Although you probably won’t. It only has 138 views so far, and one of them is mine, and it was released back in August. But it’s not out of date, it’s just waiting for you to discover it.
Lee Abrams ruled rock radio in the seventies as a consultant. People believe either he killed it or he built it into a monolith. Yes, it was Lee who got rid of free-form, whittled down the playlist, made FM more akin to AM, albeit hipper and with better music.
Lee constructed the original channels at XM. And was focused on respecting the audience, taking them on a ride, not replicating traditional radio tropes. But then he got squeezed out.
And then he and his radio buddies gained control of Tribune, and it ended in a disaster, the mores of radio are quite different from those of news, radio is down and dirty, news is all about respect. End of story.
And since then…we haven’t heard much from Lee.
But Lee has been thinking, he’s never stopped thinking, you can lose your job but still not turn off your brain.
In this video Lee divides the public into four quadrants, quite accurately, although at the end even he says the divisions are not hard and fast. But these divisions will help you focus your viewpoint of the audience. And one thing Lee says is you must pick one quadrant, and your work must be appalling to the other three.
One of their greatest mistakes is the Grammys branding their awards show as “Music’s Greatest Night.” Half the audience is turned off immediately, it’s not music’s greatest night, it’s a lame claim, and it’s too broad and general, trying to appeal to all when it appeals to so few.
I waited days, till I had some time to watch this video after Lee sent an e-mail. And then I just checked out a minute. I found that snippet interesting, and then I had to wait for a time to play the entire thing and pay attention and digest it. It’s shy of twelve minutes long, but that’s a big chunk of time in my world, in today’s world, in everybody’s world.
And with so many messages in the marketplace, it’s hard to get traction, especially if you’re new to the game. Abrams is not new to the radio/psychographic game, but he is new to the internet, social media. And if you’re coming on board now, it’s harder than ever to gain an audience, so only start if you’re prepared for the long hard slog, irrelevant of content, irrelevant of greatness.
Unlike so much media, this clip is not background, you won’t, you can’t multitask while you watch it, you’re either in or you’re out. But the truth is we don’t really want to multitask, we want to be in. But very few things demand our complete attention. This does.
You’ve got to listen for Yo-Yo Ma’s solo at 3:23, he’s wailing, and if you know the original record it will resonate and transcend.
Atlantic Records believed so much in Peter Gabriel’s third LP…that the company refused to release it. It ended up coming out on Mercury, which is like BMW rejecting a model and having it be produced by Yugo.
Peter Gabriel was a cult item. Genesis didn’t break through to huge success until after he left the band. The initial solo LP contained the now-classic “Solsbury Hill,” but it did not dominate FM airwaves back in 1977, it was a cult item. And the second solo LP…was even less successful, it contained less obvious tracks, it suffered from being produced by Robert Fripp, who is a master, but obvious commerciality is not in his wheelhouse, better to get him to play, one of his notes can make a track, as it did with Blondie’s “Fade Away and Radiate.” But, the third album was produced by Steve Lillywhite, before he became famous for working with U2, when his name on an album didn’t automatically attract interest, and it’s this third album that true fans consider Gabriel’s best, then and now. Sure, “So” has the commercial success, with “Sledgehammer” and its famous video, but there was nothing to sell the third album other than word of mouth, MTV didn’t exist and stations were thick in the midst of the controlled playlist corporate rock era, Peter Gabriel did not fit their format, so his album was not played. But if you listened to it…
In retrospect the third album seems so obvious, with “I Don’t Remember” and “Games Without Frontiers,” but the truth is they were just album tracks to those who purchased the album, as was the finale, “Biko.”
Americans are ignorant. They’ve really got no idea what is going on in the rest of the world. And today, with so many avenues of information available they may have heard word, but chances are they’ve got it wrong, institutions are seen as bogus, untrustworthy, and we live in a nation held together by a thread. Which means… Educated people were aware of apartheid, if not how to pronounce it, but what was going on in South Africa flew over the heads of almost everybody in the U.S. Sure, in years to come you were told you couldn’t play Sun City, but Little Steven’s song with that moniker didn’t come out until 1985, and “Biko” was released in 1980.
“September ’77
Port Elizabeth weather fine
It was business as usual
In police room 619”
The specific resonates. The more personal you write it, the more people are attracted to it. Many tell you to generalize, to appeal to the widest swath of potential customers, but this is a mistake, the smaller, the more intimate it is, the greater the chance it will speak to people, hook them, have them internalize it and never forget it, never mind testify about it.
“You can blow out a candle
But you can’t blow out a fire
Once the flames begin to catch
The wind will blow it higher”
This mantra never changes, it’s about the power of the individual. It only takes one, but most don’t have the courage to step outside their lives, to risk what they’ve got for what they believe in, to make things better. We get mobs, of unthinking unified people, but individuals… That’s what America was built upon, the honest individual throwing the long pass and not backing down. We’ve lost that. To our detriment. Maybe we’ve still got Elon Musk, we had Steve Jobs before him, but back in the twentieth century it was all about artists, mostly musicians, Jobs lionized Bob Dylan, he wanted to know which way the wind blew.
2
Now when you first pull up this YouTube clip you might want to shut it down, what is it, a cover, images matched to the Peter Gabriel original? But then Meshell Ndegeocello appears playing her bass in a field and you’re shocked, she seems to be making no concession to commerciality whatsoever, she’s not styled to the max, and unlike Billie Eilish her baggy clothes are not a fashion statement, you believe this is who Meshell truly is. And thank god they label her and all the players, because otherwise most people wouldn’t have any idea who they are.
And then, not long after a minute into it, Peter Gabriel appears. And he looks like he’s aged, but not that he’s old. He’s not denying who he is, he’s embracing it, and this is appealing in a world where all the old rock stars are trying to look young when they’re not. And you’re asking yourself…DOES HE STILL HAVE IT? And you’re not sure, but as the video plays out, as the song amps up, it turns out he still does, and you yearn to hear new stuff from him, because he always pushes the boundaries, but maybe he’s tired, he’s accomplished so much, maybe he’s lost the motivation, let’s hope not.
And just shy of two minutes in, we get our first appearance from Yo-Yo Ma, and what he’s playing is not so extraordinary, but his reaction is, when he pulls his bow away, when he’s so INTO IT! That’s the power of music, whether you’re in rock, classical or whatever genre, when you’re so involved nothing else matters, when it’s the elixir of life, when you bond. It’s something you feel, not something you see, there’s no production necessary whatsoever, the music is enough.
And as the video continues, you see players from all over the world, especially percussionists, the Dynamic Music Collective, from my town, Los Angeles, who I’ve never heard of, bring the marching band sound to the track, with all of its attendant power.
“When I try to seep at night
I can only dream in red”
Whew! This is the Peter Gabriel we know, who impressed us, this is when we realize Gabriel, who never sold out, who believed first and foremost in credibility, has not lost a step.
The other surprise is Jason Tamba, all the way from Kinshasa, Congo. Isn’t that where they fought, isn’t that supposed to be backwoods and out of date? But Tamba is relaxed on a bench with his guitar and he’s generating a glorious noise that makes you believe that rock music is not dead, but still alive, just not on the radio airwaves.
And the truth is this version of “Biko” is inferior to the original recorded take, never mind Peter Gabriel’s commercially released live takes, all of which have more dynamics, more bottom, more edge. You keep waiting for transcendence watching the video, but it rarely reaches that level, except for the moments I’ve mentioned, and a couple more, it’s flatter.
But when it’s finished, you want to hear it again. How often do you get to see these people, Gabriel is essentially a hermit, a cipher. And with today’s technology you can record with people all over the world, and it’s interesting how all these different musical groups have been woven together in this song.
The song. You only have to hear it to remember…when you first heard it, when you played it over and over, when Nelson Mandela was released from prison. The impossible is possible. Come on, did you believe a black man could become president, that marijuana could be legal? That’s how far we’ve come, but never forget the forces of evil are trying to impede progress 24/7, they’re afraid of change, they want to keep you down in the hole they’re in.
3
So, this video was released over a month ago, I was just turned on to it today, by someone who thought everybody had already seen it, he was afraid of overburdening us. If this were thirty years ago, we’d all be aware of it, it would be on MTV, but now there’s so much in the channel that things get lost. People change direction believing they’re doing it wrong when the truth is the message just hasn’t reached enough people yet, it’s still percolating, word of mouth is slower than ever before, and that which is thrown in our face dies ever quicker, to last, you’ve got to be in it forever, the long haul, you’ve got to be true to your values, you’ve got to be Peter Gabriel.
And the truth is the song transcends the message here. I don’t mean the message of “Biko,” but the message of the organization that produced it, the charity Playing for Change. Music has been so insignificant for so long that the charity, the festival, the umbrella organization, usually supersedes the sound. But the sound, when done right, is everything.
And it turns out that people of different colors, from different backgrounds, even on different continents, can all resonate with the sound. They might not even understand the lyrics, but they can feel the message.
Music has power, but too often it is abdicated.
Music is enough, you don’t have to be a brand, you don’t need sponsorships to make enough dough.
But it’s harder than ever before, at least since the Beatles, because you’re competing not only against a plethora of music, but a plethora of messages from news, social media, gaming, television…everybody is overwhelmed, EVERYBODY! Which means if you want to reach more people, you must dig deep inside, it’s an internal game, you must find your inner tuning fork, you must forget the audience, and channel greatness. It’s always about truth. It always happens in a flash. Execution is key, but the more you polish, the more you risk sanding off the edges, and it’s the edges that hook people, and we’re all looking to be hooked.
I did not wake up thinking I was gonna write about “Biko,” but this one video brought back the original record, seeing Peter Gabriel at the Greek Theatre forty years ago, when he was passed amongst the audience, when he was the first to do this, when you had to be there to know. And going to the Capitol Records Swap Meet and buying a recording of the show on cassette. That’s how much the music meant to me.
Use it right away. My OCD has me ordering/acquiring things and afraid to use them, for fear they’ll get tarnished. Best to break them out right away, otherwise you’ll end up questioning yourself later why you took so long to use them.
Research, but make a decision. The great thing about the internet is there are so many resources. First and foremost Amazon. Note that no matter what the product is, it’ll have some one star reviews. Some people cannot be satiated, or they hate the product in principle. Then again, if they all complain about physical/usability defects, don’t buy it. Some electronic gear fails right out of the box, but most doesn’t. Play the odds. And research on “Consumer Reports” and the “Wirecutter” also. As for other review sites…be wary, oftentimes there’s a compromise under the surface, it’s a paid site or they’re taking kickbacks or… If it’s an exotic product, do not trust any of these outlets except Amazon, where the people who actually buy the gear review it. CR and the “Wirecutter” are middlebrow, they appeal to the masses. You’ve got to find reviews from people who are just as into the product as you are.
You get what you pay for. I’m not saying there’s any problem with getting a deal, but if you buy a Mercedes-Benz or a BMW elements are featured that are often unavailable in not only cheaper products, but other brands completely. If the extra 10% means something to you, if you get satisfaction from it, if the extra 1% means something to you, go for it, assuming you can afford it. Don’t listen to the naysayers saying you’re wasting your money, the enjoyment you will get from cutting edge products is worth it if that’s your personality, if that’s what you want.
Don’t ever lease a car unless you are rich, or your company is paying for it, or your accountant advises you there are huge tax advantages. Sure, you’re driving a new car, but you end up with nothing. Having said that, we are in a very challenging era, electric vehicles are going to wipe out gasoline ones seemingly overnight, no one knows exactly when that will be, but it’s gonna happen. So, if you’re buying an expensive gasoline automobile to drive for twenty years, the joke is now on you.
When in doubt, buy the name brand. It’s got a better service network, it’s seen more customers who have revealed more flaws. Otherwise you’re an early adopter, which sometimes works and sometimes does not.
What seems like a stretch financially today looks like bupkes tomorrow. Real estate is not fungible, every property is different, so if you find something you really like, extend your budget. In certain markets, like Southern California, real estate is one of the best investments. It can crash every seven years or so, but it always bounces back. In other markets…this may not happen, but you get the luxury of living in the house. Having said that, NEVER buy the most expensive house on the block, its value will be dragged down by the properties near it.
Electronics have a shelf life. Sure, you want to take care of them, but use them fully, because chances are they’ll be superseded technologically long before their physical life ends. You can use the old product, but you won’t want to. There’s no need to buy a point and shoot camera, if you want high quality photos lay down for a good one, which is in the neighborhood of $500 to $15000, otherwise it’s a waste of money.
Don’t be afraid of breaking your iPad OS. Or your Mac OS either. It’s essentially impossible. Take risks, make mistakes. Of course Windows is not quite as solid, but it’s light years better than it used to be, however it is prone to phishing scams and viruses. As for the same on Macs? Theoretical, but I’ve yet to find someone who’s encountered one in the field, forget the antivirus software, chances are you’ll just slow down your operating system.
You can’t beat the cable company. It’s digital, the physical analog filters of yore are long gone. And the wheeling and dealing of the past is mostly gone. Just pay. And if you don’t want to pay… You’ll still need an internet connection, and chances are your cable company will sell it to you at a high price and throw in the TV channels for free. The only threat to this model is 5G mobile carriers. T-Mobile has an interesting product, check it out if it’s in your market and your connection is slow, otherwise cable can’t be beat, certainly not for speed. This is the problem with monopolies, which most cable companies were granted back in the seventies for wiring the neighborhood.
Buy the cheapest computer in the product line or the most expensive. Either see your laptop/desktop as disposable, or a long term investment. And always upgrade from the base model, oftentimes it doesn’t have enough storage to even upgrade the operating system in the future, never mind enough RAM to avoid slowdowns. You need a minimum of 16GB of RAM, no matter what anybody says.
Life may be short, but it’s also very long. At some point you’ve got to save for the future. If your company offers an IRA, use it. Too many boomers thought they could work forever, and now they can’t get a job and they don’t have enough money and there’s nowhere they can make more.
DON’T TAKE SOCIAL SECURITY UNTIL YOU’RE 70, NO MATTER WHAT ANYBODY SAYS! You’re gonna need the extra cash when you get old, and chances are you’re gonna live that long. Get a service job, do anything to avoid taking social security early. As for dying before the crossover point…no one wins all the time, NO ONE, and the opposite, losing, running out of money in the future…is disastrous.
Most people are full of crap and not worth listening to. They only know what they know, which is not much. They feel good that they can blow hard on different subjects. You’re best off getting info from someone who tells you they don’t have all the answers, or someone who is truly an expert in their field, but still, cross-check what they have to say online.
Do your best not to waste time on social media. Facebook is a trap. Furthermore, if you’re posting, all you’re doing is building a worthless monument to yourself. As for Twitter, don’t post at all unless you’re famous…no one will see it.
There’s some amazing stuff on the flat screen, but it’s dwarfed by tripe.
Believe the odds. If an operation says it’s got a 95% success rate, that means it doesn’t work, or doesn’t work fully, for 5%, and I’ve been in that 5%, more than once. If doctors ever told you what was really involved in surgery, you’d never do it. Having said that, you can’t be too scared to get better. See your doctor for a physical each and every year, no matter what anybody says, you’d be amazed how much can change in a year, you can develop cancer, I know from experience. And it’s better that you catch it early, you don’t want to be Warren Zevon.
Be aware that you’re jumping through hoops, and that ultimately the hoops might be meaningless. Being good at school does not mean you’ll be successful in life. Devoting yourself to the corporation does not mean you’ll get a raise or be promoted.
If you work for yourself you eliminate the bureaucracy, which is important if you’re not good at kissing ass and socializing.
If you’re not the best in a narrow field, find another field.
You’re an individual, no one thinks exactly like you, no one completely understands you, so factor that in in the decisions you make.
Your body tells you when you’ve made the wrong decision, go against these feelings at your peril.
Everybody knows the truth. The braggart, the person who rubs you the wrong way, who you think everybody else likes, people know the score, the joke is on the braggart/self-promoter themselves.
Think for yourself, question authority. Don’t forget, these “authorities” are just people, prone to failure just like you.
Individuals who change the world don’t have mentors and don’t do internships.
Online every outlet is equal. There’s usually only one victor in each space. And they’re so good you want to use them. It’s not about building competitors to Google or Amazon, but channeling and limiting their efforts. If you buy it from Amazon you’ll get a refund no questions asked. Buy it from someone else… Same deal with Google, its search is so good there’s no need for a competitor. It’s not like Bing or DuckDuckGo are physically closer, they’re all just a click away. Best to make Google take privacy seriously.
Nothing is forever. Not IBM, not a hit act…
You don’t want to be the mascot. You can brag about who you hang with, but these people will never truly respect you.
