New York Songs Playlist

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It was not must see TV.

I thought the Stones were good, Mick Jagger sounded great, and then when the keyboard came in, I realized it was all prerecorded and massaged and I was disappointed.

Yes, “One World” was not live. And it played to the lowest common denominator, the supposed one world we all live in, whereas when music was in its heyday, it was us versus them.

Even during the heyday of MTV. MTV made music into a monoculture, you were either on the station or off. But Live Aid was a seminal event yet to be repeated. Because it was about those in the know versus those out of the loop. Live Aid did not need to be on every television outlet, just MTV, because that’s where the youth lived, where the heartbeat of music lived, it was a club for those who not only had a sense of humor but could be irreverent and make fun of the status quo. It was about testing limits. The VJs were our heroes.

Instead, Saturday night we got late night hosts in suits. Come on, are you wearing a suit and tie at home every day? Isn’t all the scuttlebutt about how people are wearing no pants, yet you dress up like it’s business as usual?

Sure, it was cool to see the first responders, they got their due. And I can’t argue with the $127 million they raised, but this show missed the mark.

First and foremost it was not promoted properly, you did not get the feeling you had to be there, had to watch, or you were gonna miss out.

I chalk that down to promotion. Funny how a business based on promotion doesn’t know how to do it, especially when it’s out of their comfort zone. MTV would give away a house, constantly embellish the brand, but there was no innovation in the promotion of this show. No regular member of the population featured because they raised the most money themselves, no engagement of the audience in an era where it’s all about the audience.

The Stones built their rep on calling themselves the World’s Greatest Rock & Roll Band to the point where it was nearly impossible to get a ticket. Whereas you knew you didn’t have to watch on Saturday night, because if anything good happened, you could replay it on YouTube the next day, just like with SNL, just like with everything in today’s world other than sports. Once again, MTV had this right, with its VMAs. You had to tune in because of the antics, you never knew what you might miss, you wanted to be able to be part of the discussion right away, whether it be about Pee Wee Herman opening the show after being arrested, or the give and take between RuPaul and Milton Berle. We live for these moments.

As for the two hour TV show… This is what network does best, condense the product, remove all the edges for consumption for a mainstream that does not exist. Either it’s an all day event that we have to sit on the couch for, or we’re just not interested. As for tape delay on the west coast…even the Grammys don’t do that anymore.

And hip-hop rules the world, but it was markedly absent here. You can get the Stones, but not Jay-Z, Kanye and Drake to perform? The show was safe, when music has always prospered when it’s dangerous.

We do not live in a one love world. As a matter of fact, we live in an incredibly fractious world. But this was not addressed, for fear of offending someone.

Meanwhile, John Oliver goes on HBO from his house, makes jokes about the lame cellphone signal of AT&T, his boss, and then proceeds to eviscerate Fox News and Donald Trump, there were no false equivalencies, he attacked the preacher who blew away the virus, picturing his private jet in the background…this is what music did in its heyday, shine a light on hypocrisy.

And when the acts don’t do it live, oh some did, but when you don’t, you lose credibility. Give Alicia Keys credit for appearing without makeup, everybody else was so busy massaging their image and their music as to be homogenized. As for the tattoos… It’s just like in the seventies, long hair no longer made you a dangerous outlaw and today neither do tattoos. Years ago, but not now. Now you look like a follower more than a leader. Leaders always do the opposite. Want to test the limits today…get no tattoos!

But they’re part of the image today, and it’s solely image.

And there was no metal… For a show that claimed to want to bring us all together, a lot of musical elements were left out.

It’s easy to pat yourself on the back, say you did a good thing. But people who make a difference do more. They push the envelope, they make people uncomfortable, they make people think. Hell, there wasn’t even a DJ on this show, would that have been too hard to include?

Just because you raised some money, that does not mean you’re immune from criticism. Next time, make it must see. Everybody plays live live, it’s done in real time, the edgy genres are included. It’s the mistakes that draw people to you. Everybody would accept a technical glitch, especially under these circumstances. But instead we got a seamless production that no one is talking about now that it’s over. Hell, I just checked the Spotify streams, and not one has broken six figures! Sure, it’s early, but this show was up Saturday night, and if there was a huge desire to experience it, those streams would be through the roof, they’d dominate the Top 50. But the Top 50 is still dominated by the Weeknd, strangely absent here. Even Dua Lipa, promoting a new album, was left out. Tones and I, still at number six, with one of the absolute biggest tracks of the year?

This could have been done so much better.

It’s hard not to watch this and see the parallels to today’s America.

I didn’t like it as much as the hype, it just wasn’t believable. Oh, the facts were believable, but I never suspended disbelief and got caught up in the action, I was always aware I was watching a re-creation. Maybe if Spielberg, or another Hollywood director, had been involved, it would have been different, but it wasn’t.

I’m old enough to have lived through Chernobyl.

And I must say I have a fascination with it. Down in Laguna Beach, at the art fair, they feature the work of a photographer who went there, before it was de rigueur. Yes, now it seems anybody can get up close and personal, but I don’t need any further exposure to radiation. I had a wart removed on my finger back in the sixties. The dermatologist used a new technique, he radiated my finger for five minutes. Did this cause my leukemia? Or was it the formaldehyde the chiropodist insisted I use to control my stinky feet? My internist says it’s hereditary, my father had blood cancer and therefore so do I, but the literature on CML says otherwise. I guess we’re always looking for answers. And sometimes the answers you expect are not the real ones. And sometimes when you think you’ve found the answers, that turns out to be untrue.

When I think of Chernobyl, I think of the explosion, the radiation, not so much what caused the explosion. But they delve into that and deliver the answer, and that’s what is fascinating.

The Russians cheaped out. They didn’t build a containment dome. That’s why the reactor, with its tower, looked so different from the ones in the rest of the world. And to further save money, they put graphite tips on the control rods, which meant temperature increased before it decreased.

But they did not want you to know this. You see the Russians had to convince the rest of the world that they were equal to the United States, indomitable, always right. And the funny thing is the populace believed this too, and at Chernobyl, they sacrificed their lives for it, whether it be immediately, or dying before their time from radiation poisoning. You see radiation is like Covid-19, you can’t see it, it appears harmless, until it eats you from the inside out.

Now America has changed drastically in my lifetime. In the fifties we believed we were the greatest country on the planet, there was a plethora of good paying jobs, mothers didn’t have to work and…women and minorities took a back seat.

All of the unrest, the discrimination that was not visible, or not emphasized regularly in the fifties, reared its ugly head in the sixties. In the sixties everything was up for grabs. The goal was to be informed and think for yourself. And just because you were young, that did not mean you didn’t count. There was a huge schism between the oldsters, the establishment, and the youngsters, one which we would not see again until the advent of the internet. The only difference was the greatest generation wasn’t buying their children’s antics, whereas the boomers are in bed with their children, believe they’re up to speed, when that is untrue.

And then Nixon bombed and lied.

And then Carter became president.

And then there was the hostage crisis, and suddenly nationalism reared its ugly head in America once again, like it hadn’t for years, like it hadn’t since before the Vietnam War.

Then Reagan enticed many of the left-leaning boomers by lowering taxes and legitimizing greed, and suddenly the boomers were the establishment themselves, with something to protect.

And now?

Well, the economy raged under Clinton.

But then there was the Iraq war and billionaires and…now you’re on one side or the other. Either you believe the United States is the best country in the world or you’re agitating for change. And it’s just like the sixties, if you question authority, if you question the government, you’re shouted down by the establishment, only in this case the establishment is not only the Republicans, but the Democrats, which is why so many, especially youngsters, are disillusioned and feel left out.

So, Chernobyl is burning and people are lining up to sacrifice themselves. Kinda like after 9/11. A war was started and people signed up to serve, and unlike in the sixties, they were lauded for doing so, you could not question anybody’s service, but all these years later…was it worth it? Even Trump said it was not.

And there’s a chain of command in Russia, disobey it at your peril, it doesn’t matter if you’re right. Sounds just like Crozier, who was fired for complaining his ship was inundated with Covid-19. The chain of command was more important than the lives of those on the boat.

And if you stand up and speak the truth, you’re ostracized.

This is very different from political correctness, which has its own pitfalls. But in the last century, facts were facts. Maybe because there was the fairness doctrine on TV.

But if you tell the truth about what happened in Ukraine today, you’re gonna lose your job, just like Trump fired the Intelligence Community Inspector General for allowing the whistleblower’s report to come out. As for the impeachment trial, the Republicans stood their ground, otherwise they’d be ostracized, not only by their fellow congresspeople, but constituents who would primary them out of a job.

And just like it couldn’t be Russia’s fault that the nuclear reactor blew up, it can’t be Trump’s fault that Covid-19 is ravaging the country.

And you do know the rest of the world is laughing at us. And despite all this b.s. about bringing manufacturing back to America, we cannot be self-sufficient, if for no other reason than these companies are all multinationals, they are not beholden to us. The ventilator company’s HQ was in Ireland, the cruise lines are not registered in the U.S. And the U.S. is enamored of cheap products, and they wouldn’t be so cheap if they were manufactured here, even though they can’t be.

But the government keeps spewing falsehoods. And in Russia, they needed something to believe in, if you can’t believe in the state, where does that leave you?

Now if you delve into “Chernobyl,” don’t do so without listening to the podcast with Craig Mazin, the writer/producer of the series. You watch and you keep wondering how accurate the show is. Listening to the podcast you find out it’s hyper-accurate.

But when you watch the final episode, and you see the footage of the real people, it’s eerie, because the actors cast looked very similar, even if they were not believable in their roles.

So…

We are at an inflection point in America. We are fighting for our country’s soul. And it’s not only left/right, it’s also left/left.

All those lefties who made money under Reagan and Clinton? They don’t want to cough it up, they’re accustomed to their lifestyles, they believe they earned that money and you can’t take it away.

So, when Warren starts talking about a wealth tax, rich people start crying in their beer. When Sanders talks about Medicare for All, they’re not for it, after all, they’re wealthy and they can afford the best care. So, the left has left the workers and the young ‘uns to their own devices. Some went to Trump, some went third party, some didn’t bother to vote and…they’re being told to vote for Biden for a return to normalcy. The only problem is normalcy wasn’t that good for them to begin with!

And how is it in America there’s not enough money? It’s not only Cuomo, but the governors of other states begging for money for health care and business. You see states can’t print their own money, the federal government can. But if you don’t toe Trump’s line, your state is going to pay the price.

And when it’s debated whether to speak the truth at the Chernobyl trial, again and again it’s said that it is a SHOW TRIAL, that the verdict has already been decided, it’s just for the party and the public, to keep everybody believing and in line, the truth doesn’t matter, the truth hurts.

But the truth is lies hurt. If for no other reason than they muddy truth.

Now I’m not gonna go micro on you, go deep into the Astroturfing employed for the protests to open states this weekend.

No, the protests were not spontaneous, they were organized, one entity established all the websites

I’m not going to go deep into how the rest of the world sees us, but I must print this joke from the “Sydney Morning Herald.” Actually, I’ll put it at the end of this screed. This is a litmus test, if you can’t swallow another opinion, if you cannot analyze it, if you cannot believe that news sources like the BBC might be more trustworthy than what you’re listening to, you’re part of the problem, and certainly not part of the solution. A wise person weighs both sides and makes a decision. An ignorant person refuses to entertain thoughts contrary to their beliefs.

So, here we are. Turns out the blowback to the reopening of America is pretty big. And all the governors are clamoring for tests even though Trump and Pence say there are more than enough. If you can wrap your head around that, you probably grew up in Soviet Russia.

Which ended by the way. Lies can’t go on forever.

But just like after the Arab Spring, a dictator ended up in control. And the funny thing is a lot of citizens like this, they don’t want to worry, they’ll cough up all their freedoms if they FEEL safe.

So where are we now?

In the thick of it. You can’t say you’re too busy working. You’ve got no excuses. Now is the time to learn, the time to analyze. Knowledge is power, never forget it.

Joke of the Week:

If Trump were captain of Titanic –
There isn’t any iceberg… There is an iceberg but it’s a small iceberg in another ocean… The iceberg is in this ocean but it’s a small iceberg and will melt in about three days… There is an iceberg but we didn’t hit the iceberg… We hit the iceberg but the damage will be repaired very shortly… I didn’t know how big the iceberg was until two weeks ago… The iceberg is a Chinese iceberg… We aren’t taking on water but every passenger who wants a lifeboat can get a lifeboat and they are beautiful lifeboats because we make the best lifeboats in the world… Look, passengers need to ask nicely for lifeboats if they want them… We don’t have any lifeboats, we’re not lifeboat distributors… I really don’t think we need that many lifeboats… The people drowning should have planned for icebergs and brought their own lifeboats… We have lifeboats and they’re supposed to be everyone’s lifeboats, but they’re only for people who kiss my a**… They are not the passengers’ lifeboats… The last captain of this ship didn’t leave enough lifeboats and, besides, nobody could have foreseen the iceberg.

The former PM’s words that left us shocked

Do you think it’s safe to go outside?

Many Democrats are now asking themselves this question.

This is tribal warfare, but the more interesting element is groupthink, how you change someone’s opinion.

Last night Bill Maher said to open America, he wants to go to a restaurant.

Today people are strolling on beaches in Florida, why can’t you? After all, you believe you’re Covid-19 free. Sure, some people are asymptomatic carriers, but obviously you’re not one, and you’re not going to infect anyone, so you should be able to go outside. And if you get near someone else…nothing will happen, because they’re confident they’re healthy too.

And then you’ve got Bethany McLean, a business reporter for “Vanity Fair,” saying Florida didn’t run out of hospital beds as predicted, so maybe the people are right.

“And yet, the predicted surge that was supposed to overwhelm hospitals due to Floridians’ obvious stupidity hasn’t happened yet. Maybe they know something that the states shutting their parks don’t.”

So now you’re wondering…maybe you’re wrong, maybe you’ve been taking this too seriously, after all, many people you know who’ve been loose with self-quarantining are just fine. You know, the people who had their housekeeper come, albeit wearing a mask, those who’ve seen their grandchildren. And you’re losing money sitting at home. You did it for over a month, and that’s enough.

So, the self-quarantiners wonder if it’s worth it to stay at home at all, if everybody else is not.

Meanwhile, the other side is just fighting with science.

But science is fungible, haven’t you heard? As for statistics, they can be manipulated, so you’re best off not believing any of them, just go with your gut.

As for facts… Trump’s not wearing a mask, he’s fine, and he’s around people all the time. Same deal with Congresspeople, sure, some got infected, but maybe they got it elsewhere, otherwise all of Congress would be infected.

And if you’re rich, fine. But I could use the money from going back to work.

And I’m sick and tired of listening to Fauci, he’s a tool of Trump and he’s lost credibility.

I think I’m gonna go with the flow, it’s time to open America. It’s time for me to live my life. It’s time to put Covid-19 in the rearview mirror, after all, nobody I know died. As for the people who did die…people are dying all the time. And that’s another question I have. Are more people dying from this than the flu, and isn’t China to blame?

________________________

The right has been on a full court press to make Covid-19 a political issue.

You may not have seen Dr. Fauci on Laura Ingraham’s broadcast, you should read this and watch the video:

“Fox News host Laura Ingraham’s interview with Anthony Fauci goes sideways – Fauci repeatedly dismissed Ingraham’s dodgy premises in an interview that reinforced how punditry like Ingraham’s has flown in the face of what health officials are saying”

Just as interesting is this story about Michael Savage, who turns out to have a Ph.D with training as an epidemiologist:

“Why Michael Savage Is Blasting Hannity and the Right-Wing Media on the Virus – Mr. Savage, the conservative radio host, is still loyal to President Trump but says right-wing media got it all wrong by doubting the severity of the coronavirus early on.”

Neither of these stories got any legs, never mind not being featured on Fox or other right wing outlets, which amplify the words of doctors Phil and Oz. And you might dismiss them, but the reason they’re being featured at all is because they’ve got large audiences, primarily those of housewives, who make decisions about the health of their children.

The left does not understand how to play this game. The left does not know how to get people to question their values and beliefs. The left is not organized, it’s busy infighting, coming to consensus, abhorring leaders and being left behind.

What is the promise of Biden’s campaign? A RETURN TO NORMALCY!

We’re not going back to normalcy, just like we’re not going back to dial telephones and vinyl records. Oh, oops, that’s something the left has been able to sell, a faulty story about the return of vinyl records, when their distribution and revenue is de minimis in the world of music consumption and revenue.

But you’ve got people amplifying these falsehoods. Just like you’ve got the Never Trumpers, does it make any difference? NO!

Just like the media has sold the story we live in a hip-hop nation. Look at concert grosses, which are not shared with the general public. It turns out people have much more diverse interests than hip-hop. As a matter of fact, those on the hit parade tend to sell fewer tickets and fall off the radar screen sooner.

But that doesn’t matter, it’s all about perception.

So, you’re sitting at home, cheering Andrew Cuomo’s press conference yesterday, but you’re not spreading the word on it, chances are you’re unaware of its details, you’re hearing about it from me.

“Reminder: Don’t get on Andrew Cuomo’s bad side”

You don’t need to read the article, just scroll down to the video. Cuomo nails Trump without becoming histrionic, but we’ve placed our faith in Old Joe, who can’t get any ink, can’t get any mindshare.

“Biden Is Losing the Internet. Does That Matter? – The coronavirus has forced Democrats’ presumptive presidential nominee into an all-digital campaign, and he’s struggling to break through.”

Meanwhile, Trump owns Facebook.

“How Facebook Works for Trump – Donald Trump won the presidency by using the social network’s advertising machinery in exactly the way the company wanted. He’s poised to do it again.”

The war is fought online, that’s where you ensure victory, not on television, and Biden and the Democrats haven’t even gotten their army together, never mind started to fight.

As for the truth?

“Protesters slam California stay-at-home orders as ‘tyranny.’ But truth is more complex.”

Read the article. Most people are scared and are willing to stay home, overwhelmingly, but the scuttlebutt is all about the protesters!

Women and Democrats have these mass gatherings, these mass protests, and nothing happens. The Republicans inspire a few acolytes to go out on the front lines and everything changes.

And it’s not only leaving your house during the era of Covid-19, you’re questioning a lot of other things.

Maybe the government does waste money, maybe I am better off keeping my taxes, donating if I feel like it, it’s everybody for themselves in America anyway.

I don’t have the money for an electric car, which they tell me are expensive, I need cars to be cheap, and if lowering the pollution standards does this, so be it. And technology will take care of the climate crisis, didn’t all these car companies come up with anti-pollution methods and increase gasoline efficiency when forced to?

Maybe the Democrats only do want to tax and spend. I have compassion for others, but I’m sick and tired of supporting those who are unwilling to work.

As for Medicare for All…I’ve got a good policy and I don’t want to risk losing it, after all, Obama said everybody could keep their policy and that was untrue, even if I was able to keep mine.

Are you getting this? The truth doesn’t matter. As for the score… Sure, we’ve got elections, but this is not a game of football or basketball, where you can see all the plays and cheating is limited. In this case, plans are made secretly, and if you don’t have a plan, you’re always playing defense. And, if you’re living in the twentieth century, you’re one century behind and you’re never going to catch up.

So, let’s look what happened in the music business. For years, we had oldsters bitching that music was undervalued, CDs sounded best and the youth were not to be trusted, they wanted all the music for free. Now, today, the youth have inherited the business and the oldsters are irrelevant. Only those who’ve embraced the internet, who employed Soundcloud, who gave their music away for free, have traction in today’s recorded music world. And, the younger generation is willing to spend for streaming and is willing to pay sky high prices to go to concerts. Meanwhile, the older generation is still bitching that it’s right, but nobody is listening.

You’ve got to fight today’s battles.

And the left keeps saying Trump is losing.

But if you look at the landscape today, it appears he and his minions are winning!

Think about this. Your heart may be in the right place, you may rely on facts, but you’re in the minority.