Before stereos, before computers. before the internet…

There were cars. And they changed every year and we knew not only the bodies, but what was under the hood. You were your car, assuming you were old enough to drive. And cars didn’t last, if you got three or four years and 70,000 miles you had to pat yourself on the back, you’d done well.

Now Oldsmobile was famous for a few things. Like the Rocket 88 engine. Which led to what many believe is the first rock and roll song ever. And then there was the 4-4-2. But it was eclipsed in the mind of the public by the Pontiac GTO, there was even a song about it by Ronny & the Daytonas (and a good one to boot!) Oldsmobile started to fade into the background, and then in 1966 came the Toronado.

The Toronado was front-wheel drive! In an era when everything else was rear-wheel drive. As for four-wheel drive, there was the Jeep Wagoneer, and a few trucks, like the Dodge Power Wagon, but if you were driving in snow, you grinned and bared it. And ultimately white-knuckled it. Then again, back then everybody switched to snow tires in the winter. More than a few decades back they came up with the “all-season” tire and many now forgo snow tires, which is a big mistake, but you can’t convince them otherwise. I could point you to articles about stopping distances, but the truth is so many are cheap, good is good enough, if their lives are in danger…nah, they never consider that.

Now Buick had the Riviera.

These were the old days, when GM was comprised of Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac, in that order. You were supposed to work your way up the line. Then the crash of 2008 eliminated Pontiac and Oldsmobile, and the late to the game Saturn. As a matter of fact, sales at GM are down, Mary Barra, the CEO, is fine with that, she’s focused on profitability.

Now you may be following the European car market, which is in turmoil. Volkswagen is trying to save itself. Porsche? Killed by the Chinese, they just laid off a ton of people and are now going to raise prices to make their margins. So that 911? Buy it now. As for the Macan, that ruined the image of the brand…it sold, but Porsches used to be exotic performance automobiles (except for the 914-but if you had a six instead of the four, it was a monster; the 944 was a bit better, but never truly gained traction with the public), now it’s seen as an SUV brand, and ultimately a fashion statement, the Macan is a girl’s car, a girl who can’t afford a Mercedes Geländewagen, which is uber-expensive and makes no sense whatsoever unless you’re going through a treacherous landscape, it’s got a ladder frame and the ride is stiff, but the Kardashians drive them, and now a lot of other women do too. I don’t remember any women clamoring to drive 911s. Although they did cotton to the Boxster, which was not a bad car, but mostly seen as a cute little convertible, no man would be caught dead driving one, they don’t even make them anymore.

So… The Toronado was marketed to men. Who wanted a two door as opposed to a family sedan. Something sexy. If you were a doctor…

And if you were ever in one, the amazing thing is there were two door handles on the inside, one in the usual place and one in the way back, so those in the rear seat could open the doors themselves, the doors were extremely long, but they did look very cool, the entire Toronado looked cool.

And did I say they had hidden headlights? That was true exotica, expected on a Corvette, America’s sports car, before it was neutered by emissions regulations, before it was reborn.

So I’m on the 405 barely moving. And when I finally merge from the on-ramp onto the freeway, the mental debate begins, which lane should I drive in?

I try to avoid lanes with trucks. If for no other reason as they go uphill… It takes a lot of torque for them to get moving again after stopping, they accelerate slowly.

And then there’s the diamond lane, but it’s only me in the car.

The slow lane… I always think people are getting on and off, not worried about making time, whereas I want to break on through to the other side.

However, go too far to the left towards the center median then it’s an obstacle course getting back to the right for your exit.

So I’m working my way across the lanes, I’m one from the diamond, which is kind of risky, but that’s the mood I’m in, I’ll deal with merging right to get off when I get there.

And you’ve got a lot of time to think and observe when you’re barely moving. And the car in front of me…

Had a unique back, a rear end unlike any of today’s cars. Closer to Italian exotica then what is manufactured for the masses.

And it sported a finish of gold flake metallic… People today buy white, that’s number one, maybe black, the days of colors that stand out…they affect resale value, nobody wants to buy them (remember the orange Judge?, worth a fortune today).

And I’m flummoxed trying to figure out what kind of car this is when it finally registers, this is a TORONADO! This is the epitome of GM engineering in the mid-sixties, sixty years ago.

They were still figuring out automobiles back then, they were really only about sixty years old, at least the ones for the masses, the Ford Model A was released in 1903.

And I’m thinking about Dr. Meltzer. He was a SURGEON! Surgeons got a pass when I was growing up, whatever their personality, they were doing God’s work, they had a higher calling, they were married to their job.

He drove a ’63 Riviera.

Which he then traded in for a Toronado.

And I’m thinking about him and his family as the Toronado moves one lane over and I pull up alongside.

Of course a white-haired dude is driving it. Many of today’s young ‘uns don’t even have licenses, never mind care about cars (I have been seeing those new boxy Waymo Ojais out there by the way, cornflower blue, like minibuses). No, he probably bought it to luxuriate in it.

And you see this in L.A. Not only because of the wealth, but with the weather the cars don’t rust, don’t fade away and not radiate.

And the tires were wide, not the skinny white walls of the era, this was a driving machine.

And then I pulled forward…

And that’s when I saw the hood, seemingly longer than some cars out there! A vast landscape of metal. The engine didn’t need all this space, sans emissions gadgets there used to be so much room under the hood, no, this was about STYLE!

That’s what sold cars back then. I mean how do you drive the damn thing? How can you judge lengths in front of you, how can you maneuver around curves!

But that didn’t matter.

Now somewhere along the line, all cars started to look alike. And when people still bought them anyway, Detroit stopped updating them every year. Oh, there might be changes, but very minor, you have to be an aficionado to tell one year apart from the other.

And they’re all relatively good. Longevity might be better with a Toyota or Lexus, but now even Detroit iron can be driven a hundred thousand miles. Cars are utilitarian, transportation, whereas they used to not only be evidence of your identity, in the best cases, they were FUN TO DRIVE!

And drive we did. Oftentimes to nowhere, we just got behind the wheel, cranked up the tunes and went.

Now people stay home, glued to their screens. And gasoline is no longer dirt cheap.

So the cars on the highway all look the same. There’s a plethora of Teslas, all with a similar body shape (except for the Cybertruck!). And how much innovation can you embody in an SUV? I see those Rolls-Royce SUVs, the Bentleys too, people drive those in L.A., and I wonder why. They don’t look cool, they don’t look radically different from the econoboxes. Whereas it used to be these brands were a statement, very different from what the hoi polloi were driving.

But not anymore.

So seeing that gold Toronado made my day. Made me feel like I’d lived through something, that will never return, but had value in its day. History.

Put a smile on my face.

And now I’m at home, still smiling.

People didn’t love Donald Trump in 2024.

But they did hate Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

Meanwhile, we constantly have to hear about Harris possibly running again, makes me tear out what little hair I have left, she is an inauthentic loser who couldn’t even get one delegate back in the 2020 primary season!

There, I said it, positively heresy. She’s Black, she’s a woman, how could I say anything negative?

Now let me see… Joe Biden was too old and they said he was not and then he evidenced this on television and told us not to believe our eyes while he dilly-dallied for weeks deciding to retire, like a baseball player who has lost a step. And we Democrats are pissed. Because the team has been managed so poorly. It’s hard to be a fan when the General Manager denies the truth and when changes are made, they are worse.

I didn’t vote for Kamala to be the candidate, and neither did you. She was foisted upon us. But she almost won anyway, because most of the country has Democratic values, and so many people hate Donald Trump.

So Trump didn’t win, the Democrats forfeited. And Trump has been showered with hosannas ever since.

Until now, when the media is reporting that those who voted for him are disillusioned and are now leaning towards Democrats. OF COURSE, BECAUSE HE DIDN’T HAVE WIDESPREAD SUPPORT TO BEGIN WITH!

Meanwhile, all the reporting is about the mechanics, who will win in what state and although important, this is not the main issue in America today. No, people have lost faith in the Democrats and the system.

The wishy-washy Dems? Who never raise their voices, who say their hands are tied, who won’t stand up to Trump but also won’t stand up to special interest groups?

How many trans women are there in college sports anyway? But rather than say this, most Democratic candidates are afraid of pissing off…exactly who? The trans community, which is how big? This is a no-brainer, the Republicans are anti-trans, you can defend trans people without losing your mind. When even Martina Navratilova comes down against trans women in sports, you know you’re on the wrong side.

Once again, no problem with trans people, just everybody is not entitled to do everything!

Kind of like when they refuse to say only biological women can conceive babies. This is a huge gift to the right, can’t anybody on the left speak English?

And speaking of English, only bleeding heart liberals could come up with the moniker “Latinx” for a group of people who hate the appellation. Ditto on defund the police, people in Black neighborhoods want MORE police!

There’s this endless rabbit hole of b.s. No one has a backbone.

And then we get to Democratic Socialism… Traditional Democrats are missing the point, it’s not about socialism whatsoever, but hatred of the usual suspects, the establishment.

But the Democratic party can’t reform itself, can’t arrive in the twenty first century, never mind look forward.

And the doofus Republicans in Congress, afraid of Trump and their own shadow. He’s a paper tiger. It’s like an invisible dog fence. They’re all afraid of breaking ranks, crossing the line, when in truth liberation exists right outside the barrier. The public is not with Trump, he just won an election because the Democratic candidate was so bad. Sure, there’s a hard core of Trumpers, but it’s smaller than you think and in truth it’s not about love of the Donald but hatred of the so-called coastal elite. Who even I hate. The self-anointed educated and rich who think they know better.

But the irony is this is not a one party problem, there are self-righteous, pompous elite members of the Republican party, it’s just that the Democrats never seem to make this point and hammer it down.

We are looking for truth, for fighters, and all we get is wusses.

People are more alike than different, and in truth James Carville had it right back in 1992 and for all time…IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID!

Most people don’t care about the day to day activities in D.C., they just want to be free to live their lives. And when you impinge upon those lives, like with the banning of abortion… The Democrats keep talking about packing the Supreme Court, doing something to undercut our rigged system, but then they never pull the trigger, they’re waiting for the people to rise up and lead. Which could happen, because Trump is running the country off a cliff while the Democrats twiddle their thumbs.

Find me a person who defends a Russian oligarch paying for Don, Jr.’s wedding celebration.

Find me a person who is down with the closing of the Kennedy Center.

Find me a person who is in support of the arch.

No, Trump is acting with impunity, and no one will stop him, believing he has widespread support. HE DOESN’T!

Now is the time for the true believer, not someone who equivocates, who consults polls before doing anything, who is afraid to offend anyone. We are looking for people who connect with us emotionally. Meaning both J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio have absolutely no chance of winning in 2028 assuming the Democrats run a reasonable candidate chosen by the people. We need someone to believe in.

Trump got elected in 2016 because people were freaked out about the future, technology, opportunity, they wanted to put the brakes on society. Which, of course, is impossible. We needed a leader to navigate the new world, not someone who promised us a return to what once was, which wasn’t so good and is never coming back again.

The old farts in Congress… All they can do is hate on technology, after the fact, when it is already pervasive and dominant.

And most people now hate Elon Musk, a blowhard too myopic to be aware of the public’s perception of his personality and identity.

But the news talks about him coming back to Washington like it’s a fait accompli.

There is a way out of this, and it’s not so much moving to the left as in moving into the future. If one more Democrat asks me for money for TV ads… What next, radio soap operas? They hire consultants baked into the past who are only concerned with getting paid.

So I’m disillusioned with both parties, as almost everybody is, especially on the left. It’s only old people who are true Democratic believers, young people have never felt the power of a JFK, a politician who spoke to them.

On the right… It’s fear and disarray, and a refusal to acknowledge how weak Donald Trump really is, how he’s out of touch with the populace.

So what happens now?

Maybe the Democrats take Congress.

Maybe Trump interferes with the election.

But gridlock will remain, a constant scrum wherein the two lines butt heads and the ball never moves either way. Meanwhile, while we’re killing our young people as they get CTE from playing football. What next, executions on TV? YES!

People don’t want barbarism. They do want expertise. They want humanity. They want to be acknowledged and understood. People are reasonable, they don’t require everything if they believe they are heard. Right now they do not feel they’re being heard.

So either the Democrats wake up and break the system, or Trump will bring us ever closer to true autocracy or…

The public will revolt. People can only take it for so long.

Gas is stratospheric in price because an uninformed idiot started a war he couldn’t win, undermining the status of the U.S. in the process. The same man who takes the side of Russia against Ukraine. Do you really think the public is behind him? OF COURSE NOT!

Can we at least speak English and admit this?

And know that the fear for the Democratic party is not socialism, but extinction, because it has lost touch with its constituents.

The right rules on fear. But when people see the light, they become less scared. But it’s hard to shed light in our obtuse world where everybody gets their news from a different outlet, oftentimes biased.

The Ten Commandments in school? We’re sitting on the sidelines wondering what is going on. Isn’t this exactly what the Constitution forbade?

We live in bizarroland. Oldsters are tuning out, living on their savings. Young people have no savings and are constantly scolded by oldsters for utilizing technology, for not showing up and being abused at work. And you think this draws youngsters to them?

But all we hear about is numbers. Establishment talking heads giving us analysis baked in the past. Everybody so locked into the game that they can’t see what is truly going on.

Meanwhile, we’re on the outside, alternately detached and enraged. How come we can see the obvious and they can’t? How come we can see it’s not about the details, but the overall picture? How come there’s no longer any agreed upon truth? How come even if I vote I still feel powerless?

Change is coming. What it will look like, I don’t know. A tightening of the noose or a breaking of the system.

One thing is for sure, things can’t go on as usual. The public knows this, the Democrats certainly do not. Rally the troops, don’t divide them. Bring everybody in, don’t give them a reason to stay out. Make people feel heard and included.

That’s the way they used to do it.

But not anymore.

Like you’ve never heard him before… Richard has a new album, “After Hours.”

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/richard-marx/id1316200737?i=1000793843006

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/d2a9e496-d122-4f49-b5f2-1ffb3f687550/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-richard-marx?ref=dm_sh_IvLT5YOyOughBPuYc2uwej0Yn

Last night we watched “Learning to Fly,” a documentary on ultra-marathoners on Prime.

So what you’ve got here is mostly mountain people, the other, who have dedicated themselves to this insane sport which is far from lucrative. And as I’m watching I say to myself, I KNOW THESE PEOPLE! Because I used to live amongst them, I used to be one of them.

Not that there are ski bums anymore, they’ve been priced out of the resorts, rent is just too high. But back in the day, there was a subset of people, some college graduates like myself, many others dropouts, and even some who stopped their educations after high school, who moved to the mountains so they could ski every day. Living essentially off the grid.

Now in the mountains it was not about physical assets. No one had any money and no one owned anything other than a few pairs of skis and a season pass. No, it was how good you were at your sport, and that was all we talked about, day after day after day. How you looked, what you wore? Essentially irrelevant. But to be able to be out in the mountain air every day, testing limits, that was enough to make your life work.

Thank god I got out, many do not. Most who do not ultimately fall into day jobs, stop skiing and end up on the lower end of the economic scale.

But my heart is still there.

That’s why I went to college in Vermont, because of the landscape, because the college had its own ski area. Truly.

But the mountains are much bigger out west.

And at first they focus on a 100 mile run in California, up Squaw Valley, over the mountains to Auburn. Forget running, I don’t think I could WALK that far! And to be honest, I have a hard time running these days anyway.

And then they go to Chamonix.

Now the Alps are not as high as the Rockies. But the landscape is breathtaking, jaw-dropping. Reminded me of the last time I was there, back in 2011, just staring out the bus window, stunned at how steep these mountains were, the ones of your fantasies.

But none of them compare to the Himalayas.

Now “Learning to Fly” got good reviews, and it’s an interesting picture, but “The Last First: Winter K2”? I’d say it’s a must-watch, assuming you’re into the monta?as, are fascinated by Everest.

K2 is number two, the second highest peak on the globe. But K2 is no walk in the park, unlike Everest K2 demands technical climbing, it’s not a long hike, but truly a challenge.

And it had never been climbed in the winter.

So…

From the beginning you know that people are going to die. Unfortunately, they rarely make films about wholly successful attempts, people want to see the gore.

Not that the blood and guts is in this movie, however.

They’re on the valley floor, surrounded by these peaks… This is far from civilization. But not as far as it used to be. Now there are satellite phones and internet… Nowhere on earth are you truly disconnected, hell, even your iPhone can speak to the satellite.

I used to crave that isolation, it made me feel alive. But that’s something we’ve lost with the technological revolution. I’d rather have the advances than the loneliness, did you read about the guy who was trapped by a boulder and called for help using his AirPods and Siri?

“Oregon Man Pinned by Boulder Calls 911 Using Siri From His Earbuds – The man was trapped under a boulder that the police said likely weighed a ‘literal ton’ and could not reach his phone. He used Apple’s Siri to call 911, his mother said.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/04/us/oregon-man-pinned-boulder-siri-rescue.html?unlocked_article_code=1.GlE.QNMp.z1oAstUam88M&smid=url-share

In the old days he would have withered on the vine. In this case, drowned as the tide changed. So give me that connection all day long.

But still, the Himalayas are daunting.

Unlike in the Everest films, there is ice climbing involved. You’ve got to bang the toes of your crampons into the ice and haul yourself up with your axe and one false move…

That’s how critical your steps are. It’s usually black or white, you live or you die.

Now along with the raw issue of climbing the mountain, there is an underlying story about the people involved, the competition, love… I wouldn’t quite call these people daredevils, but there is no margin for error, people die all the time.

So it’s forbidding. The wind is blowing. Are the ropes intact?

And it always comes down to bad judgment. People ignore instructions. Even a casual reader of Everest stories know there’s a turn around time, ignore it at your peril, it’s there for a reason. You might make it up, but good luck making it down.

And this ain’t America, where corporations are so fearful of being sued that they dot every “i” and cross every “t”… Seven Summit Treks is a Nepalese company… That’s right, like sisters, the Nepalese are doing it for themselves, the westerners have been squeezed out.

Reminds me of being on a scary chairlift in Chile. In America when you’re scared you can easily tell yourself not to be, there are so many regulations involved, the odds of an accident are extremely low, but in a foreign country? You can take the American out of America, but he does not take America with him, he’s subject to the rules of the society he has traveled to.

Now I may lament the passage of isolation, aloneness, but with the concomitant rise in technology… The images in this film are spectacular, and on your hi-def set…

So if you’re a mountain man or woman, fascinated by the hills, which are not alive with music in this case, “The Last First: Winter K2” is required viewing. But everybody is fascinated by the human condition and the challenges of nature. The tension between the steadfast mountain and human beings is inherently interesting, and it’s depicted in this film, which is included in your Apple TV subscription.