Disappearing Earth: A novel

I crowdsource my reading. It’s the same thing I do with my viewing. I’ve only got time for great, and when it requires a huge investment of my time…

I’m trying to make sense of the world. And I can’t. You see there’s too much input, too many stories. In the old days it was clear what was important and what wasn’t. Who was a star and who wasn’t. And most things weren’t important and most people weren’t stars. And you owned that. You didn’t have dreams, except for a few people, who moved to L.A. or New York and tried to make it. Some did, most didn’t. But most didn’t take the risk. They didn’t think they were talented enough, or they just didn’t want to make the effort. The people who win are rarely the most talented, it’s a weird elixir of talent, desire and luck that pushes you into the stratosphere, and it’s very hard to achieve.

But today everybody can play. Everybody is trying to be a star. And as a result, today’s stars have a fraction of the wattage they used to. You read about them, but it’s easy to ignore them. It’s easy to ignore everything these days, other than politics, because it comes and goes so quickly. Madonna and Bruce Springsteen released albums on Friday, you can listen to them for free, but you probably won’t. You’re busy doing something else, music is no longer the only thing in your life, there are so many options, and chances are these albums will be instantly forgotten. Almost everything is instantly forgotten. And the funny thing is, when you have easy access, when movies come to cable, you don’t watch then either, because there’s a whole slew of new stuff that you’re ignoring. You’re just trying to ride the wave. You’re so fearful of falling behind. And you think if you just hold on long enough, the beach will appear, the wave will crash and you’ll end up on dry land, to a bevy of applause. But the beach never appears and no one’s applauding other than your family and friends anyway, no one else is paying attention to you, they’re deep in their own hole. Hell, this even happens with Trump. On a regular basis the left, the media, is dumbfounded by his tweets or remarks. But no matter how much they’re outraged, life goes on and Trump’s behavior is forgotten.

What’s a poor boy to do in this situation?

Read.

Yes, we’re reading all day long, that’s what the internet is all about. But it’s mostly factoids, and it’s hard to go deep on a smartphone or computer screen anyway.

We’re addicted to story, which is why Netflix burgeons, why documentaries are at a peak, but most of the news we encounter, most of the experiences we have, are hit and run. That’s why the single triumphs, it’s enough. In order to be addicted to an album it must be great and we’ve got to care and those two rarely align, which is why modern day musicmakers focus on the track, they understand the new world, the oldsters are still waiting for the old world to come back, as if we’re gonna go back to three networks on television. Yes, we all watched “Laugh-In.” And then the aforementioned Springsteen claimed there were fifty seven channels and nothing on, and now there’s too much on.

So what we’re looking for is to be removed. Not exactly an escape, but a journey to an alternative universe.

I skim the book reviews. Read the first paragraph and the last to see if the book is any good. Otherwise, I’m gonna know the whole plot. And it’s rare that a review causes me to buy, to read, but if I keep on hearing the book mentioned elsewhere, I start to notice.

And then I dig deeper.

“Entertainment Weekly” declared “Disappearing Earth” to be one of the ten best books of the first half of 2019. So I dug deeper, it got four stars on Amazon. I won’t read anything with three stars or less, I’m always anxious when a book gets three and a half, but some great ones get that rating. And after a bit more research, I downloaded the sample chapter and got hooked.

I like to read when it’s dark out. When it’s only me and the book. When the world is asleep and there are no distractions.

It’s hard to tear ourselves away from the smartphone, like I said, we’re trying to keep up, be in the know, informed.

But after midnight I turn the ringer off, plug in the phone and do my best to ignore it. To go deep, into a book.

“Disappearing Earth” is about Kamchatka. I’m familiar with the vodka, but I couldn’t place it on a map of Russia. Turns out it’s the far-eastern peninsula, kinda near Alaska. It’s nine time zones from Moscow. To the point where it’s like another country, whenever you want to call and do business, you can’t. Not that Moscow cares about you anyway.

And Kamchatka has white people and natives. And the white people have contempt for the natives, who speak another language. But they’re all Russians. Except for the foreign construction workers, that’s a feature outside of the U.S., the temporary, sometimes permanent if the country is a member of the EU, workers from other nations, they’re always looked upon with suspicion, but they do the work the locals don’t want to.

And I’d say “Disappearing Earth” is linked short stories, but really they’re all tied together, by the plot and the intersecting characters.

Now that’s one of the downsides of this book. The Russian names, it’s hard to keep them straight. But life in Russia…I’m fascinated. What’s it like to live where it’s cold, you don’t have enough money and your future is limited? Where homosexuality has consequences and everybody’s a big drinker.

So what you’ve got in “Disappearing Earth” is a bunch of families, and some single adults, trying to get along. They’re not trying to be famous, they’re just looking for a little happiness.

But as Depeche Mode sang, people are people. We’re united by our humanity. Really, we’re the same all over the world. So, you resonate with the truth in this book, like “A person needs company.” You can’t live your life alone, you need other people, believe me, I was so broke I tried to hold on by myself, but I couldn’t.

And there’s wisdom too, “Masha looked sophisticated enough to have skipped childhood altogether.” You know people like this.

And when I tried to finish “Disappearing Earth” during daylight, I started to fall asleep, I wondered if it was getting worse or whether it needed to be dark. I’m one of those people who might be sleepy during the day, but is wide awake at night.

So at first I was gonna highly recommend “Disappearing Earth.” Now I’m not so sure.

So this book is not for the casual reader, the person who reads a book a year. But if you’re hungry for connection, if you don’t limit yourself to genres, like thrillers, mysteries, biographies and romance, if you’re more interested in people than plot…

You might want to check out “Disappearing Earth.”

This was the week Elizabeth Warren’s candidacy was taken seriously and Donald Trump lost all credibility.

And “Old Town Road” continued to triumph in the music sphere, because it’s a fad driven by social media and that’s how far we’ve sunk these days.

It comes down to substance. And experience. The entertainment business believes it’s all about marketing, and it happens instantly, you throw it all up against the wall and see if it sticks. And if it doesn’t, you throw your hands in the air and move on to the next project. Meanwhile, the person whose work you threw against the wall, which failed, is usually lost in the shuffle, forgotten, like an autoworker whose plant has closed.

Backstory matters. Sure, be an OG if you really are one. But if it’s an act, the truth outs. We live in an era of authenticity.

Meanwhile, if you can’t play your instrument and can’t write a song, you’re going to be outed too. Of course you’ll push back, crying about all the haters, but once you’re in a Twitter war, once it becomes about the battle as opposed to the issue, you’ve lost. Real players know you only respond to haters if it will move your agenda. You never try to correct people. Hell, there isn’t even one agreed upon news source, people believe different “truths,” what are the odds you’re going to set someone straight on Twitter…NONE! But if the perp has enough followers and you nail them the story might be picked up elsewhere, it could go viral, your cause could be helped.

But you can’t analyze it that much, you can’t map out a definitive plan. Actually, you’ve got to live outside the system, hewing to your own tuning fork and hope that it resonates. If it doesn’t resonate… You’re toast.

The story in America today is income inequality.

Forget all the minimum wage earners who can’t make ends meet. I mean don’t truly forget them, but chances are you aren’t one of them. Chances are you’re middle class, wondering how in hell your dreams didn’t come true. There’s a whole class of people with more money than you, and there’s no legal way you can penetrate, ascend to their level.

Of course techies and entrepreneurs and basketball players can get there. But not graduates of good colleges, professionals, intelligent, hard-working people.

And the country is controlled by the wealthy, with their dollars. What cash buys you is influence. And you’d be surprised what a ride on a private jet can get you. Then again, chances are you’ve never been on a private jet. That’s another thing the rich don’t want you to know, how grand their lifestyles truly are. While you’re waiting in line, dealing with TSA, getting to the airport two hours in advance to fight your way onto the plane and find storage for your carry-on, the elite are showing up on the tarmac five minutes before takeoff, with no TSA hassle, it’s wheels-up and they’re at the destination before the hoi polloi has gotten in the air.

Not that some haven’t earned it. That’s one of the reasons you wanted to become a rock star, so you could live the lifestyle. Now rock stars make a pittance, relatively speaking. So managers are investing in startups. And WME is going public. Everybody in Hollywood is trying to get rich, and usually it’s not even on the backs of talent, TALENT DOESN’T YIELD ENOUGH CASH!

But chances are you don’t know how the real world works. Because they don’t want to let you know. But one thing’s for sure, you know you got a raw deal, and your opportunity is limited.

The Democratic National Committee doesn’t want to lose control. So they’re on a disinformation campaign, anointing Joe Biden, which is like saying a second-string player on the Bulls teams of yore is your best bet. At least give us Michael Jordan, even better, STEPH CURRY!

But the DNC won’t acknowledge the game has changed, doesn’t even know the game has changed. Curry revolutionized play in the NBA, with the 3-pointer. America is far different from what it was even in the Obama era. We live in an era of cacophony where everybody believes in their own truth and those with power are on massive disinformation campaigns. If you think the number one problem in America is immigration, you don’t understand the economy. But Trump is diverting you, so you won’t see the real issues.

But Trump made a deal with Mexico and then reneged.

This is his pattern, and now foreign governments don’t trust him. What do they say, you’re only as good as your word? Well Trump’s word ain’t worth much. This fact was buried before there was national scrutiny, but now we know.

As for Warren, the DNC said she couldn’t win, she was another strident woman only this time with left field, progressive views they didn’t cotton to.

The rule in America today is no one can lose their job, no one can lose power, you’re entitled to keep everything you earned and never lose your station. Only that’s B.S. That’s like saying Madonna should still sell out stadiums. But she can’t. Oh, we could argue that one… That’s like saying Alanis Morissette can still go clean at every arena, along with Miley Cyrus. Times change, the heat dissipates, stars lose their light. But not in business, in business you’re entitled to keep your job, just like the coal miners and autoworkers and the post office people. Only you’re making a lot more money and have a lot more power.

So the establishment, those with money and power, HATE Elizabeth Warren, because they’ve got something to lose and they don’t want to lose ANYTHING!

Now Warren has paid her dues. And is organized. She’s been pounding policies, plans, ad infinitum while Joe Biden isn’t sure whether he’s for the government paying for abortions or not.

And this work, along with Warren’s truth, is making people cling to her, believe in her, and the press is only noticing now.

This is just like a band. You practice, pay your dues, work in the trenches and WAIT for your moment. And if it doesn’t come, it often means you just weren’t good enough. People recognize excellence, they’re wowed by excellence, they can’t get enough of it, opportunity comes to those who deliver stellar performances.

But of course those on the right, still on the Trump train, decry everything I just said. But elections are like the music business. NO ONE LIKES EVERY ACT! For every Drake lover, there are tons of haters. You just need enough to make it work economically, you just need enough votes to win.

If you think it’s business as usual in America, you’re either rich or delusional.

As for the Pocahontas thing…epithets never triumph over substance. And America is all about redemption. And name-calling has no chance against hope, which is what Warren delivers. Hell, even George Will thought she’d be the right person to run, that’s what he said on “Real Time” tonight, that Warren would be FUN, and that politics should be fun.

And politics is no different from music. We’re always looking for something new, something outside, something different. We get sick of the same old thing. The landscape keeps changing, we want new faces that understand it.

So what you’ve got is a disconnect between those with power and the rest of the world, the internet world, the connected world, the cacophonous world. Used to be you could get away with being out of touch, but no longer, it just makes you look dumb. Like Congressman Steve King bitching to the CEO of Google Sundar Pichai about his iPhone…GOOGLE MAKES ANDROID!

Conventional wisdom is just that. And in today’s overloaded world there’s a belief that he or she who yells loudest triumphs. But that’s B.S. You can yell, but that does not mean anybody is listening. What you’re hyping can be forgotten in a minute, heard anybody talk about Steve Perry’s solo album recently? But if you’ve got the goods, if what you’re working is great, you’ve got a chance that the people will glom on to it and spread the word. The press is always last. It’s just the cherry on top, like radio. But when a track gets on radio, IT BLOWS UP!

This week Elizabeth Warren blew up.

And Trump blew himself up.

And Nancy Pelosi and the old farts are afraid of impeachment, even though daily telecasts will inform those on the right what is really going on, will pierce the Fox bubble.

But never expect change from the entrenched. It always comes from outside. It’s always supported by the people. It’s all about connection and resonance. Trump resonated with people the RNC denigrated. And the DNC was too stupid to see that Hillary Clinton resonated with almost nobody. She was like a great session guitarist, no one pays to see that.

We’re looking for superstars. And now, more than ever, the penumbra is irrelevant, it all comes down to substance.

And that’s how Elizabeth Warren got traction.

P.S. If you’re interested in the Warren phenomenon, whether you love her or hate her or just want more information, please read the “New Yorker” story on her, it’s balanced and thorough and after you read it, you can talk like an expert, which everybody wants to be these days:

Can Elizabeth Warren Win It All?

Quite possibly the best songwriter of her generation, Karla’s most famous for the Linda Ronstadt covers, but her own versions have more emotion and both resonate and sting, depending upon the track.

Of course I saw the credits for the cuts on “Hasten Down The Wind,” but the real revelation was when Karla’s first LP was released. Her versions were less produced, her voice was less bombastic and…those lyrics play in my head all the time!

“Someone To Lay Down Beside Me”:

Still you know that may be what I need
Is someone to lay down beside me
And even though it’s not real
Just someone to lay down beside me
You’re the story of my life

We all need touch, comfort, sex, understanding, and when you don’t get it you yearn for it.

And “If He’s Ever Near”:

They say just once in life
You find someone that’s right
But the world looks so confused
I can’t tell false from true

And love’s so hard to find
In this state of mind
Oh, I hope I’ll know him
I hope I’ll know him
If he’s ever near

We’re looking, do we trust our judgment, will we know..?

“Rose In The Garden”:

There’s a rose in the garden
It will bloom if you’re sure
That you pay close attention
But leave it room

I’m not telling any lies now
I need you
You know how
I think I can see how to let you grow
I’ve got to let you go

Whoa! This is not the typical love song, even though Karla sings “We’ve been here for so long now, I see your soul in me”. That’s closeness. And unless you married your high school sweetheart, you’ve been here, you’re so close, but it can’t work. It’s so painful.

“Isn’t It Always Love”

Isn’t it always love that makes you hang your head
Isn’t it always love that makes you cry
And isn’t it always love that takes the tears away
And I wouldn’t have it any other way

The track is upbeat, but the message is important. Life has its ups and downs, it’s your job to ride the pony. Too many people give up, find someone new, when the truth is they need to stick with what they’ve got, develop it, change.

When you find someone that’s true to you
Some days are up and oh some days are blue
Just don’t go and throw it all away
Wait a minute, you gotta hear what I say

Those cuts are all on the Columbia debut.

But in 1988, Karla dropped the album “New World,” which is marred a bit by the dated production, but contains just as much wisdom.

“Goodbye My Friend”:

Oh we never know where life will take us
We know it’s just a ride on the wheel
And we never know when death will shake us
And we wonder how it will feel

This is the song I played on 9/11. And now with so many of my friends sick and dying…

“All My Life”:

Am I really here in your arms
This is just like I dreamed it would be
I feel like we’re frozen in time
And you’re the only one I can see

And hey
I’ve looked all my life for you
Now you’re here
And hey
I’ll spend all my life with you
All my life

It’s the flip side of “Rose In The Garden,” she’s decided he’s here and she recognizes it.

And “Still Be Getting Over You.” All you need to know is the title. We’re human, we have emotions, we just can’t jump from one situation to another…the thoughts, the feelings, live on.

Now Karla’s got a new album, “Carry Me Home,” where she rerecords some of her best songs, and includes a take of Jackson Browne’s “Something Fine,” to boot.

Listen here: Carry Me Home

But be sure to also listen to the self-titled debut: Karla Bonoff

And hell, if you like that, listen to “New World”

Most songs are of a time, they’re dated, they’re a return to what once was.

But Karla Bonoff nails life, her songs are as relevant now as they ever were.

Furthermore, she’s regularly on tour. You should see her. Sit in the audience as you ponder your life and tingle.

iHeart

Apple

Spotify

Stitcher

“The Day the Music Burned”

Artists should own their masters.

Executives come and go, the tracks they’re in custody of are forever.

In other words, acts care more about their material than any executive, IT’S THEIR LIFE’S WORK!

Now in the book publishing world the author owns the copyright, even if the book is a loser. How come not in the music industry? Especially when the act is in profits and has paid for the recording of the album. Not to mention, it’s not a dollar for dollar reimbursement, no, recoupment is based on your royalty rate. In other words, if you’re a newbie with a bad deal it takes longer to recoup than if you’re a star with a better one. Aren’t costs costs? Not in the record business, where the acts are slaves. And with 360 deals, the labels have an interest in all income streams, the acts are tied to the label, and if they’ve got a bad deal they can’t make any money. This is fair? NO!

Now the problem with the major labels is no one who works there has skin in the game. They’re not playing with their own money. If you own the label you know your masters are your lifeblood, they’re all you’ve got, you want to protect them. When you sell out, the purchaser is buying your catalog first and foremost, especially if you’ve been in business for decades. But if you don’t own the label, if you’re working for the man, why in hell would you want to protect the company’s back assets? You weren’t involved in creating them, you don’t own them, the revenues derived from them don’t represent the majority of your paycheck. And you want to make your bonus, why would you add costs to your detriment? Because the assets are a national treasure? That goes against the self-interest that has taken root over the past few decades in the U.S., never mind instinct.

So the acts are victims.

But it gets worse, you’ve got the duplicity of Universal itself. I remember when the fire happened, I bought the line that everything had been digitized, that these were safeties, that nothing of value was lost…BUT THAT WAS A LIE!

And now Universal is trying to cover up with subterfuge, saying that good enough copies exist, that the material wasn’t lost forever… BUT THAT’S NOT THE POINT! Universal is just like a man accused of bad behavior, rather than admitting it, it’s denying it, making excuses.

So the public is pissed.

This was the most popular story in “The New York Times” and it hasn’t even hit print yet! Because these songs are the lifeblood of the audience, they’re what make life worth living. Movies are larger than life, music is life itself.

And fans are never satiated. They want to hear the work tapes, the alternative takes. Hell, the Beatles sold multiple CDs of outtakes. Imagine if Universal had been in control of THEIR tapes!

Universal owns them, but the Beatles are savvy enough to have not coughed them up.

Actually, many acts don’t cough them up. And then there are the acts that leave them in the studios they’ve been working in, especially mastering. They seem to care less than Universal. Until income dries up and they want to maximize what’s in the vault and they find there’s nothing in it.

And yes, the original copy is the best. Talk to anybody who’s been in the studio. The sound comes out of the speakers and you’re wowed. Getting closer to the original sound was a big thing in the sixties and seventies, ergo the audio revolution, when everybody bought a big rig. Those days are coming back, maybe not with big rigs, but technology keeps improving which will ultimately let us get closer to the sound. But if the original doesn’t exist, this is a problem.

And what were the tapes doing in that facility on the Universal lot anyway. Everybody knows that storage is key. We’re told to stack our vinyl vertically, not too tight, to keep it away from heat, but those who manufacture it care not a whit about the masters? Temperature-controlled, fireproof, these are not exotic concepts, it’s just that Universal didn’t care enough, it took its eye off the ball. Hell, Doug Morris is long gone. And Lucian can say it’s not his fault. But this is the problem with corporations, they continue to exist but the leaders change, there’s no accountability.

But the acts… They’re not faceless. Their music is their statement, their income, it is everything. A manager can always get a new act, the act is itself for all time. To the point where a mistake can ruin your career. Can you say Billy Squier’s pink video? But at least Squier can continue to get paid for airplay from his monster LP “Don’t Say No,” which ironically is on Capitol. You know that Billy would love to sell alternative mixes, outtakes, anything to bring in income, but now he can’t.

All those albums on Geffen?

As for digitization… We were told that CDs were perfect copies, turns out they weren’t. Sure, it was a learning process, but also better, more accurate, recording formats/transfers have been invented since.

But the original never changes, it remains the same. You want to get to the source, reproduce it as well as possible. But if that’s impossible?

So the public at large is up in arms because of the significance of the loss. These tracks are the building blocks of their lives, the foundation, to wipe them out is like destroying the Twin Towers. Oh, maybe that’s a low blow, but in some ways this is even worse. Yes, copies remain, but what was lost impacts even more people. I just can’t fathom that Joni Mitchell masters, and Don Henley masters, went up in smoke, are gone forever. Iconic musicians and material… Gone. Because someone just did not care enough. No bomb was dropped, no act of terrorism was involved, Universal just did not care enough.

Universal should do a mea culpa and produce a list of exactly what was lost, as a public service. Universal should not be adversarial, it should be on our side, it should be on the music’s side. This is like having a fire at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and being told that nothing of value was lost and furthermore they’re never going to tell you what it is. The conservation, the well-being of these recordings, is a national trust. Believe me, if this was a government organization, there’d be hearings, people would lose their jobs. For those who say the private sector does better, this proves in some cases it does not. Universal SKATES! Tells the insurance company the breadth of its loss and then denies it to everybody else. Hell, they haven’t even told the artists what’s been lost!

Loss happens. Tragedy occurs. We ultimately deal with it, accept it, and then institute procedures so it won’t happen again.

Unless there’s a cover-up.

Universal put in peril the essential fuel, the only asset the company is built upon. It deserves the backlash, it needs to be held accountable.

And this must be a warning to labels…keep your assets, your recordings safe.

And it must also be a warning to artists. DON’T COUGH UP YOUR MASTERS! Send the label copies. Hold on to your work because nobody cares about it as much as you. And the public.