This show got mixed reviews.

So I pulled up HBO Max on the Roku to watch a legendary drama that I’m not going to name, because I’ll just get feedback telling me to watch it. But before I dug in, I decided to check out the offerings. I do this on the streaming apps on a regular basis, I want to know the landscape. And I saw a line listing HBO Max originals. This intrigued me, because I didn’t think there were many. However I could scroll and there were more than I thought. And many I knew. But what was “Love Life”?

I clicked through to see. It was a relationship show. I love those. So I decided to watch.

There was a British woman doing the voiceover so I believed it was a U.K. show. Then again, when the characters started to speak, they were definitely American, and the show took place in New York City. As for the lead, I’d never seen her before. She was cute, and she was imperfect. She had a bump in her nose, not very big, but when she turned sideways, you could see it, and usually these comedies, which is what “Love Life” turned out to be, are peopled by 10’s. Quite often as a result of surgery, but they’re unbelievably beautiful, better looking than anybody you went to high school with. And if you’re further down the looks scale, you’re the butt of jokes, or the smartest one in the room. Yes, stereotypes.

And I can’t figure out who this lead actress, who is so damn good, is. So I stop the show and look her up.

It’s Anna Kendrick. Oh yes, now I can see it. Why couldn’t I see it previously? Maybe it’s the hair. And I always considered Kendrick a serious actress, I first encountered her in the George Clooney vehicle “Up in the Air.” I thought she was slumming in the “Pitch Perfect” movies, which I’ve never seen, but as I scanned her filmography, I found much of her work was in flicks not considered highbrow.

Oh, one other thing. In this show Anna is incredibly skinny. Yes, she’s short, but you can see her thigh gap, her legs are like sticks. Can I say all that? I don’t think so, in today’s world it’s called “objectification.” Then again, they’re selling us looks in these shows, although much less in the foreign series I tend to watch. So I google to see if Kendrick has anorexia. I find no links, but I do end up viewing a clip of “Pitch Perfect” and she’s ultra-skinny there too. And if she’s this skinny on screen… How much can Anna Kendrick eat, she must be hungry all the time. What kind of message are they sending to women?

So, you can compare “Love Life” to “Sex and the City.” But unlike Sarah Jessica Parker, Anna Kendrick is believable in the role. Candace Bushnell, who wrote the original “Sex and the City” articles, was a smoky bombshell. All you had to do was look at her, and especially after she spoke, you got it, Bushnell radiates sexuality. Parker does not. Parker can be sunny and cute, but sexy is not what she’s selling. Not that Kendrick is selling sexiness in “Love Life,” she’s selling personality, she’s wholly alive, imperfect, but you’re drawn to her.

So in the first episode, Kendrick has a one night stand. The guy gets her digits but never texts. Oh, the agony. We’ve all felt it. Nothing else matters, are they gonna reach out? This is depicted so well in the show. And then there’s the issue whether you can take the initiative, especially if you’re a woman.

So, Kendrick ends up having a relationship with someone who places their job first and having had too much to drink, the two of them get into it. This is another place we’ve all been. The evening started out fine, then the liquor flowed, and what comes out shouldn’t. Kendrick’s significant other labels her a “tour guide” and she takes offense. Certain things cut to the bone, certain things you can’t take back.

And the relationship ends.

And I’m not sure if this is a show where every episode is a new guy, or whether they’re building to a lasting relationship that leads to marriage and children and… Am I gonna watch another episode?

I do further research. On RottenTomatoes “Love Life” blows 64% on the critics meter, and 83% on the audience one. I prefer the reverse, I tend to trust the critics. Streaming TV is laden with popular shows that people love that are pure dreck. And all the reviews say the show is “slight.” Hmm…not a ringing endorsement. So I decide to go further, I decide to read the actual reviews, however dangerous that might be. Dangerous because reviews are legendary for revealing the entire plot. I start at the bottom, with the conclusion, I try to read as little as possible to get a feel for whether the reviewer is thumbs up or down.

And most of the critics are laughing at the show. Kind of snide. Except for one. And now I’m torn. Are the critics right and I should move on, or are they so jaded they can’t see genius? Well, not exactly genius, but that which deserves attention.

You see “Love Life” gets relationship nuances down cold. In a way I rarely see.

And most streaming is crime focused. Or thriller. Comedies are rare. And “Love Life” is not “Ted Lasso,” where what appears to be shooting low is actually playing on a higher level. “Love Life” is straightforward, it either works on the surface or it does not.

But it does!

Screw the critics, I’ll watch another episode.

And in episode two Kendrick gets involved with her ex-boss. This happens all the time. The guy has a crush, but not until circumstances change do they act on it. And Anna is a good girl, but not so good she won’t go with the flow, sex is not taboo. But is he really, officially divorced? You’d be stunned how many people say they are and are not. And until they are, you don’t want to be involved with them, they haven’t gotten over the final hump which affects you so deeply, even though those in the process are unaware of or deny this.

And Anna is going with the flow until…

Like a good girlfriend, she accompanies her boyfriend to the suburban house where he grew up for his dad’s wake.

No, there’s something that happens before that! Kendrick and boyfriend are eating dinner at a restaurant, having a good time, and a woman approaches the table and the boyfriend instantly falls into a comfortable conversation with her and…never bothers to introduce Kendrick. This can be a faux pas, but it can also be a sign, that you’re just not that important to them, or they’re ashamed of you.

But Kendrick is game and engages this woman, who complains about her work, even though she’s playing at quite a high level. And then this woman asks Kendrick what she does for a living and Anna has to lie, and then the other woman picks up on this lie and says they’ve got to get together to talk business and…thank god this woman finally gets up and leaves.

Kendrick feels inadequate. She’s working catering jobs. Is she just a wannabe? She thought she was doing so well, living in the city, having this boyfriend, but is she really nowhere? Her boyfriend and his woman friend seem so grown up, Anna puts them on a pedestal and can’t quite tear them down, as she’s still sharing an apartment with roommates, trying to get it together.

So at the wake… The boyfriend doesn’t introduce her again. And she’s lost, but trying to do her best in a situation where she’s got no reason to be there other than the connection with the boyfriend. She does her best, is game, introduces herself to someone, but they don’t care, they punch the clock on her. And then Kendrick decides to help out in the kitchen, but then the family treats her like the help! And then Kendrick has too much to drink and…

The ex-wife shows up.

And the family treats the ex-wife like a goddess. The ex-wife tells an off-color story and the room erupts in laughter. Kendrick stands up and tells a story and you expect her to make a fool of herself, having had too many drinks, but the truth is what she says is ultimately poignant, well done, but there are crickets, no one reacts, there is silence.

And then the boyfriend ends up dumping her. He tells her he just isn’t ready for a new relationship, even though the two of them have been together for months.

And Kendrick returns to the flat where her roommates are shocked to see her, they haven’t seen her in such a long while, they thought she was gone forever. This is how it happens in young love, you put your friends aside, and then you find out you need them. Oh, that’s another scene, where this ex-boss boyfriend, who is not that much older than her friends, is bored and acting sheepish around them. He doesn’t want to party, he came all the way from Brooklyn and paid for everybody’s dinner, can he just go home and sleep?

I’ve been there too. On his side. You’re involved with someone younger, you think you’re hitting it off, and then they want to do something you outgrew years ago, what do you do?

As you can tell, I’m really enjoying “Love Life.” I couldn’t fall asleep thinking about it. I could have burned through all ten episodes last night.

And that’s the funny thing about all the reviews, all the critics complain and then say they ended up watching all the episodes. Why? No one said it was a hate-watch, they just couldn’t let go. You don’t find this kind of truth everywhere.

But maybe the series gets worse. Maybe I’ll stop watching.

But why was there no buzz on “Love Life”?

Because it was released last spring, as the first HBO Max original. And it being HBO critics expected brilliance and with so few subscribers at the time, people didn’t even have access, there couldn’t be any word of mouth, if there was even gonna be any.

You know whether this is your kind of show. Don’t put it down and call it a rom-com, because that’s not what it is, it’s not a chick show, it’s a relationship show, about the interaction of men and women. And that’s ultimately what it comes down to. You know the paradigm. The couple has been together for years and then one spouse wants to leave, saying they’re sick of getting no attention, of having the other work all the time. And what does the overworking spouse always say? For sure, one thing they never say is good riddance! No, they start falling on their sword, they say they’ll change. And if given a chance they backslide. And after the inevitable breakup, without a relationship, they’re devastated, they can barely function, all they can focus on is what they’ve lost.

So you know whether you want to check out “Love Life” or not. Either what I’ve said above has intrigued you or it has not.

As for HBO Max, it’s now on the Roku. The streaming device of choice. Sure, I watched on the iPad app before, but now it’s so much easier. As for a subscription…chances are you have one anyway. Because HBO is oftentimes baked into a cable offering. That’s the way they tier them. Chances are you’re not paying the fifteen buck retail price, which has me scratching my head why AT&T doesn’t lower the HBO Max price, but my point is you probably have access. Download the app and sync your subscription. It used to be harder, but let me just prepare you… You want your cable company e-mail address and password, and you want your smartphone in your hand.

Maybe you’ll like “Love Life.”

So far I’m loving it!

That’s forty one, if I can still decode Roman numerals.

The best part of this two hour and fifteen minute zoomcast was the very end, when the camera pointed at all the attendees…THEY WERE SO NORMAL!

I do it for my fans…

Fans have become caricatures, people with no life, who will talk nonstop about their faves, post hate to naysayers online…and there are some of those, but they are not the majority, by far, and you need a fan base to keep your career alive. A fan base is more important than a hit, you can have a hit and no fans, but chances are you won’t have too large of a fan base if you’ve never had a hit.

Steven Page has had hits, with his prior act, Barenaked Ladies.

Then again, BNL were from Canada. Which is a giant high school. Try to act like you’re cool, better than everybody else, and you’ll be put in place by your peers. Then again, Canada outpunches its weight in music because the government supports it, and the country has a great safety net. Let me set you straight, with national health care you can leave your job whenever you want, whereas in the States, if you’re not a gig-worker to begin with, you’re married to your job for the health insurance.

And since content supersedes flash, since the interior is more important than the exterior, BNL built a fan base and then even ended up having hits, which was so unpredictable, then again, even twenty years ago Top Forty had a much broader playlist, “One Week” could not triumph on the format today, then again it’d be killer on TikTok.

Seymour Stein signed BNL. As much credit as Seymour gets, it’s still not enough. As much money as he’s made, it’s still not enough. Mo Ostin said so in the new book “Sonic Boom,” which charts the history of Warner Brothers Records, not that I can wholeheartedly recommend it. Its author has written a string of music books with little fanfare, because there’s seemingly always another one much more authoritative, with access, that supersedes it. But the problem with “Sonic Boom” is Peter Ames Carlin’s writing style. When he sticks to the facts, he’s great, but he too often extemporizes, creates images out of thin air trying to replicate a feeling decades prior. If you want to do this, write fiction. There’s a bunch of interesting stuff in “Sonic Boom,” but if you paid attention and lived through it not much of it is new, read Stan Cornyn’s book, then again, I always thought that Mo’s parents changed his last name, turns out he did, from Ostrofsky, back when he was at UCLA, as bad as anti-Semitism is today, it was even worse then. But the shocking thing about “Sonic Boom” was how long ago all that was, even though some of the acts still have standing. Bob Morgado ruined the Warner Music Group twenty five years ago! Remember when we were all glued to the saga? Probably not.. I spoke to a music business class last week and as I was telling my story I realized…most of the students weren’t even born in the days of Napster, time fades away.

So, Steven Page left BNL. Not that so many people even knew who Steven Page was, but if you were a fan of the band…

And now Steven Page is doing his best to make the internet work for him. That’s what you’ve got to do if you made your bones in the pre-internet era, you’ve got to use the new tools to cobble together a living and stop complaining that Spotify stole your cheese. Back then you could only sell music and go on the road, now you can do so much more!

So, every weekend Page has an extravaganza, not only on Zoom, but Patreon too.

Here’s the deal with Patreon… You can make money on the platform, but you cannot grow your career. If you’re fine with that, cool, but too many are not. It’s a closed system, it’s an echo chamber, since the material is paid for, it cannot be displayed anywhere else, unless you want to undermine your subscriber base.

Now the great thing about Page’s Patreon is it’s CHEAP! You can’t think from your perspective, how much money you need to make, you’ve got to look at it from a fan’s perspective, how much they’re willing to pay. Page’s prices are three, five and ten dollars a month. Most people have uber-expensive tiers, not realizing those who sign up end up looking like pariahs, they’re the definition of income inequality, or people who are so into it as to be out of it. It’s about the community, not the dollars. If you have a community there’s always a way to make a buck.

As for the live show I just watched?

It’s eight bucks. And that’s nothing, you don’t worry about the price if you’re interested in going, and two hundred fifty people were. And almost all of them watched the entire presentation, two hours and fifteen minutes worth, because they paid! If you pay you have an investment, if you don’t…you have no problem clicking off. Even so, a hundred thirty five minutes is a long time. But what else do you have to live for, especially when your fave is performing right in front of you!

Yes, this show was for fans only. If you’re not a fan, you won’t be interested. You need to know the songs to make it work. Sure, Page threw in tidbits, like a few bars of “God Gave Rock and Roll to You,” but he said he was influenced by the KISS cover, not the Argent original. Then he speculated that the song had made Rod Argent rich. Um, no. If Argent is rich at all, it’s from those Zombies songs. And “Hold Your Head Up.”

And this was an all request show. And he played twenty four songs, you can see the set list here: https://bit.ly/3ulseIP And he sat down at the piano, after standing with his guitar, and suddenly I realized…HE’S PLAYING “BABY SEAT”

That’s my favorite BNL song. You should check it out:

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2NOWk6H

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3sd791A

It’s melodic and hooky, and even has a forceful descending riff, but it’s the lyrics that put it over the top. THEY’RE CLEVER! And their cleverness does not detract from the song. Page is not showing off, he’s evidencing intelligence, remember when that was a characteristic of music, before it was only about sex and good times?

And there was a Zoom text thread. Where the participants could interact, community is everything. I bet the return rate is extremely high.

But during the final song, “Brian Wilson,” when the camera switched to the attendees from Page I truly became elated. Because these people…

Were just like me.

They weren’t dressed up for the disco. They didn’t focus on their look. They might be fans, but they were bringing home the bacon too, they had jobs, they had lives. And Steven Page made their lives that much more special, worth living. And since the show was not made for everyone, just the core, those who knew the songs by heart, it was even more special. Going on Twitch and playing to millions might be exciting, but twenty five years later tell me how many people are gonna pony up to watch you on screen anywhere.

These people on screen were the bedrock of music culture. There’s this fantasy that everybody in America is cool, or struggling to be so. But that is completely wrong. Sure, most people care about money, but mostly they care about being comfortable, having a life.

So let’s do the math. Two hundred fifty people at eight bucks a head is…two thousand dollars. Might seem like chump change to you, but it’s all net. Oh, Steven had some musicians play along with him at times, but if they got paid at all, how much could it be? And Steven played from his own home. Zoom costs are de minimis. Not many people can clear two grand for just over two hours work. There were no road costs, no travel expenses, no hotels and no meals…

But the major label system enabled all this. Without those BNL hits, Steven Page would have a hard time cobbling together this audience and sustaining it. But he is a beneficiary of what once was. Now you’ve got to build it yourself, and that’s a very slow process.

So, there’s a paradigm here. Maybe it works for you, maybe it doesn’t.

But it works for a lot of fans. And without fans you’re out of business.

Steven Page has fans.

P.S. I was totally wrong about Page’s Patreon price levels. Turns out if you scroll down the page you can click on a button that says “See all 7 levels.” And then you find tiers for twenty five dollars, and fifty and a hundred and two hundred. But, like I said, this smells bad to me. It replicates the income inequality which has ravaged our country. Make it democratic, make it feel like everybody’s in it together. Then again, I must admit, there are people who just can’t help spending all this dough on you. But, the truth is you don’t want to know them, which the act has to to charge these prices. You’ve got to give access, that’s part of the deal. And there are some superfans who are great, who can become real friends, who know where the line is. But most of them are delusional and crazy. They think since they spent that money they own you, they’re entitled to more, and if you don’t deliver, they’ll scream to high heaven that they’ve been ripped-off. As for the opposite paradigm, look at Garth Brooks, who charges less than any superstar and plays in a city long enough to satiate demand, killing scalping. Garth is forever, too many acts are not.

https://www.stevenpage.com

“Sonic Boom: The Impossible Rise of Warner Bros. Records, from Hendrix to Fleetwood Mac to Madonna to Prince”: https://amzn.to/3aBvic8

Streaming TV could save independent cinema. Assuming purveyors decided to go directly to the platforms and outlets paid for exhibition.

The indie movie model is broken. You make a film, tour it to film festivals for years trying to build buzz so that a distributor will purchase the rights so they can exhibit it in cinemas to a tiny audience. Good luck getting your money back. Then again, a huge slice of independent films are not worth seeing at all, especially in today’s overburdened world where scarcity is history and more entertainment than you can ever consume is just a click away.

Every Friday, the “New York Times” publishes umpteen movie reviews. Sometimes I scan the ones labeled “Critic’s Pick,” but generally I ignore them. I’m not going to the cinema…as a matter of fact I stopped going to the cinema years ago. Nothing is so hot that I can’t wait for it. That’s a factor of age, but it’s also a factor of so much happening that nothing is gigantic and everything is ultimately at your fingertips as time passes on. But the problem with indie pictures is you make a mental note that you want to see them, and then you forget about them, because too much time goes by before they’re available on TV and there’s a firehose of product every week, overwhelming the consumer.

The key is to go day and date. Theatres and flat screen at the same time. So that marketing can truly work its effect and the public can embrace and talk about a film.

This happens all the time with streaming TV series. A buzz builds, and then everybody is watching, they want to find out what is going on. Happened with “Stranger Things.” Happened with “Tiger King.” Could have even happened with the new Woody Allen series, except HBO is dripping it out week by week, it thinks it’s building enticement, water cooler talk, but the truth is just the opposite, we live in an on demand world, we want it all and we want it now, and that’s not how word of mouth works anymore, the channel is too clogged, you’ve got to concentrate the buzz or else you’re overlooked, forgotten.

But not “Nomadland.”

To tell you the truth, I didn’t know much about it. I just looked to see if the reviews were good or bad. I don’t need a recitation of the plot, shoot the critics who do that, they ruin the experience, which should be fresh and exciting, positively new.

Not that I cannot tell you what “Nomadland” is about…

Itinerant workers who live in vehicles. Some outsiders, choosing this life, others forced into it by work conditions. That’s right, you can just be going about your life and you can lose your job for no reason that you control. Your performance can be great, but the plant closed. Or the hedge fund which purchased the company loaded it up with debt, took dividends and then the enterprise went bankrupt. You lost your gig, they made millions. Another reason why I believe today’s America cannot sustain, why we’re inching towards an Arab Spring. The conflagration will be unforeseen in terms of exact date, but it will happen, income inequality is just too great, people are pissed, when they’re not working like dogs just to keep their heads above water. Hopefully, unlike in the Middle East, the end result won’t be strongmen/dictators, but the present economic model in the U.S. cannot hold.

So, what you see is Frances McDormand living in her van, going to work at the Amazon warehouse… Which looks just like the Amazon warehouse, I’m stunned the company let them film there, it’d be hard to replicate. And it’s not solely that the workers hate their jobs, they have a sense of camaraderie, they’re not lonely. And life is about working and conversation, laughs. You want to be so busy you don’t have time to think about your problems, because the alternative is anathema. If you’re broke all you’re thinking about is your next gig, which is elusive. And the truth is no one cares about you anyway, the American safety net is hobbled, and jobs are so specialized that they’re hard to get as you get older without specific skills. You’re forgotten, you’re waiting to die, if you don’t take your own life in the process.

And at the beginning the film is so bleak. It’s gonna be eighty degrees in L.A. next week, but the first twenty-odd years of my life I lived in four season world, and I don’t mean the hotel. You’ve never known loneliness until you’ve driven alone through the west on a winter’s day, gray, with few towns along the highway, the mountains in the distance, covered in snow, partially obscured by clouds. This is why California has such a big homeless problem. The homeless got smart, they went where the weather suited their clothes. And I’m not joking here, especially in an era where middle class people can become homeless in a matter of months, if not sooner.

And then it becomes about choices. One thing is for sure, you’re off the grid. It’s just you and the land. You can’t reintegrate even if you want to. You don’t have a computer to keep tabs on jobs. You probably live outside of cell range. So, you might as well check out the sights before you pass, probably from untreated medical problems.

These are the forgotten people. They’re trying their best, supporting each other, but the truth about homelessness is it’s very hard to climb out of, after a very short period of time, months, sometimes weeks, you become depressed, you lose the skills, clothes, attitude and money to get back into the mainstream and…

You live in your van.

Now “Nomadland” is not a typical movie, with the so-called three act structure, building towards a satisfying conclusion. It’s more of a slice of life. But in “Nomadland,” the stories are real. Literally vandwellers portray themselves. This is not a Hollywood fantasy, this is real life.

And Frances McDormand kills.

Reach forty in Hollywood, maybe a few years before, and you’re confronted with the choice…do you get plastic surgery to look young, or do you let yourself age naturally? Those who want to work tend to do the former, and they end up looking like zombies, of no determinate age, the laugh is on them, never mind that they’re never believable in roles. But Frances McDormand took the latter choice. And at first she looks plain and unattractive, but then she evidences this inner glow that draws you to her. This is what we really want in life. Forget about the celebrities jumping from beauty to beauty, getting married four times, they’re never really known and never really happy. Unless you wait until the honeymoon period is over, unless you struggle, knowing some aspects of the person will never change, unless you look inside yourself, at your own flaws, you never have a serious relationship, irrelevant of what the law says. And when you bond this way and it breaks up…it’s very painful. Fern married Bo and then he got sick and died. What do you do with that? You wonder if you did enough, if your choices were right, and the hole inside…it never seems to go away.

So in “Nomadland” very little plays out according to audience expectations, where we’re looking for that spark of romance and a happy ending, because that’s not how real life works. Yes, chance encounters change your course, but they don’t always yield friends and happiness. The goal is to keep on keepin’ on, unless you just get so burned out you want to close your eyes forever.

Life becomes very basic on the road. After all, you can only take so much stuff with you. You find out what is truly important. And, at the end of the day, it’s always about people and experiences, which are free to everyone, assuming you want to partake of them, as opposed to locking yourself into the rat race or being so afraid of your own shadow that you never go out of your house, you never risk.

So I don’t want to rate “Nomadland” on a scale of one to ten, never mind one to one hundred. It’s got excellent RottenTomatoes numbers, but that might skew your expectations.

“Nomadland” is a ride, with people that you probably have never encountered. But for most of us, we’re just a step away.

And at first you’re riveted but wincing. Then you’re wondering about the choices. And then you’re wondering about life itself. Do you compromise, what truly makes you rich, we all need money to survive, but once you can pay the bills then what do you want to do?

Now chances are you’re not going to go to the theatre, not in this Covid era, and the truth is “Nomadland” skews to an adult audience, not that youngsters won’t enjoy it and become edified, but oldsters are the ones taking precautions.

But through the magic of Covid positivity, the changes that have been wrought in the landscape that are actually beneficial, you don’t have to go to the theatre to see “Nomadland,” you can just pull it up on Hulu.

Maybe you don’t have Hulu. Is it worth it to sign up for one month? I’d say yes, because there are a few other must-sees on the channel, like “Prisoners of War” and “Normal People.” But the real reason you want to fire up Hulu and watch “Nomadland” is to belong, to be part of the discussion.

We’re all functioning on skew lines these days. There’s very little we interact on, very little we have in common, very little we can talk about. But with “Nomadland” just a click away on the flat screen, we can all pull it up “opening weekend” and converse about it amongst ourselves.

That’s one of the reasons I watched it. I wanted to get in on the mania. This was not a marshmallow test, I saw “Nomadland” reviewed in the papers and it built a desire to immediately watch it, when most people did, to be part of the excitement, to feel like I belonged, to feel like I’m part of this great patchwork of people living in the land we call America. There’s a lot to talk about here, a lot to unpack, and now we can all do it at the same time.

You’ll continue to hear buzz about “Nomadland.” You’d hear more if it was on Netflix, the streaming kahuna, or maybe even Disney+, but this film is the first dent in the movie universe this year. It’s an E-ticket ride, you will be touched, you might even be scared.

And it’s all true.

Just a quick note about the ‘Green Power” failure.
For years my brother worked for a renewable power company based in Waitsfield, Vermont.  One of his many trips to install and service solar and wind power took him to Antarctica.

Antarctica.

The failure of “Green Power” in Texas has zero to do with the mechanisms of wind and solar in cold climates and everything to do with private power companies who don’t want to pay to have their equipment prepared for the weather.

Rich Costey
Putney, Vermont

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Green energy didn’t fail. Windmills are running in sub zero temps all over the world. Those windmills are winterized. The ones in Texas? They are not. No regulations mean cut corners and pay yourselves king ransoms.

Rob Meder

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I don’t get it. I live in Canada and our windmills don’t freeze. We live in winter 6 months of the year. It goes far deeper.

Mike Hansen

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Life goes on in Iowa.  Overnight temperatures have been below zero for 10 days straight, and the snow is 16″ deep, but our homes are warm and water is flowing.  Ho-hum.

walkerpaul3

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Wow, sometimes its hard to understand how almost half the country voted for #45 and then the reality hits, like how they seem to focus on BLM’s socialist founder and not the idea that police target African Americans, or how they link climate change with the Welfare state. Sometimes they use the False Equivalency fallacy sometimes Ad Hominum, but it always is some kind of definable fallacy.

Do you remember when conspiracy theories were fun…  it’s not fun anymore.

Keep up the good work. Regards Chris Kavanaugh

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Well I’ve lived in MN most of my life and I love it here in the twin cities.
I love NYC to visit. mMy Son and my younger Brother lived in Cal. for a bit. Both loved it, but they had to leave because it just cost too much to pay the rent there.
Bill Scherer live in MN.

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“where the fuck are all the smart people?”

We didn’t move from Jersey to fucking Texas! hahaha

Kevin Kiley

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Yikes. Who are these people?

“Don’t mess with Texas.”

No reason to – it’s already a mess!

Best regards,

Darryl Mattison

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WISH ALL YOU DOWN ON TEXAS WOULD LEAVE

WE NEVER WANTED THAT HERE !!!!!!!!!! BESIDES FIRST STORM LIKE THIS IN 31 YEARS .. STUPID GREEN BULLSHIT WINDMILLS …WE LIKE OIL , GAS, COAL . END OF STORY

Nancy Nalley

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Fuck Texas…ok, except for Austin.
Guess you might need a functioning govt sometimes, huh?

Jan Ramsey

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The problem in Texas is not preparation, but supply.  My whole family lives in Texas while I enjoy life in the sun of L.A., but the main issue was not preparedness – they just did not have enough power to feed the 11 million households.  60% of Texans heat their homes with electricity unlike those in the Upper Midwest and Northeast with oil and gas to do the job.  Yes, ERCOT is a mess and that’s an issue unto itself, but they’re main problem is that they can’t get power from bordering states in times of crisis; they have to allocate within the state and there was not enough to do so.

Let’s stop making this about politics and just blame the cold ass weather.

Chadd Barksdale

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Some of the people who’ve emailed you get it. Others saying that it’s “green energy” are just clowns. Perhaps they should stop watching the garbage on Fox all day and start actually thinking. Someone should point out to them that 2/3 (67%) of Texas’ electricity production is fossil fuels – coal and gas-fired plants. Only 20% wind, 1 % solar and the rest is nuclear. The gas lines froze, that’s what caused their outages. As several have pointed out, their infrastructure sucks. If windmills can continue working year round in Denmark and Alaska, why not Texas? And this is from a neutral observer up in Toronto, Canada.

Hope you are well Bob.

Baris Ozyetis

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To paraphrase Yogi Berra: Nobody goes to California anymore, it’s too crowded.

Paul Ruta

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I love how people love to dis CA. Especially those who have never lived here or toured anything but Hollywood and SF. We left SF. But, as have most who have left SF, we just moved a little further out. In our case,  70 miles north to Sonoma County. Today, we decided to drive to the coast for lunch. We drove through rolling hills and farmland, wonderous at the beautiful place we live in. Dis us all you want. We live a good life.

Dave Smith

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Damn, I love reading your in-box. And maybe I’m just a tourist visiting my kid and granddaughter in the Bay area twice a year (pre-Covid), I love California, its climate, the landscape, the ocean, the skiing, the diversity in all things, and the people. Easy to knock the Golden State, the traffic, real estate prices…just like they do New York. I’ve loved the state since 1962 when my parents took us to Disney world and then drove up the coast through Big Sur, Monterey and on into SF. There was and is definitely a magic and spirit about the place. I did a good bit of business in LA in the 70s and 80s and loved being out there having fun, in that warm California sun! (I hate to offend my Texas friends, but here’s a joke for you: “What’s the best way to see Texas?” In your rear view mirror. Stay safe…and warm…ha ha ha!

Chip Lovitt

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Move to Michigan, all four season, a few crazies but at least we don’t have some in high places of power in Congress, cue Kevin McCarthy and Devin Nunes,  easy to obtain solar power, I know as I have it now, took 6 months with COVID happening, Bill Maher is still waiting……no earthquakes, a tornado rarely, no big fires, and the largest supply of freshwater in the continental US. Added bonus homes under 1M, + Homes with acreage and Detroit will come back.

LA is on fire, droughts, and earthquakes.  Nice weather just don’t live anywhere at risk which is where again?

Adam Bauer

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These replies are all an exercise in subjective opinions. Everyone is so sure they are right.

I love Cali, but the traffic and smog would not be good for my health.

I love TX, well, really just Austin.

We all have free will, and if you end up someplace you don’t like, you are free to relocate or change your vote.

I would not leave Maryland, because all our friends are here. And what’s life without friends?

Armand Sadlier

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I loved California when I moved there in ’72, but when I left 23 years later, it was no longer the same California that had drawn me like a magnet.

I moved to Nashville temporarily, by accident, because of the Gibson gig. I’ve since fallen in love with it for many reasons, but the main ones are that existence is less stressful, people are kinder, prices are lower, and Nashville is indeed music city (it’s not just a marketing tagline, it’s a specification). Yeah, it’s a red state, but it’s a lighter shade of red, with a fairly high level of tolerance.

As you know, I’ve travelled and toured over pretty much the entire United States as well as significant parts of the world. From a practical standpoint, I could live anywhere. Yet here is where I’ve landed.

Just tell people from LA not to move here, unless they want a combination of the midwest and south. Tennessee has little in common with the coasts, and anyone who enjoys that particular ambiance will be disappointed.

Craig Anderton

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I was born in STL and spent my working days in several large Midwest cities.  My wife and I visited most of the 50 states on various business trips and family vacations over the years and we most enjoyed visiting LA and SD.   But yes, housing in both markets is expensive.   We wanted to retire early to SoCal and wound up relocating to Palm Springs in the Coachella Valley (Riverside County).   It is everything we could have hoped for:  culturally, politically, and is the most affordable resort town we could have chosen to make our dreams for the next chapter come true.

Yep, hot in the summer, but that’s why we have air conditioning.  People are great and the desert has a cool vibe.   And we have learned that with 350 days of sunshine a year, and winter temps in the 80s, we don’t have to shovel snow or scrape ice off the windshield. Working part time now, so only semi-retired, but we want to stay active, make a contribution someplace and we are living the dream.   Nothing like blue skies, snow capped mountains off in the distance flanked by tall palm trees here in the Coachella Valley.  And from PSP, both LA and SD (and the beaches, museums, concerts) are both a short drive away.

Bill Knopf

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That’s some feedback…probably a little slanted at the moment as folks in Texas are living through hell.  It will pass…

Reminds me of the late seventies in Chicago…big snowstorm and the first new Mayor not named Daly was blamed for being slow plowing the streets…next election the city’s first female was elected, Jane Byrne…she made sure there was enough salt and snowplows…but the city continued its long and steady slide into the abyss.  She lasted 4 years…then Chicago first black mayor, Harold Washington…no change…then Richy Daly…no change…then Emanual…no change…now Lightfoot…all very nice people, but it’s just musical chairs…it wouldn’t have mattered if the mayor was white, black, female, male, democrat or republican…they are all the same…the city and state continues its decline hoping, while the dumb Governors and City Alderman continue to find they look good in orange jumpsuits, the rest avoid getting caught…and the good folks hope the Feds will bail them out…

I’ve lived in San Fran and Carmel for a decade in the 90s…like Chicago a great place to visit, but like many I can no longer live there…taxes, traffic primarily…all my neighbors living in those multi million dollar homes have transitioned them to their second and third homes as they prefer to visit and have long moved to WA, NV, TX, TN or FL…CA was definitely the best place to live many decades ago…and even today as long as you don’t earn much and you bought your home decades ago paying little in property taxes…I may look forward to retiring there some day.  However, I did find my paradise.  It’s no well kept secret, but no reason to tell others, they are finding it all too fast as it is…

Take care my friend…

Ed Kelly

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I’m 57 and a life long Texan, living in Austin. We have experienced nothing like this in my lifetime.  I’m told the last snow like this in Austin was in 1937.  Yes, ERCOT failed us, no question.  It was designed for 105 degree summers, not 7 degree winters.  Normal low is in the 20s and only one to two short times a year.  ERCOT will be fixed.  It must be.  But everyone should know you can always prepare for the 4-6 standard deviation event, it just cost more money, sometimes a lot more.  Its not a red/blue thing, it’s a how much to invest on what thing.  It may be another 83 years before we see this again or maybe not.  Yes, the market should be prepared for the unexpected.  Politicians on both sides of the isle fail us, and the quants that run the numbers fail us at the extremes.  Fortunately most me can get past the rhetoric to the truth.

Brad L. Beago, CFA

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I’d be interested to know the age of some of those replying.  My wife and I are in are mid/late 30s, with a 5yr old daughter and one more on the way in June.  My wife is from NorCal and we lived in the Bay Area for 12 years.  We are artists, musicians, teachers, and non-profit employees.  WE CAN’T AFFORD California!   We worked directly with the homeless population in the Tenderloin district of SF.  Necessary, important work, with decent salaries (for non-profits, though not nearly enough).

Our back up plan was always to move to the foothills of the mountains, so beautiful, but deep, dark red fire danger every year from Sept-Oct and only getting worse.  Even if you manage to escape the fire, the smoke and particles are everywhere.   And, it was already so expensive out there in the mountains, we were about 10 years too late.   We could pay a high rent to live in fire danger year after year, NEVER able to buy a home, commuting farther and farther because its too expensive near SF.   Or we could live in a tiny apartment closer to the city in a rough area of Oakland or even farther out?  No way.  It sucks and was/is still heartbreaking.  We would love to live in California for the ethos, history, and natural beauty.  But the cost of living, the amount of people, the lack of water (just wait over the next 20-30 years), and the fires make it very very scary and unsustainable for people like us.  Factor in we don’t have rich parents and the future looks very sketchy raising a family in CA.

-What about those of us that aren’t techies, lawyers, or have business degrees?  The people you mentioned that can make it..the dreamers, doer’s, nonconformists, etc.  Can people like us raise a family in California anymore?  It surely didn’t feel like it.  We moved to a college town, a beautiful forested area in a Midwest red state.  The college town affords us the amenities and arts/culture we want, and the cost of living and quieter pace gives our daughters a great place to grow up.   If it were just me and my wife, we may have risked staying longer in CA due to her family and our deep love of the state, but it was no place to raise a family, unfortunately.

Kirby Hammel

-Former Bay Area resident and reluctant mover to the Midwest.

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I am in the Dallas Texas area.
We had rolling blackouts, and lost internet service until last night.
I guess we were feeling pretty good about Texas until this disaster hit.
As a nation, we seem very bad in handling disasters – whether it is pandemics, fire, or extreme weather events.
We also enjoy schadenfreude – ha ha California – not so funny when it happens to us.

I am hoping as a nation we move towards more resilience – making our systems more secure.
I would like us to move our supply chain home which would serve multiple purposes:
Reduce shortages in extreme events
Provide higher paying jobs
Eliminate the threat of a hostile “partner” nation in withholding essential commodities.
This may raise our prices, but reducing the number of poor people is worth it. Plus the added benefit of being more self-reliant and secure.

When I read Catch-22 over 40 years ago as a new immigrant, the one part of it that made the biggest impression on me was Milo Milerbender – the mess officer – who was paid by the Germans to bomb his own base. At the time I thought – how American!
Our top CEOs sent our jobs overseas to increase profits and quarterly bonuses. They did this, not because foreign workers were better at the time, but because they could pay them a tiny fraction of US wages. Eventually much of our best technology followed.

Regards,
Dave Machanick

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It seems to me that what we’re seeing is a glimpse of what happens when the unfathomably complex public systems that have been developed and evolving over centuries, to run, organize and keep stable, a country of now 330 million people, are abandoned, privatized, and thought of by 75 million Americans as being “the man” trying to control their lives. Those systems took a huge hit under the previous president, who unfortunately never had the capacity to understand the importance or functioning of any of them, or even the good sense to surround himself with those who might have, and a lot can unravel in four years of neglect and dismantling. (Just take his early act of tossing out of the Pandemic Playbook alone.)  Fear is the new currency and the ensuing chaos creates more fear, begets more guns and on it goes.

Please America – learn from this. Continue to vote in the people who genuinely care about you and your families’ well being, and will prepare your states for these tougher times - and stick it out with you.

Shari Ulrich

Vancouver, BC (formerly California ’til 1973)

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we are one of the lucky ones, had power the whole time. Lost water supply, so feeling gross can’t shower or wash hair.

People have shown to be a big part of problems and solutions.

For instance, water came on slightly today and Austin Water asked everyone to still boil and conserve—but within hours it was gone again—due to massive overuse.

Food is another issue. Trudged through ice and snow to market on Tuesday, stood in line over an hour watching people leave with massive carts of food that could last them a month. By the time the people in my part of the line got in shelves were and still are empty.

Supply chains should be back early into the week, so stocking up massive amounts was unnecessary and caused others to go without. I know humans are not by nature egalitarian, but come on.

But on the other side of the swinging pendulum, a stranger on twitter offered to bring my mom over—she’d been without power for days. I live in hills and without a 4w drive vehicle, driving is too risky. Plus so many trees broke and and fell over under the weight of the ice, including a large cedar that blocked my car in, even if I did want to risk driving.

So I vetted the stranger who turned out to be a samaritan and had been giving rides to several people. He got stuck leaving my house and a guy came to help, saw my car blocked by tree, showed up an hour later with a chainsaw and dismembered the tree so when roads are drivable, I can get out!!

AND, 2 people I met on the street when we walked on Tuesday—I had pointed out my house and said we were able to get very little at market, they show up yesterday, unnannounced, with bottled water, fruit and oatmeal. And a coveted 12pack of LaCroix.

unbelievable day.

The end is in sight. May not have normal water, enough to shower etc until next week. I have to walk on ice to pool and try to bring back buckets of water without slipping and breaking a bone so we can flush pooop. I have to boil snow to wash dishes and it takes a very long time. I pretend I’m a pioneer woman.

Temperatures rising. We can live off pasta til tomorrow! And we are warm!!!!  Lucky.

Next I’ll be looking at thousands to repair and replant all my beautiful landscaping. All the sega palms, jasmine, cactus, succulents, ferns, flower beds—I love my plants—my favorite juniper tree fell down. Sad about that. but we are warm!!!

I wanted to smack “Ted” who wrote you blaming wind turbines. idiots.

Kathy Valentine

P.S. So much snow melted in the afternoon after I sent this that I could get out and drive!
Luxury! went to the market, found produce, arugula!! no water. amazing how thirsty you are when your water is limited.

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Hi Bob….emailing you from Austin…it was a rough week, especially when you care for a senior citizen in your household like I do….I was livid.

And somehow, with power outages, and a frozen water well, I was still showing up to work every day in my office to set up records and get them played.

How many people really died this week?  Do we even really know yet?

As for the politics behind this…..here’s the deal….the GOP Republicans in this state do NOT want to invest in its own people.  Unless you are one of them, that is.

Probably why we rank #39 in education, yeah?  I love living in TX, but we can be running this state so much better.  We don’t need folks in CA and NY telling us that either, Bob…WE KNOW!

Like marijuana legalization….we let Oklahoma beat us to that?   Have you seen the property taxes we pay in Texas?  Voters would approve legalization in a heartbeat if they knew if meant lowering their property taxes, paying teachers and first responders better,  and improving infrastructure.

But NO….the GOP here can’t think progressively outside of figuring out how to keep themselves enriched by our state’s resources (I bet someone got rich from this winter debacle, yeah?)

And that’s why the power grid failed….instead of mitigating these issues, they played the, “let’s see what happens” card..and it came back to bite’em in the ass!

This is where change will come from the younger generation….but hey, I’m 49 now, and all the guys I was smoking dope with back in high school in rural west Texas now think they’re some sort of gateway to morality and values…..they were drop outs or C students that never went to college, THAT is the reality.  The guys I thought would help push change with me just fell into the same line of thinking as their daddies and each other.

Look at ol’ Rick Perry…that turd went to my alma mater, Texas A&M..a very “red state” school….but it didn’t make me one of them….that school taught me how to think for myself.

So…what will change after this?

I’m not sure yet…but I do hope some heads will roll and awaken the many Texans in the dark about how poorly the GOP is running our state.

I’ve lived here for 35 years….I never want to live in LA or NYC…even after this week, Bob…no way.   Texas CAN be better…..hopefully we WILL be better.

When AOC delivers more to our state than Ted Cruz can, that says a LOT……but with a state as poorly educated as ours that has this Trump tribalism oozing through it, will they even notice?  These folks are about to face a true reckoning with reality!  I HOPE!

Have a good weekend!

Michael Starr

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Hi Bob,

I would like to add my two cents.

In regards to your post, and comments on living in Texas, versus California, etc.

I was raised in Chicago, IL. I have moved around in my music business career a number of times.

A career in the music business is a unique path.

I’ve lived in Chicago, IL, Oxford MS, Denver, CO, New York City, San Francisco, CA, before settling in Austin, TX, 15 years ago.

I’m very happy to call Austin, TX, my home now.

Our youngest daughter was born in Texas, she will be a Texan for the rest of her life.

Something people do not understand, unless you were born and raised in TX, my wife is from Austin, TX.

What most of these comments really miss about Texas, and the most important part of living in Texas…

THE PEOPLE.

People from Texas are warm, welcoming, genuine, and really do care about their neighbors, people who are visiting, you name it.

I could not think of a better environment to raise kids in, they learn the most important things you can in life, to be FRIENDLY and to genuinely CARE about other people.

SXSW brings people from all over the world to Austin, and the one comment everyone makes over and over, year in – year out.

“Wow the vibe here is so great, everyone is so friendly”… because it’s real.

Bands who play in Austin ALWAYS have special shows, they can feel the energy coming back from the audience, and the appreciation the folks in the crowd have.

A musician playing on a stage is something they know is deserving of respect and admiration.

I loved the people and history of the deep South, the nature available in Colorado, the pace of NYC, and the beauty of Northern CA.

However, in my opinion, nothing can replace a wave from your neighbor, or a call to make sure everyone is doing ok after this past weather, snowstorms and power outages, how the community of Austin helped each other when this last week became a real crisis.

It’s incredibly important to me, to know the people who you live with in your community.

Texas has some things to figure out, yes, the State of Texas leadership needs a change, but this will happen, future generations will make these changes – it’s happening already.

I know California is always sunny, day to day living in CA is VERY pleasant.

I have some of my fondest memories ever of hiking on Mt Tam in the setting sun, just the beauty of living in the Bay Area.

California is a Wonder.

I just could not shake one nagging feeling, though, when I was living in California.

“Hey, it’s nice to meet you, but if we never see each other again, that’s ok with me too”.

I don’t know, this made life in CA always feel a little lonely, anonymous, no waves from the neighbors, just don’t block my view, don’t get in the way of me living my life.

A larger and more problematic symptom we are finding ourselves living with more each day, we are becoming more disconnected from each other, sadly.

Anyway, I felt compelled to write and share my thoughts, and hopefully stick up for my new found home.

Sincerely.

Matt Hickey
High Road Touring

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“Where are all the smart people?”

California

Michael Patterson