I know we’re all overwhelmed and burned out on the news, but I’m going to call your attention to a few stories that might interest you. I spend all day reading, it’s my favorite thing to do (other than skiing), and it’s funny how every story now changes within 24 hours, and so much is not only dated, but irrelevant, especially the prognostications, especially about the economic impact. I get it, I get it, we’re all affected by the stock market in some way, but the hoi polloi are still gloating, however uninformedly (I know that’s not a word), over the crash, laughing at the headlines as the rich see their fortunes disappear.

Speaking of which, I first bring your attention to this opinion piece in the “New York Times”:

“Don’t Feel Sorry for the Airlines – Before providing them any assistance, we must demand that they change how they treat their customers and employees”

You should read this. But to boil it down, American Airlines raped the public for profits and then employed these billions in a buyback scheme to drive up the stock price and now, AND NOW, the airline wants a government handout. We squeezed into tiny seats and overpaid for baggage and change fees and now we’ve got to give them money? Isn’t it time to ask for something in return?

And speaking of the corporations and the system screwing us, you should read this:

“America Is a Sham – Policy changes in reaction to the coronavirus reveal how absurd so many of our rules are to begin with.”

Bottom line, you can now bring a bottle of Purell that’s 12 ounces on to a plane. Did we really have to scrap all our shampoo bottles and… (I’ve had to throw out new bottles of contact lens solution that have been just over the 3.4 ounce limit.)

And it’s so funny to see Trump caught with his pants down as he lies and keeps telling us what a great job he’s doing. Is this the moment when Americans finally realize that their country may not be the greatest in the world, or that it has been superseded in certain areas by others?

The U.S. essentially ignored the coronavirus crisis, but not every country did. South Korea learned from being behind the curve on MERS, so they were ready for the coronavirus:

“Virus Testing Blitz Appears to Keep Korea Death Rate Low-Country is testing at fastest global pace as cases top 5,000 – Faulty, limited testing in Japan, U.S., could worsen outbreak”

Important result: The mortality rate in South Korea is under 1%, the lowest in the world (except for Singapore which has been hardly infected).

Yesterday, APA agent Craig Newman held a virtual concert with his daughter Sadie on Facebook Live. Tummler par excellence Craig had us riveted for an hour, when it’s frequently hard for me to pay attention to name talent for that long.

This is the new thing, virtual concerts. Coldplay did one on Instagram today and now Neil Young is gonna do some and… Fifty years after the sixties, it appears that music wants to be free once again, the economic angle has been decimated, so why not focus on just satiating the fans? John Mayer, the digital native always pushing the envelope, broadcast last night. In 2001, we all turned on the TV to see Jimmy Iovine’s 9/11 concert. Now, we all fire up our apps. It won’t be long before spammers clog up this channel, figuring it’s a way to get traction under the rubric of “giving back,” but for now, we’re still on the cutting edge and expect some great acts to do great things, at least they should.

And speaking of great things, you probably read that Universal is gonna put their movies on pay-per-view while they’re still in theatres. Funny how necessity eliminates perceived barriers. With few theatres open to exploit these films, and people afraid to go to those that are, these flicks are soon to become distressed assets, best to dash for cash now. And, in these topsy-turvy days SOME studio should break out one of its yet to be released films for pay-per-view, something most people want to see. They should make it an event, something we all want to watch because we’re looking to converse with our fellow citizens about something we can all relate to other than the virus.

What kind of crazy, fucked-up world do we live in where the best information about the coronavirus comes from a humor video?

One in which the government and the news media have lost control of the narrative.

This is what all the anti-social media screeds are about, this is what all the anti-smartphone, anti-technology wanking is about, the oldsters missed the technological revolution and don’t understand the schism between the young and the old. Hell, if you extrapolate, this is why the youth vote for Bernie Sanders and the old vote for Joe Biden.

D.C. talks to itself. Reporters talk to D.C. The people talk to each other.

Friday was freak-out.

Saturday was acceptance.

Sunday, today, is about humor and blowback.

Oh, you get these same insider nincompoops railing against Twitter. That’s where information is spread! It goes from one to many and then those many spread it to many more. This is completely different from the top-down distribution of news in the past. Now the public is in control of the news and those who used to dominate don’t like it, it’s no different from the record execs denying Napster and the internet back at the turn of the century. You either get on board or you’re left behind. Hell, look at music development today…the label comes LAST! You break it yourself on Tik Tok or YouTube or Soundcloud or all of them and when you reach a fever pitch, the major label signs you. And before they do, they want to know all about your socials, your impact in the world. The major labels just amplify your presence, they don’t develop it, certainly not from scratch, this is a sea change.

But, once again, the rest of media refuses to learn the music business lessons.

Newspapers are not the only ones who can gain and distribute evidence. Furthermore, with the cutbacks in manpower (and womanpower!) and the decrease of the newshole there’s a limit to how much news a paper can distribute. So, today there are stories broken online that the papers pick up AFTER! As for television…it’s all opinion all the time. The TV “news” outlets are all about ratings, advertising, so it’s all combat all the time. The edgier you are, the more people tune in. It’s really not so different from the WWE.

So, the people take over.

I don’t know about you, but today my text feed and e-mail inbox are full of observations, solutions, humor…

I mean look at the video above. It explains the situation better than any news story I’ve seen.

And, if you go online, you’ll see the video of Italians singing Rihanna from the windows of their building:

A whole neighborhood in Italy singing “Bitch Better Have My Money” by Rihanna while on lockdown

The graph showing the difference between R’s and D’s when it comes to the virus:

https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/status/1239195103576633348?s=20

(and scroll down and watch the entire video here:

Sixty percent believe worst is yet to come for the U.S. in coronavirus pandemic

The inane video wherein Devin Nunes tells everybody to go out to a restaurant when Fauci is saying just the opposite:

“If you’re healthy, you and your family, it’s a great time to go out and go to a local restaurant, likely you can get in easy. Let’s not hurt the working people in this country…go to your local pub” pic.twitter.com/jXdhOfwe9R

— Acyn (@Acyn) March 15, 2020

You see online, the news is not slanted, you do not only get one side, but all of it.

And even if you think you can narrow your feed, you can’t, the other stories seep in. Which is why those online, like the youth, are more susceptible to change and those not online, the oldsters, are not. Oldsters watch Fox or MSNBC, youngsters are grazers, sponges who get their info from everywhere.

Furthermore, the newspapers are so busy with their false equivalencies and their boring writing styles that the young don’t cotton to them, they want their news in plain English. Give Trump credit, this is one of the reasons he won. Furthermore, he’s not afraid to employ emotion. Meanwhile, the oldsters want a return to normal, yesterday, not knowing the world has changed and online conversation is coarse, primarily because the public is punching up, they’re pissed at the rich and those with power, and those at the top are not used to this. Want to know how to cope with blowback? Ask an online king or queen, they deal with it every day. If you think you’re better than everybody else, forget it. Meanwhile, it’s the public, the mass, which decides who is anointed. And those who are know it’s only temporary and they’re still just a member of the group, not above it.

Trump tries to make a deal with Germany for exclusive rights to a vaccine and it’s everywhere.

Youngsters, the web-savvy, know that privacy is history, that your whole life is laid out online. Oldsters believe they can turn back the hands of time, isolate everybody and their information once again. As if you wouldn’t be able to Google someone before you had a meeting or a date. There’s good and bad in every tech development. Ride with it, the future is coming and the past is never returning.

Nobody on the road
Nobody on the beach

“The Boys Of Summer”
Don Henley

Are you bored yet?

There was certainly no one on the road yesterday. The 405 south was a ghost land. However, on the way back up the hill there was traffic, because it’s raining. It hadn’t rained since January 1st, now we’re getting a week of wetness. Which is kind of weird, because the days are getting longer. We equate wetness with winter, darkness. What did George Harrison say, “Beware of darkness”?

So it started to feel like “Testament.” You remember that Jane Alexander movie from 1983, don’t you? The people are slowly dying after a nuclear bomb. It’s grim, but it’s not panicky. You’re just enduring…

I’m convinced I’m gonna get the virus. Yup, after Angela Merkel said 60-70% of the public would get it. And then there was that U.S. prognosticator who claimed 40-60% yesterday. It seems that we’re self-quarantining as to not overwhelm the health system, but how long is that gonna last?

My text and e-mail feeds yesterday were full of people at loose ends. Funny how you’re always looking for free time, but when you get it you don’t know what to do with it.

But I finished “The Underground Railway” by Colson Whitehead, you know, the book that won the Pulitzer and the National Book Award? The one wherein the underground railroad is really a railroad? I’d started it, but couldn’t finish it. But then I got hooked earlier this week. I’m trying to finish all the books I’ve purchased but haven’t read, but first I might have to read Erik Larson’s “The Splendid and the Vile,” his book about Churchill during the bombing. I swore I’d never read another Whitehead book after “Sag Harbor,” which is one of the first books I bought when I got my Kindle back in 2009, it was a slog. And at first I got really hooked on “The Underground Railroad,” then again, it’s not one of those books where you can concentrate on every word. I do not skim, but if you read “The Underground Railroad” word by word, you’re gonna get bogged down and still not fully understand what’s going on. And yesterday I almost fell asleep reading after partaking of the kokosh which Avi Ellman sent me. And earlier in the week Fiona Bloom sent me some babka from Breads Bakery. Actually, the cinnamon one was better than the chocolate one. And I’ve got insulin resistance so sweets put me to sleep and is that why I was having trouble reading “The Underground Railroad” or is it Colson’s style? I’d say both, although I will say there’s a good ending, not great, but good.

Let’s see, what else have I read…

I finished Jenny Offill’s “Dept. of Speculation.” I used to write in this style in college, it flummoxed the teacher. But I don’t recommend it.

“Strangers and Cousins” was better, but also not great. I don’t have a single new book I can recommend. I’ve read other stuff, but if you read those books you’ll never trust me again, just like we can no longer trust Trump.

Oh, a couple of days ago the story was how the governors usurped Trump’s power, but today…I kind of feel like I want to tune out the news, if something dramatic happens, I’ll hear about it. Like Vail and Alterra closing all their ski resorts, my text feed blew up about that.

As for Trump, there’s a “New York Times” article about all the lies he’s told in the past few days. But I’m still getting e-mail from his acolytes saying it’s Obama’s fault and there’s not really a problem. Proving, once again, if the Democrats are planning to win by swaying Trumpers, forget about it, like Bitecofer said, it’s about rousing their base. As for the election itself…it may not happen. Come on, if states can postpone primaries do you really think that Trump can’t postpone the election?

And I’ve heard a couple of cool tunes on the Spectrum. That’s Sirius XM’s adult rock station. If you pay attention to the media, we live in a hip-hop world 24/7, but that is not true. We need a new metric for success, streaming quantity is important, but it’s not everything.

Anyway, I thought I didn’t like the Black Keys, but then I heard the opening cut from their new album, “Shine A Little Light,” on the aforementioned Spectrum and I got into it, if you’re a rocker you will too. Also, the channel plays “Uneventful Days” from Beck’s last album, “Hyperspace.” We’ve been overhyped on both these acts, tried them and been disappointed, but these two cuts don’t fit today’s cookie-cutter world, they don’t pay attention to streaming rules, they evolve, as opposed to needing to grab you immediately, if only there were a way to bring music other than hip-hop to the forefront.

And we finished “Safe,” the first Harlan Coben Netflix show. The ending sucked, unpredictable and unsatisfying. The road was fun to follow, but don’t put it on the top of your list.

But now we’re four episodes into “Giri/Haji,” which I picked because it was number five in some online list of the best Netflix shows ever. And it’s really damn good. I don’t know how it slipped under the public’s radar. Maybe it’s the title, maybe it’s the occasional subtitles, but “Giri/Haji” uses film production techniques, it’s visually interesting, and the story is intriguing too. Just watch the first episode, you’ll be hooked. Now I really want to go to Japan (although most of the series is set in London). More when I finish.

And speaking of streaming… Isn’t this the time when some studio should launch a new movie pay per view? I mean Disney is releasing “Frozen 2” on its streaming service Sunday, but I’m talking about a theatrical film that’s never been released. It’s not like God is gonna make new weekends, flicks will be dying on the vine. Sell them to Apple, they’ll pay and they need a hit. Better yet, Netflix. Or, you could go pay per view, as I said above, but the distributors are too anxious about pissing off the theatre owners, as if everyone’s gonna continue to go out to the movies in the future, like everyone is still buying CDs…

And now is the time to get your Kindle! Or use the Kindle app on your iPad or smartphone. No touching needed! Just go online and the book is whisked to you. Try it, you might like it.

And yesterday everybody was too freaked out to leave the house.

But after being in the house for days straight, I ventured out to Poquito Mas to get some grub. At first I was gonna sit there, but then Felice wanted me to bring her some takeout, but I was stunned that people were sitting in booths like they always do. And unlike yesterday, you could get a spot in the Gelson’s parking lot (that’s a market, for those not SoCal savvy).

As for the Shell station (you know, where the turtles go), I figured they’d be out of paper towels, but they had plenty, and I did use them to hold the pump, then again, my hand hit the side of the dispenser and…

I realized, this self-quarantine ain’t gonna stay on lockdown soon. Yesterday people were scared, today…it wasn’t like Italy out there, it was almost like a normal Saturday afternoon. Unless someone they know dies, expect people to come out of their houses. Sure, offices may not be open, primarily because of liability, but people are social animals, they can stay inside for a few days, but not much more than that unless there’s a grave danger.

Then again, I’m convinced I’m gonna get it. I mean that’s what Tom Petty said, right, “You’re gonna get it”, but I am anxious because of my compromised immune system. But yesterday I thought if I was vigilant, I just might escape, but now I’m thinking the only way to be that vigilant is to never leave your house, never accept any mail and grow your own food. I’m not saying you should go to a concert, but I am saying that people are gonna loosen the reins.

As for Trump?

No one is listening to him anymore except those that are.

But Trump has been successful in making science and facts irrelevant, unfortunately.

So I’m leaving you to your own judgment.

Until tomorrow…

The CEO of Nederlander Concerts, Alex Hodges started in Macon with his school buddy Phil Walden and ultimately went from day to day with Otis Redding to agent for the Capricorn bands to the manager for Gregg Allman and Stevie Ray Vaughan and…listen for the stories!

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