump giving up his blog, but response to that was sparse. Because people saw “Trump” in the headline and decided the article was political, when it was not. I could have changed it to make it more enticing, but then I would be moving toward the territory of the click-bait you see at the bottom of too many web articles, with flashy headlines THAT DON’T EVEN REFLECT THE CONTENT! Yes, the public is so dumb, such sheep, that you’ve got to wow them to intrigue them these days. Which is why Facebook tunes their algorithm accordingly. Otherwise, people wouldn’t click through. Because they’re overloaded with input. But my article was inspired by Trump shutting down his blog, if I didn’t mention it in the headline, you’d read about it immediately and then think it was bait and switch.

The mainstream means less than ever in today’s marketplace. You are truly operating in your own silo. And I must ask, how is that working for you? I don’t think too well, because I check the play count of those tracks you send me and they’re laughably low. So you’re not doing something right, your marketing sucks or god forbid, so does your music. And the truth today is you’ve got absolutely no chance unless your track is great, good is not good enough. Unless maybe you’re a name and part of a scene. But even the tracks of the biggest acts fail regularly, which is why labels massage cuts, the opportunity cost is high and they want to make sure that which they promote succeeds. So, they oftentimes buy insurance, with multiple writers, multiple producers, multiple mixes…and I’m not endorsing that, I’m just acknowledging it. If it’s hard for them, just think about how hard it is FOR YOU!

Don’t be like those contestants on “Shark Tank” who complain when the judges don’t invest. Either it was a lousy idea or they were asking too much for too little or in reality it was a scam, they were just using the show for publicity. Which is how many people use Kickstarter today. They just want to appear independent and small so they can get some attention.

Sure, there are other musical genres than pop/hip-hop and country, but in today’s marketplace NONE HAS BIG STREAMING NUMBERS! And that’s where the money goes, which is why the labels release this kind of music. And to tell you the truth, I think they’re myopic, for two reasons: 1. They’re missing so many consumers. 2. They’re missing good music that would be accepted by the audience with more effort. Think about the vaunted term “artist development.” The paradigm was established by Warner Brothers Records in the sixties and seventies. You signed an act to a five album deal, and then you let the act make all five albums. Today, artist development is pushing a single track, or an album, to the point where enough people know about it that the act can sell out an arena. It might take a couple of years, but it’s all based on the initial music. And that is sad, but one must also acknowledge that that is how hard it is to get a track known, even on the radio, where hits last longer than ever before, because otherwise listeners would be overwhelmed.

As for your feedback…

I used to call the people who sent me hate every day. I was always open and familiar, they were positively stunned, and they always backed down, well, until I hit a point about a decade ago where the script flipped, people just went wild on me, held their position, does it sound like today’s tribal world? You can’t get anybody to change their mind, they just dig in deeper.

And also back in the first decade of this century I hit back on a couple of people who were way over the line. They almost cried. They asked me why a big person like me would do that to them, criticize them. I don’t see myself as that big, but the person spewing such hate has such a thin skin?

And then I got to the point where I couldn’t respond to e-mail from anybody I didn’t know, because if I did…you never know where the land mines lie, 10% of the public is certifiably insane, but the problem is you don’t know which 10% it is!

And then there was that famous producer in England who regularly chided me from his high horse that I had to conform to his personal agenda. And when I blew back on him, having had enough after years, he freaked, he sent me a slew of e-mails, how could I do this? WHEN HE’D BEEN DOING IT TO ME FOR YEARS! He left my list, he literally e-mailed everybody he knew to tell them what a creep I was. And I didn’t really mind, I just reminded myself that you can’t respond, there’s no upside. AND THIS GUY PRODUCED LEGENDARY RECORDS!

And you wonder why people are so vitriolic today. On both sides of the offense. Those with an audience stole the gig from those without one. Twitter used to be filled with “rock critics” laughing about me and putting me down. Their audiences were always tiny, at best they were speaking to each other. Furthermore, they all had day jobs, and they weren’t laborers, their day jobs were careers, because that’s just how damn hard it is to make it, to have a full time job in the music industry. If someone is over forty and still working in the music business respect them, you’ve got no idea the hurdles they’ve jumped. Most worked for free at first, and their jobs have never been guaranteed, it’s all about relationships, they’ve hopped from company to company. Because it’s a game of musical chairs, people are lining up to work, even for free, in music, and therefore the employers always want the young ones who will work cheap around the clock, without families and obligations. If you keep your job, you’re really damn good.

And most people with a gig never participate on social media. Because they know it’s a hellhole, that if you give your honest opinion you run the risk of blowback so severe that you might end up on the verge of suicide. But it’s not only you, it’s kids in school. Were you ever bullied? Imagine that on steroids with social media!

And even Wall Street analyst Rich Greenfield had to turn his Twitter feed private. He said something the crowd didn’t agree with, didn’t want said and they blew up his feed, making it unusable, on purpose, so he could no longer post effectively.

That’s the world we live in.

But you, who are not even in the music business, you don’t want to hear any of it, you just want to pontificate without retribution.

And the funny thing here is…the end result is I’ll hear from fewer industry players as a result of this, the hoi polloi won’t get the message. Happens on a regular basis, a household name apologizes for sending me music. I don’t mind hearing from them, it’s getting music from everybody else that bugs me. How often have I gotten a track from an unknown that has impressed me, that I thought was great and could break through? NEVER EVER! These are the same people who used to mail their cassettes to major companies, which ended up in the slush pile, never listened to, but now multiply that by a zillion. The label is eager to work with proven entities. And in this case it means managers, lawyers and agents. They’ve been there before, they’ve proven their ability. Once again, now, more than ever, the act is just the cherry on top, the team has to be of a high quality to even have a chance. And then there are the metrics, the dreaded “data.” Yes, labels are interested if you have the numbers. Once again, too many people e-mailing me don’t have those. They want me to lift them out of the morass instead of sitting at home and figuring out what it takes to get traction. Even more important, I don’t have that power. And you need a sustained campaign. One article in “Rolling Stone” won’t bring you to the top, ultimately it will do nothing. I laugh when I see the sons and daughters of Hollywood icons getting articles about their music in the “Los Angeles Times.” That rag has a smaller reach than ever before, nearly insignificant when it comes to music. The seventies are history, the story has to be everywhere today to make any difference, and its spread must appear organic, if you read about something and then the Spotify streams or YouTube counts are low…people won’t even bother. Even youngsters check these out. If it’s so damn good, why isn’t anybody listening?

Which brings me back to my point. Even “Throw it Back” may not make it. At best, I can bring it to the attention of those with power. And everybody in the industry believes the track is a one listen smash and deserves the push. But it still might not happen.

That’s today’s music business.

And too many complaining are not in it.

You’ve got to fight for your right to party, and you’ve got to fight for your right to be in the music business. And if you’re a creator, it’s truly a battle. Which is why most people gravitate to social media, try and become influencers, you need little talent, to try to create a hit track..? You might as well ask these people to solve the problem of nuclear fusion. But given a keyboard, they’ll all tell you that you’re doing it wrong, you don’t know, that they know better, even though in truth their audience is nonexistent, their goal is just to drag everybody else down into the hole they’re in.

All I can say is SAME!

I got hooked and when I had finished the Netflix show this season was only one race in.

I downloaded the app, picked a fantasy team and started setting my alarm (the woman that doesn’t set an alarm for work) so I could get up at 5:30 and 4:30 am to see the races in their entirety.

Mother’s Day morning it was me, my husband and my 9 and 8 year old watching the race.

My husband is fascinated because I have never been obsessed with a sport until now…and I don’t think this is going to wear off.

Even if it does, I’m going to love it until it does!

Thanks,

Yolánda Thompson

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Must thank you for turning us on to “Drive to Survive”, we blew through the 3 seasons and couldn’t wait watch Azerbaijan (as well as the pre-show). May be the most exciting sporting event so far this year. Looking forward to France

Jason Whittington

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My experience with Drive To Survive seems to mirror yours, and no doubt thousands of others Bob, it is such a well-made series, now I care about a sport that I previously, ignorantly dismissed.  I am fascinated by the team dynamics, the producers managed to frame the drama so well; we love Guenther, hated Toto and Christian and are devastated to see Daniel struggling in the middle of the pack.  Was saddened last night to hear that Singapore has been cancelled, we were hoping to make that our first international trip post-COVID.  Bring on Melbourne GP 2022

Stu Harvey

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Delighted for you that you have found Formula 1 so interesting.  I have been a huge fan for 60 years and am thrilled that Mothers Polish has sponsored ad-free TV coverage for the past several years.

I think that you are extremely unfair in your comments about Christian Horner versus Toto Wolff.  In such a competitive sport, every team manager will do his/her best to look for an edge.  Toto has had to do that less than Christian over the past five years due to the dominance of the Mercedes chassis/engine combination over all the competition.

By the way, I assume that you know that Christian has been married to Geri Halliwell – Ginger Spice – for the past six years.

Mark Jackson

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Because of you, Bob, I binged F1 too, in a matter of days. Never a fan of auto racing, this series had me hooked on the personalities and ins and outs of the sport. Maybe one day I’ll even try and attend a Formula 1 race in person.

P.S. I like Ricciardo too although he is a bit of a smug S.O.B…

Joanne Garroway

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Glad you enjoyed today’s Formula One Race Bob.  We look forward to these races and I’m a Lewis Hamilton fan.  He has beaten all the records. Most championships, poles, etc. Not only he is soft spoken and humble, when he wins, he always thanks his team and the people who work in the factory behind the scenes.  He never pats himself on the back and is a very good sport! He is great example of what a champion should be and a wonderful role model for all people of all races and creeds.

Iona S. Elliott

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Bob…  Couldn’t agree more.  Watched all 30 episodes over the past 10 days (on your recommendation), and couldn’t wait for this weekend. Watched yesterday’s qualifying sessions and all of today’s race.

I am fully invested!

I just wonder if season 4 will be less interesting now that I’ll know the ending in advance.

Joe Wallace

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You are a new ambassador for the sport, but a great one. That was a superb race coverage you did. You pick things up very fast.

I have been watching F1 since I was a kid. There are periods where it gets a bit lacklustre, a team dominates and decimates the opposition, but a season or two later and it’s all on fire again. A fabulous spectacle. Definitely worth attending a race and getting a special pass to visit the pits when you can. Or even better, permission to be on the track as the teams get the cars ready pre-race. It definitely feels like something big is about to happen.

Cheers

Pete Meehan

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Gday Bob Long time listener first time caller. I’m an Australian living and working in the USA. I’ve worked in the music business which was where I connected to your email.

I grew up with Formula 1 it was a religious experience in our house to sit down and watch the race every Sunday. My brother went into motoring journalism. Such was the passion for motor racing in our house. My great grandfather set land speed records and was a racing car driver so maybe it’s in the dna.

I really loved hearing your passion for this new sport you’ve found. I wondered if the Netflix show would turn F1 around. It’s certainly seems to be working. Enjoy!

Tim Ottley.

I became a fan after Drive To Survive as well.  We got F1TV paid the year subscription. Well worth it! You can bounce between multiple camera angles, real time, hop in the cockpit of any racer at any time, rewind after a crash and watch from different drivers perspectives. Incredible. No sports offer that type of experience that I know of. 100% recommend. Also tons of recaps and cool little specials all on demand. Worth the shot if you are into F1.

Pickster/Dusty

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Totally turned me on to this sport.Thank you (again!)

Loren Parkins

Austin gonna be a wild time!

Jeffrey Klein

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Delighted you have discovered F-1. Notice also how all the drivers speak English. And well for the most part.

Yes Hamilton is the real deal.

Best

Jan Butden

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Bob, if you’re ever in Texas in the fall, I’ll take you to the F1 races in Austin.
LOTS of fun.
And, yes – I agree – I, too, am enjoying the F1 season and agree 100% with all your points….including how the Netflix series humanized the sport and broadened the base.
Hope you’re well,
Alex Lopez Negrete

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You NEVER cease to amaze me!!!

If I loved you then I LOVE you even more now!! I have been a formula One junkie for over 40 years, when my home town (South Africa) wonder boy Jody Schecter won the 1979 F1 championship with, of all teams, Ferrari!

I am so impressed with how quickly you have gotten the nuances of the sport down & look forward to hopefully reading more as the year goes on.

Fun fact, I play F1 fantasy (have for many years) along with over 11000 other fans. I came 3rd in the world last race & now sit at 12th place overall in the world out of 11,000 rabid fans. Go me!

Thanks as always for making my day & stay safe!!

Marc Morris

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I’ve been hooked on this show for a while now, though I’m not binging episodes like you, but I have watched some racing and love that European Football and F1 don’t have commercials!!   I’m fed up with TV timeouts.

But auto racing isn’t that interesting to me, but try the Tour de France!! These guys are crazy fit and battle each other like no auto race ever could. Sadly the sport is filled with doping, but that doesn’t dimish the physical toll these guys endure. I still don’t care who wins- it’s nice outside and I’ll play golf, go fishing of take a walk.

Live summer!!!

Phil

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Thank you SO MUCH for this, I set my DVR to record the race because I was out and about and had to watch the RE-broadcast.  Except I somehow screwed or and recorded a college baseball game instead, aargh!!
Anyways I didnt read your blog before now knowing that it was about the race, and thank god for your recap!!

Young Hutchinson

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First off…spot on about how good this show is.

Am I alone in being oddly fascinated with the sleek modular compounds constructed by each of the teams? What an awesome traveling circus. Kinda Grateful Dead-ish.

Best from a long time fan,

Gary Snoonian

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Big fan- thanks for the great work.  I’m an American living in Europe for almost 20 years.  F1 is one of the few European sports I follow.  Planet F1 - https://www.planetf1.com/ is a great site – especially the comments section!

 

Best regards-

 

Tyler Wallace

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“…a new sport” — so great to imagine learning about this the way you have through Drive to Survive. Today’s race was one of the better ones in a while. A track that has good passing. And then the race starts with the shocker of Ferrari on pole. Perez’s drive throughout the race was impressive. Both Aston Martins were good today…Stroll’s driving skills just don’t fit the story of him being the owner’s son…he’s actually pretty good, with bad luck today. And then that finish, the crash, the restart, Hamilton’s mistake. He damned near never makes mistakes, let alone results-affecting ones like today.

F1 is a complex web. You’re doing quite alright. Good race report.

Tom Grueskin

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Been a huge F1 fan for years for all the reasons you mention in your blog plus they are incredible athletes.  I have enjoyed reading about your journey into this sport and the appreciation you have developed fo the storylines and the excitement.  Welcome to the club my friend.  Once it gets in your blood……

Pura vida

Garry Wallace

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It’s about time Bob:) Been avid fan since I was 13 and my uncle gave my a Grand Prix coffee table book.
Beware, it’s addicting (a good thing:)
Jimmy Wachtel

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Can you imagine the interviews Netflix is getting from Toto Wolff and Christian Horner right now!?!?!  And there is apparently lots of Bottas drama going on behind the scenes….rumors that George Russell has already signed and 2 yr contract to replace Bottas next year.

Must see TV in 2022!!

Glad to see you writing about F1 again…I’ll take all of it I can get.

Rudy Falco
Longtime Lefsetz reader.
BabaBooey!

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The last 10 laps of that race where crazy. Especially to have two cars exit the race due to the same rear tire failing. I ended up rewinding it multiple times to watch Verstappen’s exit. What a drag. Then to see Hamilton exit on the runout of the first turn. Especially for a guy who makes so few mistakes.

What even crazier is that I already knew all the twists and turns of the track, based on playing the F1 Mobile game. Which made it much more fun to watch how they run it IRL compared to the street level of the game. It’s pretty close to when they run the camera from right above the cockpit.

It’s an exciting sport to watch.

For an exciting sport to play, I’m now addicted to Pickleball. Check that sport out

Jody Whitesides

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Netflix also has “Rush”. Yes it’s Hollywood, but the best F1 movie in years.

Tom Cartwright

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My son follows you and he forwarded your piece on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. So good to read an intelligent perspective on the sport from a new fan. I’ve been an F1 fan since the 70’s  and nothing has brought more fans to the sport than “Drive to Survive”.  It’s too bad we’re  never going to hear the normally aspirated engines again. Good God they were fire breathing flame spitting monsters. You’ll never hear anything quite like it.

Well,  welcome aboard as a fan and next year should be even better with the rules change.

Oh and the nincompoop, that was Helmut Marko, lost an eye racing – look him up.  But I agree with the mask comment!

Best regards,

Jeff MacGregor
Montclair, NJ

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.. then for sure you know the movie “Rush”, if not you will like it.

 

Thanks as always for your great newsletters, Angela from Israel

Angela Ballas

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My VCR shutoff right before the restart-DANG!

I survived the Mercedes juggernaught for the last few years and learned to care about 3rd through 6th, so this year is great!  Didn’t know the podium until I read this.  I agree on Daniel Riccardo.

Bill Siddons

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I’m with you on Formula One. If you like Drive to Survive on Netflix, I recommend the (Brad Pitt narrated) “Hitting the Apex” that covers the 2015 MotoGP season.

One minor quibble: Gasly is French. While he may currently reside in Monaco (along with a slew of other drivers including Verstappen and Riccardo) he was born in Rouen and came up through the French karting circuit.

Also, great point about the commercials. Makes it feel almost like “pure” sport minus the $100 million spent on the cars each year…

Justin Blanchard

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Welcome to F1!  It’s a total blast as you can see.  This year is exciting because Red Bull may be competitive enough to really give Mercedes a run for their money.  Next year the cars are supposed to change to make things a bit more even amongst all the teams (I also think they’re gonna put a cap on money spent).  In the past, it’s usually been one or two teams at the top and the rest following in a train, because the top teams have had so much more money to spend.  At any rate, it’s really something special to watch and become a fan of.

Best,

Paul Rappaport

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About 15 years ago I really started paying attention to football (soccer), specifically the English Premier League.  I’d grown up playing the sport, but due to its lack of popularity in the States there weren’t many opportunities to watch matches on US television.  Once I started watching regularly and understood how the European system works–promotion/relegation and ownership owning a CLUB, not a franchise, I was done with American sports.  The team takes the field for games, but the club includes the staff, and more importantly, the supporters of the club.  There is no greedy owner moving a team from Oakland to LA to Oakland to LA to Las Vegas.  But I digress…

I met a guy years ago watching a game and he invited me to the Austin Grand Prix.  Going to F1 races is what he and his wife do for fun.  They’ve done Austin several times, Montreal, Mexico City, Monaco.  They’re looking toward Abu Dhabi next.  Anyway, once I went to that race I was hooked.  Verstappen is my guy.  The teams, the strategy–it’s fantastic!  NASCAR and Indycar racing have nothing on F1.   I wish Americans would wake up and recognize what the truly big sports are across the world and learn to enjoy them, but it takes one convert and a time and I’m glad you’re hooked!

Todd Shelton

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Love that you’ve fallen in love with F1. Now I hope you’re looking at getting to a race! You don’t know F1 until you see it, hear it and feel it in person. Get to Texas this year or Montreal or Miami next year. I’ve been to Montreal a few times for it and the city is just energized that whole week. I’ve also made it to Monaco for the race and if you can ever get there for it, do it. Took the kids to Monaco a few years back and walked the circuit with them, now they love watching the race right where they were.

Dave Schmidt

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Delighted you’re enjoying your F1 experience. I’ve been a fan and following for years and what blows me away now is the production value we get as viewers…there’s cameras everywhere and you see everything and become part of it. The colour, noise, glamour, technical genius etc
When I started watching F1  in the 80’s we could only dream of seeing the action from the cockpit and here we are 40 years experiencing it all!

I had a good friend who raced F1 in the 70’s…boy was that different. It was very “rock ‘n roll” back then but drivers got killed. Now safety and car construction is incredible which has bled into everyday car design so we’re all benefitting.

David Ravden

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Bob…..I learned early in life that “fair” is where you take your pigs in the summer.

Gary Merker

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Feel exactly like you! Pumped after the Netflix doc series!

Laura Mejia Cruz

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Good to hear you’re getting revved up about Formula 1. I’ve been a fan for a long time. The thing is – you just never know what’s going to happen and that’s what keeps it interesting.

Barry McCabe

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I’m in.  I’m watching the Netflix series.  Sometimes, I fall asleep but I keep going.  It’s something I knew NOTHING about. 

Lizzz Kritzer

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That was great drama. More plot twists than an episode of ‘Suspense.’

After Monaco 2 weeks ago, a race that no longer accommodates overtaking, a boring, not-even-a-yellow-flag race (and I say that because yellow flags are common at Monaco and allow for the drivers to pit and to close gaps, making for more competitive driving, not because I celebrate accidents) – I felt racing seemed uninspired.

Last year the racing was all behind the leaders, Hamilton would get way out front and just drive to victory, you really had to watch for competitive driving. This year with some of the changes in the cars, nothing is certain, add to that the mysterious tire failures today, and remarkable driver errors, you end up with one of the most thrilling races I’ve ever seen. And Perez earned his stripes last year (really, in one race) and drove brilliantly today, protecting his teammates’ lead from Hamilton almost the entire race, and deservedly won.

It was totally exciting. Not to dampen your enthusiasm, but that was a remarkably rare event even for this season, which has been more competitive than recent years. Let’s hope the rest of the season is as exciting!

Stacy

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Long-termer F1 guy here.

It’s such a delight seeing you get into the sport – Drive To Survive has been the most incredibly successful, and well thought out (not always the case with F1), recruitment drives to get new fans on board. There’s a lot that other industries can learn from this, no doubt.

Just a word of warning though – close competition makes races, but then so do tracks. Azerbaijan does tend to create great racing – a mix of fast and slow, with very little room for error. But it’s sandwiched between two tracks that don’t – namely Monaco (that really only exists for nostalgia purposes – the cars are too big and fast to race there now), and France. Don’t be dismayed if the race at Paul Ricard in a fortnight’s time doesn’t quite live up to the excitement of Baku. Stick with us either way. The rewards are great.

One little point of correction on your post too – Pierre Gasly is French, not Monegasque. It’s Charles Leclerc, one of the other serious young talents, that comes from Monaco.

Carry on enjoying!

Andy Hollis

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Welcome to the club, Bob! Once you’re in, you’re in for life.

John Chapple

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I’d be happy to explain tires. Pirelli is the sole supplier. They make tires in 5 different rubber compounds, soft to hard. Hard isn’t “hard.” At operating temp-hot-t’s very sticky, Not wad of gum sticky but close. Pirelli bring 3 different compounds to each race. called soft, medium and hard. The soft may last 20 laps or less and you should be able to do most of the race on the hard. Sometimes this actually works out, Sometimes not. You must use 2 different compounds during the race.

Why tire problems today? And I don’t buy the “debris” excuse when both failures were left rear. Baku is one of the few clockwise circuits, which loads the left rear heavily. I think they just got their sums wrong and the carcass wasn’t strong enough. The same thing happened to Michelin at the Indy GP in 2005.

These sorts of failures are very rare. I had to go back to 2005 to find something similar.

Phil Brown

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Couldn’t agree more.  Got turned onto f1 by the Netflix series too.

We now wake up and watch the race/s live – lights out @ 7am central time this morning. With mimosas.

Paul W

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What !  Did you miss the Stroll tyre blow-out ?   It made the Verstappen incident so much more interesting/mysterious.  Was there a failure at the Pirelli factory ?

I started watching F1 again (?  I think I watched some stuff on tape-delay years ago, and recently watched “Senna”) .this year as my 91 year-old mother-in-law starting watching it last year. (Why is unclear, I think she just likes that some of the drivers are from her old-country).

The races are quite boring when nothing happens, but today’s bizarreness was unpredictable  – especially the Hamilton blunder.  Anyway, I enjoy your missives.

Cheers,

Anthony Boron

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I too started watching Drive to Survive – nearly all of S1 – when I came to realise that the only person of colour was Lewis – I started season 2 looking amongst the faces for a person of colour and found none. I felt nauseated when I realised what the sport represented. I came to the conclusion that the spoils of slavery have gone a very long way.

Regards

I haven’t watched any other episodes.

Ghalik Jacobs

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I keep up with F1 now too

I rarely experience new music that hooks me with as much depth…

I have only ever been into “soul” sports, maybe that is what I see in F1, one person against the physics that we are all bound by…

The musicians that move me also have that gift to expand the bounds of living with the laws of physics, that they can slow down time and pull you in…

Malama Pono

(Take Care, Be Right),

J Hatchett

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I’ve followed F1 since the 90s. My wife, not so much. Then ‘Rush’ came out. We live in a v. small town. We drove over an hour to see it in the nearest theater.  My wife has been a F1 fan since. She roots for Max. I root for about everyone except Max. You’re right.  Hard to warm up to. My take on it is that even the last place driver is one of the top 20 drivers in the world.

Catch ‘Rush.’ You and your SO will love it.

Jim Arnott
About 60 miles southeast of Nowhere Oregon

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Nice to see you are picking up on F1. I have been watching and supporting the Dutch drivers for many years, including Max Verstappen’s dad Jos. Max is a local boy, grew up in Belgium where his mom is from and still lives.

 

It was a hell of a race yesterday for sure. Do note that Hamilton just had a bad pit stop with 4.7 seconds and Max’s got done a round later in 1.9, hence he took over. Nothing to do with Gasly. Max holds the record for fastest stop ever, 1.82 seconds. In a sport where thousands of a second count it obviously makes sense to work hard on being fastest in the pit too.

 

FYI I use this for points & data, always updated.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Formula_One_World_Championship

 

“CU” in France

 

Best regards,

 

Wim Reijnen

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We’re so hooked Bob… Drive to survive has been the best thing ever for the sport! Get the F1TV app, you can switch to the driver cams, pit cam etc.

Libery Media did the best thing for the sport by taking us behind the scenes, even my wife is hooked, knows all the drivers, the heart ache, the back story.

Great to hear you’re into it too!!

Darren

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You’re hooked on F1! Are you going to the Austin Grand Prix? I guess you missed “Speed Racer” as a kid! Did you order your race car bed yet, you know you want one? See you at the finish line!

Arrivederci,

John Conrad

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A worth-while race for sure, but if you ever want to go deeper there other ways too.  F1 TV which is a separate app from the F1 website has not only the archive of decades of F1 races start to finish, but it has various other documentaries for ~$70 year.  Plus, other pre-race coverage and features like “Inside Track.”  A condensed version of recent races over the last few years without commentary.  Just in-car coverage and audio with team & drivers from their perspectives condensed down to the wheel-to-wheel moments and passes that mattered in the outcome. These are usually 16 – 24 minutes in duration and a great way to recap last year’s race before seeing this year’s race and not having to fast-forward on your own to see what was relevant to the outcome. For example, you can see Monza 2020 from only the relevant driver’s perspectives in 18 minutes.   Watching this, prior to a current race provides driver’s perspective going in as even though I watch every race and Drive to Survive, I don’t remember that LeClerc crashed out in 2020 at Monza, but he does.  So, it aids me in getting a bit more of the driver’s perspective without narrative from commentators.

Just an idea if you choose to go deeper and have the time for it.

Eric

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Great to hear you found Drive To Survive .. excellent series! It was so well done .. it has heroes & people you like, whiners & losers, behind the scenes power & leadership .. and more drama than most scripted shows!

And it helps you understand F1 enough to be able to enjoy watching a race.  And your first one was incredible / crazy!!

My wife is Brazilian and got me into F1 6 or 7 years ago when Vittel dominated.  But like you Drive To Survive was a game changer for me and my 2 teenage daughters who loved the series and now know everyone by name, backstories, etc. And we watch every race and qualifying together as a family… go figure!

I haven’t watched American sports in 20 years… Played football for 12 years as well as a college scholarship, but got injured my freshman year when everybody else kept growing and I didn’t… A trip to Europe with a guitar and backpack for several years changed my perspective on life to say the least, and by the time I came back to America I could never get back into watching all the different sports like everyone does.

But now, thanks to drive to survive I love watching F1! And like you Hamilton is so great… Phenomenal driver gifted humble passionate all the qualities that you wish the American sports heroes had… Instead of the brashness arrogance lying showboating that goes on in most sports.

Glad you found something new that you enjoy!

Best – Scott Palazzo

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Good time to start watching F1, it’s getting interesting again. One thing about F1 though, is you have to see a race live before you can really understand the speeds involved. I told my dad that for years before we went to see a race at Indy (back when it was the USGP) and it blew his mind.

Cheers from Berlin,

FJD

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Yep, Formula 1 is the coolest sporting event out there, enriched in history and tradition with some of the most incredible people involved, especially the drivers. All car racing is simply just the coolest.

Don’t know if you dig the cars themselves, BUT, if you do and you want to get a real kick, YouTube “Porsche 917 cockpit” and get ready for some teeth jarring race car fantasy. Those were the most aggressive man made machines ever with the most incredible engines, and were the first race cars to sport turbo chargers. It’s really something to enjoy.

Warm regards, Sacha Spindler

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Bob I’m excited that you’re fired up, we call this “the passion”. You see it in the drivers, the teams, the mechanics and the engineers. In a sport so obviously dominated with money you’re right when you say that you could have the best car and driver and still not win the race. That’s what makes a win so special. It all has to align, not just the cars or team, but the driver, the strategy the tires all of it. Everyone from the mechanics to the racing drivers have to be perfect. That’s why the podium is so emotional, that’s why you see the passion pouring out of these guys when they step on the podium.

The winning driver has a team member on the podium with them to rep the constructor.  So thats why there are four people on the podium spraying champagne ( a tradition started by American racer and legend Dan Gurney at LeMans in 1967)

Pirelli will be under scrutiny this week as they can’t seem to make a tire that will last over thirty racing  laps. The tires were the cause for both Verstappens and Strolls crash.

Watch on Bob and feel the passion!!!

Brad Blanco

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Agree with you on everything about F1, Bob.

When I was 13-14 and until after high school, I was CRAZY for F1 in the first golden age that started in 1964. Jim Clark, Graham Hill and our own Dan Gurney (my still all-time hero). Then came the Beatles and the bass guitar…but that’s another story.

So a Dutch friend of mine hipped me to ‘Drive to Survive’ and I was hooked again. Totally in with Toto and Lewis and the drama and the danger and the glory. You’re right…it is all there.

Don’t forget the excellent Tom Clarkson, the voice of F!! About the best at calling a sporting event as I’ve heard…up there with Bill King, Jack Buck, Dave Niehaus (I’m from Seattle doncha know) and anyone else you’d like to roll out.

Have fun with the new obsession and check out the F1 podcasts. There are a bunch, and Clarson’s are right up there.

Thanks for all the great reads, Bob and the terrific interviews on your own podcast!

Jeff Davies

Seattle, WA

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Ha ha your summation of this race was gold , unlike you I was up until 12.30 am here in Australia and thoroughly enjoyed the  Azerbaijan race as unlike a lot of the races it’s a great street circuit tight and closed in by historical buildings mixed in with some really impressive skyscrapers and unlike a race track the street circuit has wind tunnels and other great obstacles.

The wiki says

“Azerbaijan officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a country located at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region, and is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia and Turkey to the west, and Iran to the south.”

This is a fascinating part of the world with so many influences it would be great to visit and to think it left the Soviet Union only 30 years ago and looks really prosperous now .

The other fascinating fact is the Caspian Sea and Āzerbāyjān is below sea level , go figure!

I always pop outside for a cigarette when something tends to happen so I missed the first crash with Young Lance  Stroll  but the penultimate crash that took Verstapen really created the drama due to the race being red flagged .

The rigamarole they go through to restart the race and only for a few laps is something to behold  however the tactics and the underlying drama is fantastic .

Deep down Hamilton wanted to get those extra points however didn’t really need them because Verstapen wasn’t a threat since his tyre blew out however it just shows in the height of of the pressure and drama even the best can make the wrong move and the Spaniard got the chocolates giving his team a constructors advantage .

As for those Perilli tyres well I am sure we will hear more about them in the next instalment .

Stay tuned for the next episode of  F1 days of of lives .

Bob the best most spectacular street circuit was canceled this year and that’s the night race in Singapore..

Warren Bernard Amster

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Welcome to auto racing Bob……generally with Formula 1, certainly LeMans you have to be up at odd hours to watch live but it’s religion to a lot of people.   And so diverse it’s not just 4 left turns.   They did the electric cars in Miami and are trying to make a go of it but electric is well electric.  No smell, no sound, just odd….

I owned a farm in the Berkshires years ago and they only entertainment was a dirt track 30 miles away ….New Lebanon Speedway….Tony Stewart started there……I fell in love with the stocks and the 357s and the affair began.  10000 crazies every Saturday night where you dony buy 1 beer they crack half a case and give you the box as a holder and the thousands of maniacs who camp and Winnebago overnight is right out of Twilight Zone

Even NASCAR was fun for a minute before they went crazy but in American it’s a lot of ovals and they tried a series at the Meadowlands once but they cars just couldn’t get up to speed so it failed but go to Watkins Glen or Michigan or even the Indy 500 and hear and smell and see the speed.   It’s quite amazing.

They are trying hard with a beautiful new road course in Austin .  I also went through the NFL MLB and yes on stat overload but racing is where like golf you zero in on a few guys and you re hooked

And yes on its serious team sport and pit stops are choreographed and rehearsed like Riverdance…..

Enjoy

Chris Apostle

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Thankfully, espn deferred to Sky for the broadcasts… that first race (of the espn contract I assume) a few years back was a disaster.

Joe Selinsky

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I love that you are excited and write about F1! I saw my first race in 1977 in Sweden when I was 10. Must have seen Niki Lauda, Mario Andretti and Ronnie Peterson with Colin Chapman in the paddock somewhere.

There’s many intricacies and lots of politics in F1. Quite a few races can be boring.

But when it’s on – it’s on like little else south of a great soccer game!

Wishing you well!

All the best,

Anders Chan-Tidemann

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Bob – you’ve discovered the secret of auto racing – the stories behind each driver/team. You have a favorite driver, somebody to root for. NASCAR used to be much more popular than it is today, in part because their stories became less interesting. My favorite form of racing (sprint car racing) becomes much more interesting when Kyle Larson takes a mid-week break from NASCAR to dominate the competition, or to lose to an absolute nobody. Sprint car racing is built on touring series coming to your town to race your local favorites … a great story.

 

The story around the Indy 500 winner was a story people could relate to … a formerly great driver tossed aside for younger/cheaper drivers, only to win as a part-time driver for another team. More people watched his half-hour celebration than watched the race.

 

In politics, the story is important, hooking the core audience. Q tells a story that is compelling to the core audience. Seth Godin was right 20 years ago when he suggested the importance of telling stories to your tribe. Formula One is telling a compelling story right now to their core audience, a story that via Netflix it amplified. There are lessons to be learned here.

 

Thanks,

Kevin Hillstrom

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I’m probably not the only person to suggest you check out MotoGP. You can stream it at  MotoGP.com it’s  The motorcycle equivalent to F1. I wasn’t a fan until a nice lady called me at the office and asked if I was interested in putting the next race on our big screen at Downtown Independent. being a motorsports fan I was intrigued. Even more so by the unexpected turnout for films like Faster and Fastest (produced by Brad Pitt) I need to get the 35mm print of Faster back to the filmmaker Mark Neale before we close forever. Anyway we tried it out. I wasn’t really a fan of motorcycle racing but the first race hooked me. I knew about valentino rossi and had an appreciation for the speed and calculated reckless abandon but watching the race on the big screen was like instant addiction. These riders are taking turns at F1 speed on two wheels. It’s nuts. There are just as many threads and backstories and drama, even more so. The crowd after the second screening, also on Sundays, was enormous and only grew. There were nearly 100 nice bikes parked out front on a Sunday in downtown LA. One of the best crowds ever. I will miss them.

James Kirst

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Glad to see you’ve come over the the Formula 1 side.
They’ve really stepped up their online/interaction/engagement side since Liberty Media (yes a US company controls F1) took over F1 a few years back,

I’ve been a fan for some 35 of my 50 years, and went to my fist race in Montreal in 1995 and went every year up to 2007 when I didn’t for a few years.
.
You see, the day of the 2007 Canadian GP, my oldest was born! in fact it was the same day Lewis Hamilton won his first GP!
What an odd bit of timing that was.
I’ve  had my ups and downs with the sport over the years,  but this year is lining up to be a great season.
The first real competitive one in quite a long time.

Today’s race was something else and Baku could be the best street circuit on the calendar.
Max is a love/hate driver and can be seen as the “villain” to Hamilton.
He’ll give Lewis his toughest competition since Vettel a few years back, or 2016 when Rosberg beat Hamilton to the Championship. (the last driver to beat Lewis).
Many core F1 fans are enjoying this year because most races are throwing in some unpredictability.
Will Max with the title?
Will Lewis win his record setting 8th drivers title?
Will Red Bull end Mercedes dominance of the Hybrid era?
What will happen in 2022 when new regulations and car design come into play?

Today was the first time in 54 races Lewis hasn’t scored a point!
The last time he didn’t score a point was in Austria 2018.
An incredible streak of consistency.

If you can, sign up to F1TV (not sure what version of it they offer in the US) but it offers lots of older races and content to catch you up on some more history and legendary drivers.

Also….search out “Senna” from 2010. A phenomenal documentary on who many consider the greatest driver of all time.

And while the next race is in France at Paul Ricard…don’t expect it to be anything like Azerbaijan.
Paul Ricard has been one of the most processional and boring races of the last few years.

The back to back’s in Austria should be great, and the experimentation of the Sprint Races in Silverstone will add a new dynamic.

Personally…I’m disappointed that Montreal won’t be happening next weekend.
It’s a great race and the city is electric on F1 weekend.
For me…it always felt like the “official start to summer”.

Welcome the to world of F1!

Rob Johnston

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F1 is amazing. Been watching since 1994.  What an amazing season to get hooked on F1. Pirelli have a lot of explaining to do!  Most likely Pirelli will say there was carbon debris because Lewis had a cut in his tire.  Regardless, Lance Stroll was lucky being that exposed on a high speed straight with cars zooming by at 200 mph!  It took 37 second to get a red flag but half the field had already passed him at high speed.  For a few moments, you could hear just how terrified Stroll was.

Now we have to wait 11 days before we go racing again!

If you’re getting into the sport, check out:

Reddit Formula 1: Very popular F1 community = https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1. There are also technical groups and subreddits for every driver.  I’m a huge Pierre Gasly #10 fan! I typically start my day here. Then, Google News F1 searches, driver and team Twitter accounts.

Racer:  Solid analysis and longer format articles = https://racer.com/category/f1/.

SkySports:  https://www.skysports.com/f1 is fine but in most cases you won’t be able to watch any of the video clips. Their YouTube channel is worth checking out = https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3kxJQ9RfaS5CKeYbbFMi4Q

RaceFans is good https://www.racefans.net/

Will Buxton: Been watching him since his days at Speed Channel, NBCSports, and now F1 Digital Commentator.  He has his own channel with some great insights on F1 and auto sports.  He’s on YouTube = https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5IWhMODs3YMji85SK96SUA

ESPN F1: Sucks.  They simply repost what SkySports publishes. They have a few analysts but no past engineers nor former drivers like on Sky.

Formula1.com: A little watered down corporate messaging speak.

Streaming F1:

Two options in U.S.:

I. F1 TV subscription.  $79.99.  You get the main feed, PIT Lane show (more technical with split screen coverage: main feed on the left-half of the screen and the right is split in half with driver camera views, Tracker view that graphically represents where the drivers are on the track, Data view (sector times, tires by driver by team, track weather information including wind direction, DRS (drag reduction system) performance, lap data, leaderboard, and my favorite Individual Driver Cams. The team radio communications are amazing to hear and now you get to listen in on Race Control communications between teams. Here’s the link = https://f1tv.formula1.com/.

Why get a subscription?  You’ll wanna watch practices (FP1, FP2, and FP3) in addition to the races when you really get the F1 bug.  Figure 10 to 15 hours of watching F1 from Friday through Sunday.

2. ESPN +.  Do you need it? ESPN shows replay analysis during qualifying and races.  Those video clips are not shown on F1 TV in the U.S. but you can hear the commentator.  I’ll have ESPN running in the background in case the feed is goes down.

Enjoy,

Todd Tweedy

u/Huge_F1_Fan

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I became a fan after the Netflix special as well. It’s quite the sport.

Thank you for writing about it. I’ve been following your writing for years. It’s funny how often your interests end up aligning with mine.

Great writing  as always.

Cheers!

Derek Szeto

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As I mentioned before, I’ve been watching for decades.

Today was a bit different for me,  because of your previous Netflix F1
post and the response it got,, I felt like there were more people I
know, or know of, watching today’s race.

Paul Zullo

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And of course Christian Horner is married To Ginger Spice !!

Steve Lillywhite

I love the track. I spent years programming radio and this is just the kind of song we used to look for. Out of left field, format agnostic.

Sure, Little Nas X was a cross- format beast, it seems, not to be repeated, blood tinged Nikes not withstanding.

Most importantly, in my humble opinion, Throw it Back digs a bit deeper into that fascinating new place where rap and hip-hop are meeting with country and going to lunch with pop.

Country is right, rap is left…perhaps a small meeting point? Perhaps a new discussion…you’ve been asking where the next big artist is who will ignite what we had in the 60s.

Might it be an unintended consequence of a label trying to make a buck?

Funny how things go.

Rob Braide

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Thank You, Jeebus.  That song is a motherfucker!!!!  It had me the minute Breland opened his mouth and the layering of Keith is genius.  No artist is more genuinely multi-faceted.  There hasn’t been anything this new in a long time.  Familiar and yet fresh at the same time.

It’s the first song I’ve wanted to play ten times in a row since 1999.  Now I’ll go back and read the rest of your email.

John Brodey

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This is amazing.

You remember when you and Flom came to Boston and I was talking about hick-hop being the next thing. Convergence of hip hop and country making some great unique stuff. The lacs, Blanco Brown, Upchurch, of course Old Town Road, Nelly and Florida GA line, this hasn’t hit critical mass yet but soon. Right now it’s hiding in plain sight and Keith Urban could pop it.

Rednecks love their hip hop and they come in all shapes and sizes these days and I’m digging it!

Dan Millen

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Good ears, Bob– that’s a GREAT record! And this guy Breland has a super-interesting background too, including a business degree from Georgetown: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breland_(musician)

Mark B. Spiegel

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This song is great. Not cookie cutter at all. Real sounding vocals. Quite individual. No cliches. Great feel. And yes, the lyrics are a bit stupid but they’re fun to say because the words work and there isn’t a stupid message in sight. Thanks for turning me on to this.

Stan Harrison

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I lasted 10 seconds.  That was terrible.  The vocal production makes it completely unlistenable for me.

ewchaikin

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This track did just that…made me feel good & want to be out having a great time.

Thnx for the missive. I doubt I would’ve found it on my own.

All my best,

Nancy Sullivan

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Good song, nothing deep but not stupid either.

Kenneth Williams

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Thanks Bob. This record is great.

Joel Sill

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OK, I’ve often listened to your recommended new songs and haven’t often wanted to hear them all the way through once, let alone multiple times.

But this one was the bomb. Loved it!

Funny, I’m a guitar slinger and my ex-wife tried to sell me on Keith Urban a good while ago (post-split). I even used the same Dr. Z amp that Keith used for a while there but never really got caught up in his thing.

FWIW, pretty sure the “banjo” solo was maybe a lap steel or fretless guitar. Sounded like the kind of thing my pal Steve Kimock would play.

Thanks for continuing to throw new music at us. We all need that.

Kingsley Durant

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Thank you! Love it. Playing it over and over. Loud. One of my favorites ever is Run DMC and Aerosmith’s Walk This Way. This has that fun feel.

Maureen Droney

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Country trap.
Whoda thunk Li’l Nas X & Billy Ray started a whole genre.

EC Yahoo

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SMASH

Michael Rosenblatt

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1 listen. Super hooky. Old town road again?

Steve Tipp

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Catchy for sure.  Thanks for the listen.

Richard Stumpf

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Fun song, and a good call, Bob.

George Kahn

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Terrible.  Synthesized vocals sounding like robots.  Computer beats with no soul.  Any real instruments in there?

This is so sad, I feel genuinely sorry for the people who listen to this and think this is what music should sound like. So sad.  The dumbing down of culture…..

Robert Pina

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You’re slipping Bob. That song “Throw it Back” is the same old unoriginal crap that’s been on the radio for the last several years. They just melded Country and Hip Hop together (hasn’t this been done?) It kinda sounded like Kieth Urban was auto tuned, throw in a banjo to make it “Country” (whatever that is these days), throw in some laid back slacker sounding rap along with it and let’s all go to the bank! Boring and unoriginal. With what this country has been through in the last several years I’m still waiting for someone, some talented kid somewhere, to break out with something original.

Troy Clem III

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A hit is a hit, that’s why it’s called a hit

One listen and you know.  And you know when you know, about love and about a hit song

Thanks for brightening my day with this one.

Jill Goldhand

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The autotuned vocals spoil it.

David Bower

Locked down in Melbourne

Australia

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Not gonna hate on this one. i really like the song. Thanks for the tip.

– Greg Dennis

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Bob, sometimes I don’t know what the fuck you hear, but it’s certainly not what I hear.

Kevin Kiley

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I don’t know in what universe this isn’t a hit. Great song. Thanks for sharing.

David Wallace

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Thanks Bob for the track this morning.

What genre was OLD TOWN ROAD?

Massive hit genre that’s what.

Again, we should all just listen to it with fresh ears.

Be a fan not a Judge.

Mark Wright

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Of course it’s a hit – it features Keith Urban!

But I’m still a little uncomfortable imagining you dancing…

Tom Cartwright

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I signed and A&R Breland. Thanks for the kind words. Hopefully the label does make it a hit!

Ian Hunter

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Thanks for the great email on Breland’s new single “Throw it Back” featuring Keith Urban.

I signed Breland to Atlantic at the end of 2019 through Antonio Chavez’s Bad Realm Records label. Ian Hunter who does A&R for us introduced him to me. From the moment I met Breland and heard his music I was 1000% convinced he was a star. I told him I was without question going to make this deal with him in the room on the first day I met him after we spent a few hours together and when I realized that not only does he write incredibly unique, catchy, amazing hook driven records, but that he’s also articulate, sensitive, thoughtful and truly one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. I signed him not only for the incredibly ear bending music he played for me in our first meeting, but also for who he is as a person, and I connected with him on a very intense level which made me believe even more. I was instantly sold.

I agree with you that Throw It Back is a hit. I also know he already has dozens of other songs in the can with just as much flavor and swagger as this track. We have put in over a year and a half of artist development on Breland and we are just getting started. He has been hosting his own radio show on Apple Music: Land of the Bre, was just named YouTube’s Artist On The Rise, and in his short artist career has received critical acclaim and praise for his genre defying style from The NY Times, Forbes, Vice, Rolling Stone, XXL, NPR and numerous others. Nashville is really starting to embrace him as a true songwriter and artist, and it feels like just a matter of time for Breland.

This young man is a real artist, but also an incredible human being and straight up the real deal. Atlantic is committed to a true artist development path with him and as much as I believe that Throw It Back is a smash, we are in it for the long haul with Breland. I’m in no hurry for this to happen today or overnight and if his journey is one that needs more nurturing, support and long term commitment from the label we are here with him and staying the course. We also partnered with Sal Slaiby and Manny Dion from SAL&CO, as well as Bruce Kalmick from Why and How for management, and we couldn’t have a more passionate, diverse and experienced team working together with us on all of this.

In my opinion, Breland is a star and it will happen organically when it’s meant to be. In the meantime we will continue to back his creative vision, support him with the resources of the entire company and let him grow his fans and work toward a long term sustainable career, that I wholeheartedly believe will be his destiny.

Best,

Kevin Weaver

I haven’t watched sports on Sunday afternoon in eons.

I know it’s the day you’re supposed to go to your man cave with your beer and spend all day with the NFL, maybe the MLB, but I have no man cave, I drink no beer, I refuse to watch the NFL because of the head injuries and baseball just isn’t the same game it was back in the sixties, the games are longer and I love that the profits go to the players, not only the owners, but it’s been ruined by data, it can be so slow that the most interesting element is what you eat at the stadium. At least you can follow baseball in person, football not so much, unless you’re way up in the stands, it’s better on television, Formula 1?

We devoured the thirty episodes of “Formula 1: Drive to Survive.” By time we were done I knew all the players, the general workings of the sport, and I researched online, saw that the next race was in Baku, Azerbaijan, and set the DVR.

Formula 1 is an unending fount of news. They’ve got their own site, formula1.com, and it somehow has more gravitas than those covering American sports. Maybe, because despite the figurehead, Formula 1 is a team sport. The driver is the front person, but without a great car, a great team, you’ve got no chance. Daniel Ricciardo, my favorite driver, could win when he was with Red Bull, but he had no chance with Renault, and even though McLaren was better last year, it seems all of its competitors improved.

So, first I caught up on the news.

Renault, now named Alpine, blew Cyril out! You remember Cyril, who was angry Ricciardo left the team after two years, just when they were building something beautiful… Well, power shifted at Renault corporate and Cyril lost his gig and it proves, once again, that nothing is forever, especially when you’re working for the man, but even more that in today’s society, you’ve got to look out for yourself, you only have one life, one career, be wary of sacrificing it for someone else. Yes, they guilt you, make you feel bad, but really you’re just a pawn in their game.

So it’s already tomorrow in Azerbaijan. It’s eleven hours ahead of L.A. But it was bright and sunny when they ran this race.

And I saw Toto, and Christian…

I hated Toto Wolff and now I love him, he’s my favorite team owner/runner. He’s got that German accent, and up to this year Mercedes always won, but he’s more of a sportsman than his main competitor, the aforementioned Christian Horner, who’s always looking for an edge, Christian will go back to the tape, the recording, protest, do anything to try and gain an advantage, this is why non-New Englanders hate Bill Belichick. Just play the damn game and let the best man/team win. Formula 1 is a metaphor for the world at large, it’s rigged by those with power, who lie, cheat and steal to win more and stay in power. What you ultimately realize when you age is that it’s always been this way and always will be this way. I mean look at all the elected officials who get in sex scandals, who play funny with the money. You’d think after so many had been caught future politicians would be aware and stop, but it never happens, because if you’re honest and truthful…you just cannot get ahead in the world today. “Fair” is not a word used in business or government. Sad, I know, but best to acknowledge it.

So, in practice on Friday, the Mercedes team was having trouble. But Lewis Hamilton had his car adjusted, unlike his teammate Valtteri Bottas, and Saturday he ended up qualifying in second position. Leclerc was first. Ferrari had been an also-ran for so many years, but now they’re back. And Sebastian Vettel, who couldn’t succeed at the red car company is now doing well with Aston Martin, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

So ultimately Hamilton takes the lead. And I love Hamilton, but not only because he wins, but because he says and does the right things. He didn’t want to race Down Under when Covid hit in 2020, and ultimately the race was canceled. He’s not only the only Black person racing, he stands up for Black causes. And he’s soft spoken. Too many winners are boasting blowhards. Or in Formula 1, intense and silent. Like Max Verstappen. Great driver, but hard to warm up to.

And then Hamilton comes in for a pit stop and…it takes so long he falls behind. You see when you box (the term for pitting) in Formula 1 you want to be out in two seconds or less, Hamilton took 4.6 seconds. Because Gasly pitted and blocked him from going back out.

Luck of the draw. It’s a big issue in Formula 1. You can be the best driver, have the best car, and still not win.

And the race goes on and Hamilton can’t get ahead of Sergio Perez, Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate. But then…

Watching Formula 1 isn’t like watching American sports. Or maybe I just haven’t watched enough sports recently. The screen is filled with data. You can hear the drivers speak, you’re involved. You know who had the fastest lap, how many places they’ve moved up or fallen back, how far ahead or behind they are at all times. And then they’ll give you even more data. And there are no commercials. But at times there is a fake digital rotating sign/advertisement. Formula 1 is laden with commerciality, logos and signs are everywhere, but they don’t stop the action, don’t cut away for commercials, they stay with the race, unlike baseball and football.

There was no audience, because of Covid. And everybody was wearing a mask, except for that Red Bull nincompoop who wasn’t wearing it over his nose. Like we breathe solely through the mouth. The truth is Covid is still raging, if you haven’t been vaccinated, your odds of getting infected are as bad as they were back in January, but you feel safe, good luck with that.

So, all of a sudden Verstappen goes into the wall. His tire failed. Honestly, there’s more I’ve got to learn about the sport. Tires is one thing, the type, the strategy.

And ultimately on the restart… It looked like Hamilton would pull ahead of Perez but then…instead of turning he went straight, right off the course.

It wasn’t until after the race that we learned that he’d accidentally flipped a switch, that changed the brake balance.

Yes, one simple mistake and you fall to the back of the field, that’s how small the margins are.

Which means that Sergio Perez triumphed, the guy who lost his seat at Racing Point (now Aston Martin) last year.

I wasn’t convinced that Perez was that good, I thought since he came with sponsorship money that kept him in the game. I was wrong.

As for the Haas team? How long is this going to go on? The Williams family dropped out, isn’t it time for Haas?

And I’m watching the drivers being interviewed at the end and it’s so clear this is an international sport. Perez is from Mexico. The elated second place finisher Sebastian Vettel is from Germany. And the last man on the podium, Pierre Gasly, is from France. There’s even a Japanese driver. But no Americans. A Canadian, whose billionaire father controls the team, but no one from the self-professed “Greatest Country in the World!”

Next they’re racing in France.

And I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you I occasionally fast-forwarded through the race, it started sometime after thirty laps of this fifty one lap contest. I just kept my eyes on the standings, to see if there was any change. Then again, it wasn’t a giant commitment of time, a race is an hour and a half, I spent a little over an hour watching.

And now I’m fired-up.

I’d never want to live in Azerbaijan, but I’d love to go there. People live everywhere, they’ve got their own customs and styles. There’s business, not all of it international. I want to soak it up. I’m excited by Formula 1.

And I haven’t been excited about a new sport for a very long time.