I had no idea it was a Temptations song.

I’m not quite sure if I thought the Peter Tosh take with Mick Jagger was an original composition, but that’s the one that rings in my head when I hear these words (when I don’t think of the movie…oops, research tells me the name of that classic Nicolas Roeg film with Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie was “Don’t Look Now,” that’s right). Actually, the Tosh take was a greater commercial success than the original, which only made it to number 83 on the Hot 100, then again, Tosh titled it “(You Gotta Walk) Don’t Look Back.” And when Buddy Miller was talking about doing a cover of the Temptations song “Don’t Look Back” it was the Tosh record played in my head, but I didn’t expect it to be the same song.

I came upon this Buddy Miller interview after returning from one of my umpteen eye appointments. The radio was set to Outlaw Country. I’m trying to break my news habit…actually, I’ve been listening to Morgan Wallen’s station on the satellite…they even played Rüfüs Du Sol, really! The stations in that vicinity are the best, I also listen to Chris Stapleton and Chesney’s No Shoes Radio.

Now they were in the middle of conversing as I was exiting the parking lot. I didn’t know if this was an interview, long-form promoting a new album, or just an interstitial bit, but…Buddy started talking about Dan Penn and that piqued my interest, so I stayed on the station.

Now I first became aware of Buddy when he was playing with his wife, Julie. And then he had that heart attack, resulting in triple bypass surgery, don’t know why that sticks with me, but whenever I hear his name…

And Buddy’s a great guitarist, very talented, and when he started out the world was separated into winners and losers, but not anymore. Sure, there’s a hit parade, but those songs reach fewer people than ever, and if you’re a journeyman (woman) you can have higher status than people like this have ever had, you see people are no longer judging you on your chart numbers, but your music alone. Funny how the business has lost control of the business, the record labels are off to the left, in their own world. They used to be the dominant force in music, now it’s the acts themselves. You have a direct connection with your fans which is cemented online and live. The intermediaries, the gatekeepers, mean less than ever before.

And the readout says “Don’t Look Back” with both Miller and Penn’s names, and now I’m confused. I thought Buddy was just referencing Penn and his talents.

And then the song started to play, and lo and behold, it was the Peter Tosh song! Which of course I now knew was originally a Temptations song. And I’m listening…

Everybody does covers these days. It’s seen as a way to get attention, traction, it’s so hard to do this with originals. And I’m not expecting much, but…

I mean the guitar intro gave me no tip that it was the same song, but then Buddy started to sing.

But it was like he was on that porch in “Deliverance,” but without an audience.

And then comes a fiddle, and the song starts to saunter, and there’s a female chorus, and then the second verse begins and the vocal duties have been handed off to Dan Penn, and then the both of them sing the chorus and then the rhythm becomes more emphatic.

This is not a rote rendition, using someone else’s arrangement, sure, it’s a well-known song, but this is a somewhat unique spin, not quite a Joe Cocker version, but you’re not listening thinking you just want to hear the original.

And as soon as I got home, the first thing I did was go to Spotify to see if this version had been released already, or I had to scrounge for a live take on Spotify or if it was one and done, floating into the ether forevermore.

Now it turns out “Don’t Look Back” is part of an album, just released on Friday, not that I was aware of it, not that almost anybody was aware of it. How do I know? It’s not even listed on Buddy’s Wikipedia page! So either Buddy’s fans are unaware or they’re not rabid enough to do the update or maybe it’s just another case of a musician not knowing that they’re their own promotion team these days, and that your social media presence and your mailing list are key to sustaining your career…if you’re depending on your label, you’re depending on vapor in most cases.

Actually, I read this article in today’s “Los Angeles Times”:

“He sold out a DJ set in a California state park: Here’s how Chris Lake made it happen”:

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2026-09-08/heres-how-dj-chris-lake-financed-his-biggest-la-show-to-date

I had no idea who Chris Lake was, but obviously a segment of the public does, because he played two nights in L.A. and sold 40,000 tickets, and much of the Spotify Top 50 is unable to do that.

And he’s his own label. He’s doing his own promotion. He focuses on the live show. Read the article. You may think “EDM” is different, but it’s not… In a live concert world it’s about a bond with your audience, selling an experience. Concerts triumph in a digital world, a live show is one and done, you were either there or you were not, it’s never to be repeated, like a recording.

Now I played another track on Buddy’s album, but really I wanted to hear the Temptations original from 1965.

Yup, it’s the same song, but it sounds Motownified, unlike the Peter Tosh/Mick Jagger remake, with its reggae beat.

In any event, it’s a great song. Check it out.

It’s not quite as good as previous seasons…

But that does not mean it’s not a must-see.

Either you’re a fan of “Fauda” or it’s lying in wait for your discovery. There’s something visceral and honest in it that you don’t find in American series. Maybe it’s the characters themselves…they’re willing to die for the cause, and you really believe it.

Having said that, Lior Raz as Doron is a macho yet sensitive superstar eclipsing anybody in the English speaking realm. It’s funny, he’s not tall, and he’s not handsome, but he radiates intensity, belief, he’s willing to go all the way whilst continually looking out for his buddies.

You see they’re all in it together, which is a far cry from our world, where it’s about being a solo superstar. The show would not work with Doron alone, it needs all the players, at least the ones who returned for these episodes.

You see “Fauda” was done, history, wrapped up…

And then came October 7th.

Now if you’re tuned into Hollywood, you know that the biggest issue today is the Paramount/Warner Bros. Discovery merger. If only these actors were as passionate about external affairs, those that didn’t affect them directly.

Oh, but they are! They’re pro-Palestine. Not all of them, but beware of not taking the party line.

Then there’s the creator of “Fauda”:

“‘Fauda’ Creator Calls Mark Ruffalo a ‘Rare Combination’ of ‘Stupid’ and ‘Ignorant’ After his Viral Statement on Paramount: ‘Do you Understand What It Means, “Genocide”?'”

https://variety.com/2026/politics/global/fauda-creator-mark-ruffalo-genocide-remarks-1236851588/

Now irrelevant of the content, it’s the attitude that strikes you in Avi Issacharoff’s words. He’s not going to get down into the gutter, he’s got more pressing issues to address, but he’s got to weigh in as the correction factor. You sense this, whether you agree with his words or not, but here are some of his words:

“‘Do you understand what it means “genocide”? Do you, as a lead actor in Hollywood, understand that when Israel allows every day 600 trucks of food and supply to go into Gaza, they are not intending or planning to kill the people of Palestine? Do you understand if more people were born during the war in Gaza than died, so no one was trying to eliminate those people and the only ones that were trying to commit genocide were Hamas people? And that guy and many other people don’t get it.'”

You may disagree. But the truth is so many opining about Gaza and Israel are unaware of the facts. Just go on social media to see. TikTok is riddled with protesters being asked about “From the river to the sea.” They’ve got no idea which river and they certainly don’t know that the phrase means the total elimination of Israel.

However, there are those that believe Israel is in the wrong, under the Oppressor/Oppressed doctrine. Since Israel is rich and Gaza is not, Israel is at fault. This is the prevalent theory on college campuses… I’d like you to explain that to me.

And no matter what anybody says, they can’t put a dent in this thinking. And if you think this has nothing to do with music, just look at the Macklemore situation. Funny how Robert Kraft has more cojones than anybody in the business, who can’t see that Macklemore was over the line here… Hell, let’s send him to Gaza for a week, even a day, then see what he has to say.

And there is major media blowback, Bill Maher went on record on Friday during his “New Rules” segment:

Now let me be clear, don’t get your knickers in a twist, I’m not trying to convince you to change your opinion here, all I’m saying is “Fauda” is number one in Lebanon.

HUH? How do you explain that?

And it’s fourth in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar; sixth in Bahrain and Morocco: seventh in Oman; eighth in Kuwait; and tenth in Egypt.

But not in the top ten in the U.S. The people that the pro-Palestinian Americans are in support of, they’re tuning in… This is like with Latinx… Woke whites like the term, but Latin people hate it and don’t want to use it!

Now first and foremost “Fauda” is good television, irrelevant of your political views. And believable in a way no American stuff ever is. There’s a sheen in American productions, war may have a ton of special effects, but it very rarely resonates.

But there’s a warning before episode 7 of this 11 episode arc stating that you may not be able to handle what’s coming in episodes 7 &8, and you can skip ahead to episode 9 and not lose the thread of the story.

I was taken aback. I mean how bad can it be?

Not as bad as that movie I saw about the music festival Hamas attacked. I won’t say the depiction of October 7th in “Fauda” is tame, but it’s astounding how all over the world people are testifying that they had NO IDEA!

Not hard to believe in a world where even the “New York Times” is biased:

“New York Times’ reporting displayed ‘deep and systematic’ bias against Israel after October 7, study claims The study claims the paper paid extensive attention to the suffering of Gaza’s population while largely overlooking Israeli casualties and acts of Palestinian violence”

https://www.thejc.com/news/world/new-york-times-systematic-bias-against-israel-jrbwcf52

That’s from a Yale professor, by the way.

But, once again, I’m not here to argue the issues, I’m here to write about a Netflix TV series. Will you not watch it because of your political viewpoint?

And if you do watch it…

How would you feel if a family member was slain, on either side of the political fence. Is life really worth living when you’re the last person standing?

This season of “Fauda” is not a cartoon. It may be fiction, but it’s totally true. One side is focused on mass destruction, the other is trying to defend against it. How far is each side willing to go?

This is what we’re looking for in our artistic productions, fantasy might seem appealing, but there’s nothing like reality. “Fauda” starts off a bit slow, but it gradually becomes more and more intense… Less humorous and more serious than previous seasons, with less action, but with more at stake.

Is this the best way to reach people on this issue, a TV series?

Watch it and get back to me.

NOTE: FACTION TALK IS NOW ON CHANNEL 137

So, tune in Saturday September 12th to Faction Talk, channel 137, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.

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

You can sing along to it, it’s got melody and a catchy chorus, what a concept!

Meanwhile, most of the rest of today’s “hits” are filled with 808s and other synthesized instruments and chord changes can be rare, sometimes there is only one chord!

But “Choosin’ Texas” has far outstripped them in popularity. It is the only track that has risen above, that is a true national (international!) hit, that seemingly everybody is aware of.

That is not the case with the rest of the Spotify Top 50. The songs may have chart numbers, but most people have never heard of them, never mind actually heard them, contrary to the hype in the media and inside business publications.

It’s not solely an old fart thing. Most people are unaware of most “hits” today, there’s just too much in the channel.

But “Choosin’ Texas” has risen above.

Now there’s been a ton of focus on the lyrics…probably because they’re the easiest thing to write about, but really, “Choosin’ Texas” is successful because of the underlying music.

Yes, it’s a good story, and “Texas” is a hook, but this is not revolutionary, not twenty one weeks at number one on the Hot 100, second only to Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” in longevity.

This track has not been ghettoized, it’s not solely a country phenomenon, it’s a worldwide phenomenon!

How can this be?

Now when Tom Petty played the Fonda for a week, he labeled today’s country music “the rock music of the seventies.” And that’s true in most cases. This ain’t the twang of the country western songs of yore, oftentimes sans a fiddle or a steel guitar or banjo and a vocal affect, these modern country songs are closer to classic hits than the rest of the stuff purveyed today.

When did the music business become too hip for the room?

Well, the last big revolution was hip-hop, which started in the eighties but really flourished in the nineties and early 2000s.

Rap was a reaction to stale rock. It was the sound of the street. It contained the truth rock music had long lost.

And rap was more than music, hip-hop was a culture, well delineated in the media. But this all started decades ago. Today?

Sure, we’ve got Kendrick, but mainstream rap ain’t much different from the rock of the late eighties, formulaic, made for a market. It’s not real, it’s a cartoon. The lyrics are fantasies littered with braggadocio. There’s no vulnerability evidenced, unlike in “Choosin’ Texas,” wherein the Tennessee woman loses the man to a denizen of Texas.

That people can relate to. Being on the losing end. And how refreshing in our everybody’s a winner culture, where it’s all about putting up a good front.

But it’s not only hip-hop, did you listen to the new Miley record, “Bass Persuades”? It’s the antithesis of “Choosin’ Texas,” filled with modern, electric sounds, a whispered vocal at first. “Bass Persuades” is anything but a one listen smash, but we’ve been subjected to Miley hype for months now, how she switched labels…

Who exactly is “Bass Persuades” made for? Well, maybe it works in dance clubs. Or maybe snippets can be utilized on TikTok, but most people are never going to cotton to this track, but “Choosin’ Texas”…

“Choosin’ Texas” was not foisted upon the public, the public embraced it!

And it’s formulaic in the old way, with the aforementioned melody and catchy chorus, what a relief.

People want to be involved in songs, they want to own them, and the best way to achieve that is by making a record that not only can they comprehend, but that they can sing along to…

Now country has traditionally been seen as a backwater, made for only part of the population. And at this late date, it’s seen as part of the red South, and it’s a genre that is still controlled by country radio, even though there’s so much great music that doesn’t fit the format, the foremost exponent being Jason Isbell… But the most respected, most award-winning act in country today is Chris Stapleton, and change the vocal just a touch and you find someone who is closer to Gov’t Mule than what dominates the country hit parade.

And Stapleton plays stadiums.

Begging the question… Despite all the pooh-poohing from the intelligentsia, is country the dominant format today, is it country that contains the heartbeat of America?

It’s a stealth attack, “Choosin’ Texas” has been embraced by the left as well as the right, the media is championing it and…

Can you relate to “Bass Persuades”?

I certainly can’t.

And relatability is key.

So the question is why we don’t have more records like this. Why do the labels keep foisting this narrowcasted junk upon us. Niche product with a sliver of very active fans which most people will never listen to.

Adele sold more CDs than anybody, but no one in America signed another Adele. But Olivia Dean inhabits the soulful soft lane that is not that far off from Adele’s, yet she had to come from England. People heard Olivia Dean and immediately embraced her and her music. Sure, “Man I Need” was all over TikTok, but snippets of one song do not lead to a sold out arena tour…no, the general public embraced Dean, if for no other reason than her music is LISTENABLE! Things go better with it. You can put on the Olivia Dean album and relax, it sets a mood. Most of the other stuff, especially the metal, if you’re not a hipster or you’re not angry it’s not for you.

So why can’t there be more Ella Langleys and “Choosin Texas”-like songs? This is not Kraftwerk, this is not sui generis, it’s positively mainstream.

But the true mainstream pop hit has become a lost art.

This is beyond cult, this is beyond Taylor Swift, who went pop to broaden her audience but then country ascended and pop descended. “Choosin’ Texas” is for everyone.

And that’s the point.