“The Colonel and the King: Tom Parker, Elvis Presley, and the Partnership that Rocked the World”: http://bit.ly/480ozGy

I never got into Elvis until I went to Graceland.

You’ve got to go. As a matter of fact, you’ve got to go to Memphis, which may be in Tennessee like Nashville, but is completely different. Memphis is truly the south, Mississippi is only a stone’s throw away.

Elvis was already over by time I gained consciousness. No, scratch that, he was already making movies, had been making movies, and they were seen as pulpy and exploitative and no one I knew went to see them. However, I always loved the theme song from “Viva Las Vegas.” And “Suspicious Minds.” And that was it. Maybe “In the Ghetto,” but not really. Elvis was pre-Beatles, he represented the past, and then he came back with that TV special, parked himself in Vegas and then died. I remember where I was when I heard Elvis died, do you? One of those legendary moments, like the assassination of JFK and landing on the moon that are indelibly seared into my brain.

That was 1977. Nearly fifty years ago. If Elvis Presley were alive today he’d be ninety. Older than all the classic rockers from England, never mind America. As a matter of fact, so much time has passed that his merch numbers are off, his fans are dying. Will Elvis experience a resurgence like Sinatra? Anything’s possible, but right now it doesn’t look like it.

So the thing about Graceland is it’s not that big. Far from what we consider a mansion, even back then. And you start to get the feel that Elvis was a hillbilly. You always heard that, but until I went to Graceland and saw the relatively tiny Jungle Room with its three Trinitrons I didn’t realize it. And in the north people know nothing of hillbillies.

As a matter of fact, the ethos of the north is education. You go to school to get a leg up. But Colonel Tom Parker did not. And many of the self-starting hustlers still in the music business don’t have college diplomas. If anything, their degree is in life.

So…

If you wan to be in the music business, you can go to a program at a college, get an internship and go to work for the man. But the music business is not about the man, it’s about these individual hustlers, who are born, not made. If you’re going to school to get a job at the label or with the promoter you’re doing it wrong. One thing is for sure, the music business is always based on talent. Can you find it, sign it and promote it. This is what they don’t teach in school, the art of persuasion.

And hard work. And perseverance. Success in the music business is more about personality than education, and always will be.

So…

Colonel Tom Parker has a bad reputation. He took fifty percent of Elvis’s earnings and never took Presley overseas because he was born in the Netherlands and was an illegal alien.

FIFTY PERCENT!

Unheard of today. Unless you’re Joe Bonamassa, who has created a career completely outside the conventional system. And to do that you must believe in yourself. And very few believe in themselves that much, such that they’re willing to sacrifice and put it all on the line.

Although Parker was always interested in carnivals, he was not destined to be in the music business, he didn’t have this desire, as a matter of fact he bounced around for years before he found his niche. Proving that you don’t have to start early to make it. Oftentimes life experiences pay dividends down the road.

So everywhere he goes he ingratiates himself with people. They take him in, they love him. But he constantly moves on, he needs more.

And after a tour in the military he starts working for carnivals based out of Florida.

And the key to success was promotion. The advance man. Who’d go to the next town and gin up excitement.

When he finally got in this role, Parker would do more than put up posters. He’d make sponsorship deals, all kinds of deals to get the town leaders invested in the show.

But I must say, this was after running the Tampa Humane Society, completely out of the business, for years.

But then Parker attached himself to talent. And he wanted it more than some of the acts. He was willing to make the effort, no one ever criticized him for being lax. He was working around the clock, to the point where he had a heart attack.

And then he saw Elvis Presley.

You know it when you see it and you rarely see it.

Amateurs are unaware of this. Pros know. It’s a feeling, an electricity, the way the crowd reacts. It’s not something you can put into words, just something you can experience, something that affects people that they want more of.

So, Elvis was signed to Sun, which is venerated in modern society. But Sun was too small for Parker, he needed Elvis to be on RCA. Once again, conventional wisdom was it was about the money. Not at all. Sam Phillips did not have the muscle, the funds, the distribution to drive Presley where he needed to be.

And throughout although Parker might tell a while lie or two, he was not a ruthless scumbag. Rather than pressure, he was willing to walk away. Until the other side realized what they were missing out on. You’ve got to value your own work.

And do whatever it takes to make the deal work. Parker made a deal with Phillips without the authority to do so and ultimately wrote a $5000 advance himself. On trust.

This is what those not in the business don’t realize. You’re truly only as good as your word. Contracts are secondary. Only for extreme circumstances. Some of the biggest managers in the business don’t have contracts, never mind sunset clauses. It’s a partnership, you’re either in it together or not.

As far as Elvis… Would he have been this big without the Colonel?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!

Elvis was not completely unknown, he had records out, he was doing some shows, but he wasn’t ubiquitous. It took Parker’s efforts. Was this worth fifty percent? Well, fifty percent to the artist is better than nothing at all.

This is not for the faint of heart. Felice cut bait after one episode. But if you like your entertainment dark and visceral, this is your ticket.

“Rivers of Fate” is set in Brazil. And French Guiana. And life couldn’t be more different from America. The standard of living is not high and lawlessness rules. If you’re dependent on the police, you’re SOL. They’re just trying to make the trains run on time, they’re not up for solving the problem. And there’s so much nefarious activity transpiring that it cannot be combatted.

You start on the river. This landscape is totally foreign. With travelers and thieves making their way. There are restaurants in the middle of the water. The big city is just a boat ride away, but despite infrastructure, things are not much better there. Who can you trust. Can you trust anybody?

A girl commits a modern faux pas. The kind you read about. And her parents punish her for this. And you know there will be consequences. Boy, are there.

And everybody’s out for themselves, everybody’s trying to get ahead. And no one is looking out for the lost and downtrodden. You’re on your own. Janalice was going to school and living a safe life, and then…

Man, this made me thankful I wasn’t a woman. I was walking in a parking structure close to midnight last night and I was anxious. But if I was female?

The men in “Rivers of Fate” are not constricted by the mores of America. Seems like everybody is willing to bend the rules and get theirs.

So we’ve got Janalice, a gang, human traffickers, multiple stories happening at once, but the series is completely comprehensible.

It’s shot in the modern way… In that the cinematography and editor are right up front, right there with the story. The effects, the cuts… But in this case it’s not for humor, like so many American productions, it just adds to the intensity.

“Rivers of Fate” is from the team that brought you “City of  God.” If that was too much for you, don’t even start this four episode series. But if you thought that film was art, far from the dreck produced by the studios, you need to check this series out.

There’s a ton of action. And many themes, not that you have to analyze, you can just go with the flow. It never devolves to cops and robbers, but lives are on the line, and just about everybody is corrupt. And the good guys don’t always triumph, never mind live, and…

There is no buzz on this series. But it’s right there, available on Netflix. It’s got an 83 critics’ rating on RottenTomatoes, and no audience rating whatsoever. Now that I’m done, I’m not exactly sure whether “Rivers of Fate” was great or a bit too pulpy. But one thing is for sure, I was riveted.

Watch a bit and you’ll get an idea.

But be forewarned, it only gets more edgy and intense, more visceral. But if you’re looking for something to take you away this is it.

Assuming you can handle it.

Tune in Saturday August 30th to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.

Phone #: 844-686-5863

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

If you’re looking for a book to read this holiday weekend, I highly recommend this one.

What we’ve got here is something conventionally called a thriller, and normally I don’t read that kind of book, but reviews have been great and the action all takes place in the heart of San Francisco tech.

Jakob Kerr gets it right. Probably because he was one of the first employees at Airbnb. He could afford to take years off to write a book. And the funny thing is he’s just gone to work for Anthropic, you know, the AI firm that just settled with authors. But all the hype says he’s a lawyer, a role he hasn’t played in a long time, he’s a master of communications at these enterprises, but knowing the law Kerr could construct an interesting legal wrinkle that gets the book going.

So what we’ve got is a murder. Of a guy who runs an Uber-type company. He’s loosely based on Travis Kalanick. If you’re a student of the game, you can recognize the real people behind the characters.

Like Eleanor… She’s obviously based on Sheryl Sandberg, albeit with a bit more self-knowledge.

As for Hammersmith the VC… Kerr gets Sand Hill Road down right.

What makes the book so fascinating is not the plot, but the characterization of the world-beating techies. You’ve got the one only looking out for himself. The eccentric brilliant coder. The dreamer… They’ve all come together to make billions, and they all believe their sh*t doesn’t stink and they’re above the law.

So they’re pursuing the killer. And Mackenzie is translating for the FBI, she works for the VC, and she too started off in law, but gave up a gig at the big firm to go to the coast and try to make her fortune.

Furthermore, there’s a lot of lessons in this book. If you’re directionless, you might want to read “Dead Money” to learn the score.

“Dead Money” is the best fiction book about the tech culture I’ve ever read. And fiction is more honest than nonfiction, meaning there are some great nonfiction tales about tech, but usually the author is too invested, or at arm’s length, and can’t see what is really going in. “Dead Money” tells you the truth.

Having said that, the last section of the book, which concentrates on the plot, becomes somewhat fantastical, kind of like a movie, with twists and a scene at a popular location I won’t name, however the ending redeems the book.

This is an easy read. It will call out to you after you’ve read just a little bit, you will be hooked.

Wisdom is dropped throughout, I’m going to list some of what is said:

“Hammersmith had always been proof of an old Silicon Valley axiom: The worse a man dressed, the richer he was.”

If you’re rich you don’t have to prove anything. You’re satisfied with who you are. Sure, you want more, but you don’t have to advertise your wealth, you’re above that.

“It doesn’t matter how original your idea is: All that matters is how well you execute it.”

Ideas are a dime a dozen. Who has the perseverance to bring an idea to fruition? Very few.

“He wore expensive un-scuffed leather boots, the type favored by men who consider themselves outdoorsy because they take an annual trip to the Yellowstone Club.”

Kerr nails the players. He makes you laugh. People don’t understand that you can see right through their trappings.

“You work yourself into the right places, get connected to the right people. Eventually you’ll be met with an opportunity… A chance at something truly big.”

You’ve got to be in the game. Even founders can’t exist outside the game, they need the VC’s money. I’ve found this paradigm in music. Those who think they know the most, who drop names, are often completely outside the game.

Once you get a toehold, you’ve got to find a way to advance. Will you choose to do what Mackenzie does? If you want the big money you have to play by different rules.

“Humans have yet to discover a sum of money large enough that they couldn’t find a manner of wasting it.”

My grandmother gave each grandkid 10k upon her death. She would harangue my mother over the details of the giving and how it would be used. And my mother’s response was, THEY CAN SPEND $10,000 IN A DAY!

“Our world is not built on fairness. It’s not built on right and wrong, hard work, smarts. It’s built on one thing and one thing only: ruthlessness. Our system rewards those who sacrifice. Those who are ruthless enough to give things up in pursuit of their goal. Give up their friends, give up their time, give up their ideas about the way they thought their life was supposed to go.”

Wow, I should just send these words to all the people complaining to me that the system is stacked against them, that with a level playing field they’d succeed. IT’S NOT A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD! And Kerr doesn’t embrace the trope that nepo babies will get their comeuppance, oftentimes that’s not true. “Ruthlessness” has a bad connotation. Unfortunately, to succeed in business that’s usually the way you have to be. Unless you’re a worker bee. And sacrifice? That’s another thing the wannabes have no idea of. They complain they can’t make the car payment and mortgage and can’t put shoes on their kids with their Spotify revenue. Who told you to buy a house, have kids, even have a car? You think this is unfathomable, but these are the kinds of sacrifices winners make.

“He texted like a Boomer—sporadically, with unnecessary punctuation”

Boomers HATE hearing this, they consider themselves digitally-savvy and no one can tell them otherwise, even though in most cases this is untrue.