So what have we learned?

It was the worst-reviewed Golden Globe winner in 33 years:

Bohemian Rhapsody Is the Worst-Reviewed Golden Globe Winner in 33 Years

Not that I needed Rotten Tomatoes to tell me this, I’ve been tracking it all along. Excoriated in the press, I’ve yet to find one person who didn’t absolutely adore it.

This movie should have been a nonstarter. Aged rock band’s surviving members shepherd a biopic to the screen. The story is too old, not intriguing enough, and everybody will tell you you don’t want the subjects involved, they can never agree on anything and they want a whitewash.

But “Bohemian Rhapsody” is the highest grossing biopic of all time, with a $743,677,266 gross, with $193,644,966 of that in the U.S.

Furthermore, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the song, was not that big of a phenomenon when it was released back in ’75. “A Night At The Opera” was a breakthrough for a band who famously listed “No Synthesizers” in the credits. Their debut, back in ’73, came out on Elektra in the U.S., the home of another band that resurfaced decades later, the Doors. It was Columbia and Warner Brothers who could push this stuff, not Elektra.

But the second album got more traction and the third established a true beachhead, primarily “Killer Queen.”

But the amazing thing about “A Night At The Opera” was its breadth, its different styles. To tell you the truth, “I’m In Love With My Car” and “39” and “You’re My Best Friend” resonated with me more than “Bohemian Rhapsody.” “Bohemian Rhapsody” was not “Stairway To Heaven,” it was not “Free Bird,” it did not sit atop the annual Memorial 500, it was just another arty track in a healthy, diverse scene.

One can argue quite strongly that the subsequent “We Will Rock You”/”We Are The Champions” had greater impact two years later, but neither “A Day At The Races” nor “News Of The World” were as consistent as “A Night At The Opera,” the band’s apotheosis. And after the relatively hitless “Jazz,” which did contain “Fat Bottomed Girls” and “Bicycle Race,” the band came back with “The Game” and the infectious “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and “Another One Bites The Dust” and then Queen was done, they switched labels in the U.S. and never had another hit, and in the rest of the world the situation was not a whole lot better.

But now they’re LEGENDS? SUPERSTARS? How did this HAPPEN?

That’s right, we had not only Zeppelin, but the Eagles, and before they died, Skynyrd. The truth was, there was a plethora of great acts in the seventies, an era where there was 24 track recording and enough money to get the sound down and the bands could play live and the PA’s could support them.

Credit “Wayne’s World.” It’s just that simple, Wayne and Garth made “Bohemian Rhapsody,” a nearly-forgotten classic rock track, a national staple.

Just like “The Sopranos” gave credibility to Journey and made Steve Perry a legend.

The question is…WHO ELSE CAN BE BROUGHT BACK FROM THE DEAD?

It seems we’re just a placement away from bringing old acts back. But it can’t be manipulated, it’s got to be serendipitous, which makes it so hard to accomplish.

And everyone knows Freddie Mercury died of AIDS.

BUT THEY WENT TO SEE THE MOVIE ANYWAY!

And like I said, the critics savaged the film. Proving their worth in the internet world.

And speaking of the internet world, it’s the endless repeats of “Wayne’s World” on cable and streaming that kept the legend of “Bohemian Rhapsody” alive.

So what is resonating with the public? Which knows the story and the song?

THE NARRATIVE!

The classic rock narrative is irresistible. People with nothing do hard work and ultimately succeed doing it their way.

This is radically different from today’s music paradigm.

Then again, wasn’t this the story of N.W.A. and “Straight Outta Compton”?

Act too dangerous, too out there for the business, plays by its own rules and resonates with the public.

In other words, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is “Behind The Music” on steroids.

But that formula became long in the tooth. And most acts are not as charismatic as Queen and Mercury.

Now I’m not sure movie studios should rush to do biopics, they usually fail. But “Bohemian Rhapsody” tapped into something.

The power of music.

The power of rock and the roll.

The power of outsiders.

The power of doing it your way.

We’re looking for dominance, for a beacon, something to believe in, and Freddie Mercury and Queen fit the bill.

In a country that’s divided, that doesn’t resemble the seventies whatsoever, the public hungers for something better, a time where music was more important than politics, when a musician was richer than a banker, when the rock star life was truly lived by rock stars.

I doubt “Bohemian Rhapsody” will win Best Picture at the Oscars.

But that doesn’t matter. Because it will play ad infinitum on cable and streaming services. Funny, oftentimes film outlives the music it is based upon.

In other words, the remaining members of Queen achieved their goal beyond their wildest dreams. Queen is now forever, watch those ticket counts soar.

But if Freddie Mercury were still here he’d be laughing.

You see it was not like today, you didn’t make music for mainstream attention, to be a member of the group, you reveled in your role as an outsider, the world came to YOU!

Shows sold out, you were rich, and your lifestyle…let’s just say that smartphone cameras have killed the road, at least sexually.

You were the other, you not only won the game, you defined it.

You didn’t study hard in school, you didn’t take a traditional path, you created your career out of whole cloth, you gave the middle finger to the establishment.

And your audience couldn’t get enough of you.

It’s this ethos the public is hungry for.

We don’t want brands, we want personalities. Who can’t manage perfume companies and the rest of the mercenary penumbra in today’s world.

We want people who can say no. People others are begging to perform, be involved with.

We want leaders, beacons, people who take hold of the system, shake it up, and made it work for them instead of vice versa.

That was Queen.

But it was so many more.

Queen was not the Beatles, they weren’t even the Eagles when it comes to hits and ticket counts. But now they’re the biggest band in the world, decades later.

When you get it right, you get it right for all time.

Take risks, do it your way, the public will clamor for you.

But that’s not today’s paradigm, not really.

But people don’t change, that’s still what we’re looking for.

This is how fast disruption happens.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez beats the incumbent in the primary, wins the House seat and instead of resting on her laurels, she doesn’t shut up, she continues her campaign, fearless as to the feedback, not intimidated that she’s a rookie, but ready for action.

In case you missed it, in the past few days AOC has been excoriated for dancing, for supporting a sister who used an expletive and called for Trump’s impeachment, and put forth a plan to raise taxes on the rich.

HERESY!

This is little different from Napster, little different from those tech disruptions that changed our world twenty years ago. You see there are nascent scenes just waiting to bubble up and gain our attention. That was Trump, now it’s AOC.

As for Trump, you should read the article on Mark Burnett, arguably the most important person in making him President, in last week’s “New Yorker,” if for no other reason than to learn about a man who started as a nanny in Malibu and then became a landowner in Malibu:

How Mark Burnett Resurrected Donald Trump as an Icon of American Success

“The New Yorker” is too often self-satisfied, living in its own bubble, believing it is superior, but the quality of writing is a notch above that of the rest of the press, which is why it matters. The essence counts. You may have great ideas, but if you can’t articulate them…

And the media cares about the horse race and eyeballs, in reverse order. If you’re quiet and do your job, good luck getting attention. But if you stand up for what you believe in, if you take on all comers, then you’re gonna get ink.

Like AOC.

She’s got two million Twitter followers. That’s nearly twice as many as loser Beto O’Rourke. That’s right, if you want to know where you’ve been, pay attention to the mainstream media, want to know where you’re going, pay attention to social media.

AOC is unfettered. She’s running on instinct, the opposite of a usual politician. Similar to Elizabeth Warren, but she’s half her age.

I was at lunch two weeks ago and Dan told me he was against Pelosi being House Speaker. He said you should not have this gig unless you know how to program a mobile phone. How to set it up from zero, how to use it, as opposed to the alta kachers who have their staff do it for them. That the world runs on the mobile phone, and in addition, it’s the youngsters’ world now, they should be allowed to mess it up.

And the youngsters have different values. They’re saddled with student debt, they have limited career opportunities, they’re concerned about causes, about the environment, who is speaking for them?

Well, Bernie Sanders, who would have been President if he’d started earlier and believed he could win. It’s kinda like entertainment, if you don’t get their hearts and minds, they don’t come to the show, they don’t buy a ticket, and to last in entertainment you have to be honest and truthful and we’ll even forgive your mistakes if we think you’re doing your best to entertain us, follow your dream, be a beacon for the rest of us.

AOC is a woman. And detractors expect her to be solicitous and think before she speaks and be thankful just to be in the room.

But AOC is Kanye without the bipolar disorder. She’s going to the front of the line, she doesn’t want to pay her dues, she grew up in an environment where skin color and sexual preference were not taboo like they were with the boomers, she feels she’s entitled to say her piece.

Look at it this way, AOC is twenty nine, she never knew an era where there was not a personal computer, the internet, where the whole world was wired and reachable.

This is not Hillary triangulating. This is not someone playing defense. This is someone setting the agenda herself, and D.C. is not prepared for it.

Read her Twitter feed:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – twitter

Not only is she speaking her mind, she’s correcting opponents on their facts, just like Chris Wallace did today with Sarah Sanders:

Sanders repeats claim on terrorists at the border refuted by administration’s own data

Yup, we’ve reached a turning point folks, you’re either educated or not, can analyze the issues or not, and if you don’t have these skills you’re left out of the discussion, your only impact is your ability to vote.

Yes, many Americans are stupid and uninformed. Then again, there’s a whole swath with knowledge and skills who’ve been held back by the corporatism of America.

And then there’s the tax debate. AOC calling for 70-80%.

Seems a bit extreme until you realize the effective rate for so many rich folk is under 15%, like Romney.

But by bringing up this issue, AOC got Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman to stop talking about the debt and tearing his hair out about the Republicans to weigh in on this with facts:

“The Economics of Soaking the Rich – What Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez know about tax policy? A lot.”

In other words, AOC steered the conversation.

For the past twenty years we’ve expected techies to do this. Most notably, Steve Jobs. And then Mark Zuckerberg and the rest of the wankers who were corporatists themselves, who just wanted to make money. We were not prepared for the liberal arts majors to have an impact. But AOC majored in economics and international relations, not the STEM subjects, which were sold as a monetary future but the future really relies on ideas, and a good college education teaches you how to wrestle with these.

So, if you’re worried about Trump and his base, you can breathe a sigh of relief now that the House is blue and nationalists have been losing power over the last year.

But that is not what this is about, this is not about the struggle between left and right, this is about standing up for what you believe in, fighting back against injustice and agitating for the benefit of everyone, not just yourself and/or the rich.

This is not the way it’s supposed to be. It’s supposed to be solely about money. That’s why you go into government, for the relationships, it’s the poor man’s way to become a millionaire.

But AOC wants to level the playing field.

We need heroes. We’re sick of having to revere products, websites, because personalities have disappointed us.

Yup, it happens all the time, especially in entertainment. The performer goes for the bucks, leaving us behind. The endorsements/sponsorships, the private shows, the golden circles… That’s why you do it, to get rich, right?

And I’m not going to say cash has no impact, is not an inspiration/driver, but a well-rounded human being is more than that, he or she has a sense of morality, right or wrong, just won’t do what’s expedient, takes the long term view.

On one hand we’ve got the old men trying to preserve a way of life that worked for them and not everybody else.

On the other, we’ve got the MTV/internet generation which has been exposed to many viewpoints, that knows what’s going on and is looking for fairness.

It’s no contest.

A woman may not be President, but in the wake of #MeToo, in the wake of decades of both oppression and hard work by the feminist movement, the whole country has just tilted and will never be the same.

Yup, hard work paves the way for others who will see your ideas come to fruition.

But disruption never sleeps and you skate where the puck is going, not where it is.

That’s the failure of media, it’s reporting today, not tomorrow.

But tomorrow is gonna look different, you can bet on it.

This is an endurance test. If you can make it through, you’re probably a superfan, but many superfans won’t. Netflix won’t be promoting how many people made it to the end of this show. Because it’s theatre, it’s music, and neither has ever translated to the flat screen.

But you should watch it. It embodies the soul of rock and roll.

It doesn’t know what it wants to be, a narrative or a concert. When Bruce says he’s gonna read from his book…that’s when you know he’s doing this for fans, whereas most plays assume the audience comes in fresh, you have to set it up, say you’ve written a book, but not Bruce. And then Patti Scialfa comes out and from there on it’s a concert when we want more narrative, more story, so the show ends up being neither fish nor fowl. For fans mostly. And as I’ve told you before, it’s not Bruce I hate, but his fans. Who keep telling us how superlative he is, how great this show was, but if you weren’t of their belief…you would have been bored by the songs and wished he’d finished the story arc of making it.

And now I’m experiencing the same conundrum Bruce did. Do you play to the audience or yourself? What Bruce’s fans, what the industry wants me to do, is rant and rave and say this is the best thing ever. And it’s pretty good, but it’s not that. To be honest, Don Henley did a better job at Glenn Frey’s memorial, he eclipsed all the musical performances, which included notables from Stevie Wonder to Bob Seger to everybody who ever wrote a song for the Eagles, never mind the Eagles themselves. You see Henley told the story of how he got here, the twists and turns, and he didn’t always look good, and it was clear Frey was frequently leading him, but you went along on the ride and were wowed.

We get some of that here, but we want more.

And we want more shows like this by superstars, with possibly less music and more story. How did this all happen, how did the star get here?

That’s the most riveting part of this performance, and most of it comes early, so tune in and watch for at least half an hour.

You see it started with Elvis Presley. Bruce does a better job of describing the impact of Elvis’s performance on television than heretofore done by anyone else. How it changed the world, even though the media didn’t know it, how it inspired Bruce to play the guitar, how it ignited our genitalia and our hearts. And then…

Bruce hated school. He says you can’t make it unless you have hatred.

Whew, the honesty!

Bruce is laying it all out, without holding back, without being modest. This is not how the aw shucks stars do it, praising God and saying they’re only a vessel, that you can make it too, they’re nobody special. Rather, Bruce played anywhere and everywhere, he had a burning desire to make it. That’s what it takes, and he tells you to go straight if you ain’t got the hatred and desire. Your eyes will bug out at the truth laid down. The alchemy and power of a band.

Then there’s the story of those lost to the war, Vietnam. This might be where youngsters tune out, all the reference points have changed, but if you lived through it, through the Beatles, when music drove the culture and everybody wanted to be in a band, it will resonate. And you know the musicians are gonna die. You can feel it. But Bruce makes it about the frontman’s power, the inability of the drummer to play “Wipe Out”…and then they’re gone.

And the curious thing is Bruce has no charisma, zero. You don’t want to jump up and hug him, have sex with him, when it’s all over you respect him, but realize he’s different. He went on a magic carpet ride of his own devise, he earned it. He’s both damaged and privileged.

You realize the man you’ve gotten on stage all these years is just that guy. Although a bit more introspective, a lot less happy and…

Yup, one of the highlights of Bruce’s shows is the stories. And that’s what this ends up like, it’s a concert, rarely a play. And Bruce acknowledges that. But my point is if you like Bruce’s raps…you’ll like this.

Now if Bruce could have left money on the table, and seemingly no one can these days, he never should have let Netflix film and distribute this. It actually works against him. For example, if Aretha’s gospel movie had been released when it had been recorded, it would have been no big deal. But decades later, after she died? If this was released ten or twenty years from now, it would be a bigger deal, insight into the man.

And I’d say that Bruce should take this on the road, but if you’re big enough, the audience comes to you.

But how many other stars could garner this audience, could sustain a show for this long?

Probably few. It’s about the rabid fan base more than the quality of the performer and the show.

And, I know this is heresy, when Bruce sings these songs, slowly, acoustically, they don’t hold up that well. “My Hometown” is brilliant, “Growin’ Up” is great, but you’ve got to forgive the endless gibberish of ongoing words, they’re’ evidence of a man hungry to make it, but is it memorable art?

But “Growin’ Up” was early.

But most rockers run out of steam. At this point, the stars of yore don’t even bother to put out new material, knowing no one will stream it and their live audiences don’t want to hear it. But Bruce still soldiers on, he’s on a quest.

And he delineates that extremely well…

But in a theatre you can’t pause the action, you cannot check your phone, you’re locked in, which is probably what made this show so memorable. But on Netflix… It’s just another entertainment option, part of the great wash of choices.

But I’ll remember a lot of this show, having slogged through it. What’s most amazing is Bruce’s sense of self, he knows who he is, that he’s a superstar, and he worked hard to become one and those overpaying to see him are ardent fans. So the wisdom resonates.

But not often enough as you hear him sing songs that were not hits as you hear the iMessage sound and wonder what’s happening in your own little world.

That’s the difference, there used to be a clear line between stars and the rest of us.

Now everybody can be a star.

But back when it was hard to make it, Bruce did.

This show is testimony to that.

This is what happens when innovation dies.

We’ve seen this movie before, with Sony. Sony developed the Trinitron television system, which was definitely better than its competitors, sharper, more true. And it charged about a hundred dollars more, when TV sets cost far from a thousand bucks. And then the whole world went to flat screens and Sony’s business went kaput. So it went into software, buying a movie studio, installing rapists as its heads, and ended up writing down billions. Now Sony is just another Japanese company. Used to be their audio equipment was revered, at both high and low ends, remember the Walkman, what a breakthrough! But no one overpays for Sony anymore, it’s an also-ran. One can argue the company plummeted with the death of Morita, same as Steve Jobs.

So Apple became so valuable when it owned a product category, the iPod, and kept diversifying and lowering the price of said music player.

This was in the era of hardware innovation. What came next was the iPhone, a juggernaut. But after Jobs died, it was decided that the iPhone would become an exclusive product, an aspirational product, that the masses would hunger for.

And then they didn’t.

Used to be every upgrade was a wonder. From the 6 to a 7 one could notice the incredible increase in speed and the quality of photographs. Jump from a 7 to an Xs and you find the only real difference is the lack of a home button. Suddenly, mobile phones are like computers, you upgrade them once every five to ten years, otherwise there’s no reason. Used to be as soon as you brought your computer home it was outdated, we were fascinated by the discussion of chips, now most people have no idea of the speed of their computers, they’ve become a commodity, just like mobile phones.

While Apple was busy trumpeting its margins, saying it was the only entity making money in the smartphone sector, Chinese competitors worked to undercut them, to the point where today they’re almost as good. But the worst thing in China was Apple was undermined by WeChat, where most mobile phone owners in China spend their time. That’s software innovation, which Apple has been sorely lacking. Hell, Siri was first and now it is last. Amazon develops Alexa and keeps lowering the price and owns what market share Google doesn’t pick up. Meanwhile, Apple is so busy refining and overpricing its HomePod that it’s dead on arrival. Sure, it sounds better, but if I’m that interested in sound I’ll go to the stereo shop, the ones that still exist, turns out most people don’t care about sound quality these days, or are unwilling to pay for it. Furthermore, HomePod doesn’t play with competitors’ services. This strategy works when you’re the leader, not the follower, when your product supersedes others, the HomePod certainly does not.

And then there’s the music fiasco. Waiting too long to get into streaming. And then integrating files and streams into the same hobbled app. Kinda funny for a company that was known for killing legacy ports. You leave the past behind, you keep pushing the envelope.

Meanwhile, Wall Street loves the numbers. Like a pop act riding its very last hit. No one can see the disaster coming, because in America, everyone’s focused on the money.

But just like a band, tech companies are dependent upon hits.

As for the vaunted ecosystem… By missing WeChat, by not buying WhatsApp, Apple stood by while its competitors made inroads into its main business.

And the prices keep rising.

In tech we expect prices to start fair and then drop, meanwhile, the price of an iPhone has climbed into the stratosphere. You no longer have envy, your handset is good enough.

And with so many on so many devices you’re no longer judged on the device you’re using. Most can’t tell. And purchasing one used to be a no-brainer, now it’s like buying a car, are the payments worth it?

I’ve been trumpeting the fall of Apple for years. And been excoriated for it. But it’s akin to Kodak and digital cameras. The fall came late, and then it happened overnight and was complete.

You buy a new phone when you need one, not when you want one.

Microsoft’s Surface is the desktop replacement, not the iPad Pro.

Apple’s Macs are an afterthought and usually behind the tech times. They employ the same Intel chips as the competition’s computers, it’s just that they’re installed late and kept for far too long. Replacers are yearning for hot machines, and Apple doesn’t deliver them.

Sure, Apple makes the best phone. (You can argue about this, but let’s not.)

Sure, Apple has the best ecosystem. (Google’s is close, but no cigar.)

Sure, Apple has the best designed products. (But not by much anymore.)

Sure, Apple has the best service. (By a long shot.)

But is everybody willing to pay for this?

No.

Meanwhile, the vaunted world’s most valuable company has lost that position, hell, even Microsoft has superseded Apple in value, primarily because of innovation in the cloud, and in addition the Cupertino company lost a double digit percentage of its overall value.

Let this be a lesson to you. Nothing is forever. And never underestimate the power of a leader, and the power of the public. The public can change preferences on a whim. And then they oftentimes switch to a new individual, a new leader, a new record producer, like Max Martin. You’re hot, and then you’re not.

What made Steve Jobs so legendary was his ability to see where the market was going, what the public wanted, years before anybody else. And sure, not all his ideas were brand new, but the execution was superb. Anybody can have a good idea, but bringing it to attractive fruition? That’s a whole ‘nother thing.

And icons are not easily replaced. We’ve been waiting for a new Dylan for sixty years, but he has not shown up.

Where is the new John Lennon?

We’ve got very good, sometimes even great, but iconic?

That’s rare.

Sure, Jony Ive is a top-tier designer, but he needs to be told what to do.

Tim Cook is incapable of that. Categorically. He’s a logistics expert. It’s like making the head of promotion the head of the label. Promotion is important, but signing and nurturing acts is a different skill, and the talent, the tracks, are the most important part of the enterprise. It’s like having a world class factory with nothing to make.

And when you’re on top, making change, you’re excoriated.

And quite possibly crazy. Steve Jobs could be a bully, he had no time for manners. Elon Musk does not know there are rules, whether they be business or societal.

But it is these geniuses we yearn for, who change the world.

There’s no one like this at Apple today.

The company faded once, it can happen again. There is no catalogue in tech, it’s all what have you done for me lately. It’s about retaining talent and taking risks. Amazon failed with the Fire phone and then came up with the juggernaut known as Alexa. Apple kept polishing its jewels until suddenly no one wanted them anymore.

Oh, that’s not true.

How do you lose your fortune?

Very slowly, then all at once.