Lynyrd Skynyrd – Spotify

I remember exactly where I was the first time I heard “Sweet Home Alabama.”

I’d graduated from college only months before. Talk about a weird experience. What am I gonna do next?

In my case I was gonna be a ski bum in Little Cottonwood Canyon, i.e. Alta & Snowbird. My final year of college was the worst snow year in history, like Depeche Mode, I just couldn’t get enough, but that was years before that track came out.

My father had bought me a new car for graduation. I didn’t want one, I had a ’63 Chevy convertible, although I was a bit anxious about it, it didn’t have a low gear, so going down the canyon… And my father wanted me to get a Capri, which I did not want, he’d gotten screwed by the Lincoln/Mercury dealer, they’d sold him a lemon and he could squeeze out a good deal on the Capri, but I said no. And then one day my mother told me my father really wanted to buy me a car, which is how I ended up with my 2002, which was a demonstrator, even so, 6k was a lot of money back in ’74. And I insisted upon two things inside, a/c, since my father kept testifying about its necessity, and a Blaupunkt AM/FM cassette radio. Morris first balked at the a/c, which cost $600, which brought the price to said 6k, but the radio was included, and I made twenty four Maxell cassettes for my trip to Utah, but whenever I hit a metropolis I tuned in the local FM station, to find something new.

And this morning in St. Louis they were doing construction, and it was raining, and I was reaching to the dial, since that head unit had no push buttons, not that I’d know the stations in St. Louis, and as I passed a gas station on the left, that’s when I heard “Sweet Home Alabama.”

This was just when “Free Bird” was becoming legendary, but before Lynyrd Skynyrd had been inducted into the pantheon, after all, they were working for MCA, the worst label in the business, even worse than RCA.

And the reason I remember hearing “Sweet Home Alabama” that day was because the track was so great, no other band had three lead guitarists, oh, the Outlaws copied them, but this was a new sound, the Allmans might have had two drummers, but three guitarists, what was the point, Cream only had one, but they danced together, entwined each other, came up with a complex sound that was so simple.

One of those guitars, one of the writers of the song, was Ed King.

He’d started out in the Strawberry Alarm Clock, who I’d seen at Fairfield University, but I’m not sure he was in the touring group, but he probably was, this was right after “Incense and Peppermints,” another one listen track that sounded like nothing else, it was the organ and that spacy guitar, as well as vocals sung like the guy was gasping for air, like someone was pulling him somewhere else but he had to get the words out before he moved on. But this was the sixties, when the soundalikes were ignored and we were bombarded by new sounds constantly. Imagine what it was like to hear “Purple Haze” for the first time, nothing prepared you for it, we don’t have breakthroughs like that these days.

But by time Lynyrd Skynyrd came on the scene, times had changed. FM radios were prevalent in cars, and the Allman Brothers were the biggest band in the land, albeit after the passing of Duane, it was “Brothers and Sisters,” if I hear “Ramblin’ Man” one more time I’m gonna shoot somebody, but I cannot get enough of “Come And Go Blues,” with Gregg’s husky, soulful voice, I can’t believe he’s gone, if you survive the maelstrom, you’re supposed to last forever, if you made it out of the seventies, you should still be here, but Gregg is not.

And Lynyrd Skynyrd were perceived as me-too at first, and not in the sexual harassment way, even though that was rampant in rock and roll those days. They fought their way to the top, failed sessions in Muscle Shoals, but then Al Kooper signed them to his Sounds of the South label and they fought it out on the road. But, just after the first LP came out, while Al was still living and cutting in Hot ‘Lanta, he got a call from the band, they had a new song, could they come up and cut it.

That’s right, “Sweet Home Alabama” was cut in the fall of ’73, even though it was not released until a year later, it sat in the can. And I asked Al if he knew, what a monster it was gonna be, and Al looked me in the eye and said…IT WAS SWEET HOME ALABAMA!

Only the amateurs can’t tell a hit. You strive forever, trying to get it right, but when you hit it far over the fence, you know, even though it’s so hard to do. Casual hits may make it via accident, but the legends are inevitable, like “Sweet Home Alabama.”

They made a movie with that title, Kid Rock linked it with “Werewolves Of London” to dominate the charts in 2008, but the truth is the original is the apotheosis, a legend in a bottle, the lightning we’re always waiting to strike us.

Big wheels keep on turning
Carry me home to see my kin

I always thought this was a “Proud Mary” reference, even if unconscious. Those big wheels, on the water, on the interstate, lull you into a state of suspended animation, alternately frustration and bliss.

He heard Neil Young sing about her.

In Birmingham they love the governor.

Watergate does not bother Ronnie Van Zant.

He stood up to the paragon of rock, who entranced both the boys and the girls before Mr. Young alienated them with “Time Fades Away.”

We can analyze all day long whether Van Zant supported the governor or not. As for Watergate, this was written long before resignation, the point is can you let politics distract you from the business you’ve got to do, unfortunately today you do.

But it was the hook, the lyrics, the piano playing, nothing on the band’s debut had prepared us for this.

And Ed King quit before the accident.

And latecomers Steve and Cassie Gaines perished in that plane, as did Ronnie, and for years there was no Lynyrd Skynyrd, there was a Rossington Collins Band, and then the act reunited with bits and pieces until bit by bit, the originals who were left fell by the wayside, to the point the only one now left is Gary Rossington himself.

And Ed King was hiding in plain sight for years, no one ever talked about him, you’ve got to die to get recognition these days. But if you grew up in that era, if you were an avid reader of liner notes, you knew who Ed King was.

And now he’s gone.

But not only him. But an era where everybody wanted to play. Both on and offstage. Music ran the country, everybody was passionate, we judged you on your record collection, and if you made it everybody knew your track and when you went to the show it was clear who were the stars, the people on stage, not you in the audience taking selfies with your smartphone.

Maybe you remember.

Maybe you don’t.

But one thing’s for sure, the power and magic of “Sweet Home Alabama” maintains. From an era where a band from Jacksonville refused to be pigeonholed as dumb rednecks.

They pick me up when I’m feeling blue.

I know you feel the same way too.

Grab your things
I’ve come to take you home

These were not the original lines in “Solsbury Hill,” the words had to do with “taxi” and “tube” and Ezrin said there was no way they were going on the LP. And the lyrics you know, the ones above, weren’t cut until the very end of mixing Gabriel’s initial solo album, when Peter was inspired.

That’s why I’m here in Mumbai, for the conference “All About Music.” You pay me and put me in the front of the airplane and I’ll go just about anywhere, the weirder, the more offbeat, the place people want to go to least, that’s for me!

The best place I’ve been in the last decade is Bogota, because I felt so alive, because everybody had had a relative assassinated, they were living the Grass Roots lifestyle, they were living for today.

And now Mumbai.

Most people won’t go to India. I was out with a friend who is a world traveler and he said no way, two people in his building went and one died and the other was sick for three months. And then I was reminded that Howard Rose’s wife came and passed when she returned. Was there a connection? No one’s sure, but is this the way I want to go? Kinda like on an airplane, you hit the turbulence… I know, I know, that’s got nothing to do with crashing, and sometimes I can enjoy the ride, but when an A380 is being buffeted, I start to wonder, how in hell does this thing fly to begin with. That’s like so much of today’s technology, the fact that it works, if you sit back and think about it, is positively amazing.

So I’m here. And so far I haven’t even gotten sick. Then again, I’m paranoid, I’m obeying the rules, and I’m living in the city, I have not gone to the hinterlands.

But I’d like to.

This is the first place I’ve been to that I haven’t been able to figure out. So many people, so hot, but everybody seems to get along. I grew up when going to Manhattan was dangerous, the fact I could be safe in Mumbai..?

Maybe I’m not, maybe I’m ignorant, but that’s what they tell me and so far it’s true.

But I’ve seen so little!

I think it comes down to upbringing. Not only did my parents live to travel, they were all about the sights, the hotel room was secondary. The concept of lounging around in a great room was anathema. They wanted to go out and eat up the landscape, and now so do I.

After doing my keynote and sitting on a panel I wondered whether I should go out to this museum about the city, I’m into those places, where they tell you how we got from there to here, there’s always a story. And in a world where there’s always something to do or see online, you’ve got to tear yourself away from the computer. Then again, denigrating the smartphone and web is akin to yesterday’s badge of honor of waking up early after little sleep. Now everyone agrees that sleep is the key to creativity and productivity and I do believe tomorrow everybody will be trumpeting the advantages of smartphones, sure, I’m online so much, but I enjoy it, all that knowledge at my fingertips, the only lament I have is they didn’t come up with the internet and the smartphone earlier in my life.

When I sat in my bedroom listening to records and feeling lonely.

Oh, I’d go to the show and find other like-minded people.

But so much of what I was into were not hits, like the first Peter Gabriel album. Sure, “Solsbury Hill” is legendary today, but not yesterday, Atlantic didn’t even want to put out Peter’s third solo album, it came out on Mercury, but now it’s considered his best, it eclipses both “So” and “Us” and if you don’t agree you’re a casual fan, and there we have the era of old, when we used to argue about records, when they were scarce, today there’s an avalanche of product and music means less than ever before. Think about that, tracks have become commonplace, they’re vehicles to sell merch and sponsorship, we’re so far from the garden it’s ridiculous.

So I’m trying to figure out the Indian music business, and I can’t. I’ve learned tons, but it reminds me of entering the music business in L.A. way back when, it took me two years to learn who was real and who was not. This is a lesson they don’t teach in school. As a matter of fact, that’s when you grow up, when you leave school. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t go to school, but life begins when you leave, and if you think the world is structured like school, you’re wrong. Oh, you can go to work at Procter & Gamble or the law firm and hope you get recognized and move to the top, but if you’re smart, and few people are, you now have a chance to invent yourself, carve your own path.

But it’s difficult.

I learned that most people are full of shit, they talk a good game but were never going anywhere.

I learned that knowing everything would not get you far, they aren’t looking for that kind of talent on the business side, they reward hustlers first and foremost.

I’m still learning.

And I’d like to come back to Mumbai to learn so much more, to all of India, because it’s very different from the U.S., but the same.

Kinda like the addiction to filmed entertainment. But unlike in the States, they haven’t dumbed down the movies in an effort to appeal to the entire world while satisfying almost no one. Bollywood and Tollywood and Kollywood are all about story. Story wins in this world, it’s what life is based upon, it’s what we love about books and movies and music… Facts are commonplace, you can look them up online, but can you tell a story?

Ezrin wasn’t sure whether to tell stories, or teach production. He started off doing the former, and then spent most of the time giving lessons.

Which I felt were wasted on the audience.

But he asked for a show of hands of those making records…

And almost everybody’s shot up.

This shocked me. But that’s the world we live in, everybody can be a record producer, everybody can be a musician. That does not mean they’ll be a success, but they do get a chance to play.

Oh, how I’d love to have made movies with my smartphone in junior high, To have those tools at my fingertips, to be able to do it for bupkes.

And after an hour, Ezrin asked for questions.

And the first person wanted to know what it was like working with Peter Gabriel.

Ezrin winced and said he was gonna answer this question, but he didn’t want more like it, he wanted to stick to production.

Kinda like the moderator earlier today asked Bob how many drugs were consumed making “The Wall.” NONE! Everybody was straight, they came in from 10-6 every day, they arrived in their BMWs and they worked until late afternoon, when they took tea and discussed the day’s work. Then Pink Floyd went home and Bob worked on into the night.

That’s the story of life, everybody lies, everybody’s got a misconception. Just because you did drugs listening to an album, that does not mean the makers did. The penumbra is overrated, the drugs and the drinking, that’s what the audience does, the innovators, the artists, work really hard, and they fall into drugs when they can’t calm down after overworking.

But I was stunned this guy knew who Peter Gabriel was.

And whenever Bob referenced acts from the past, people would applaud. These twenty and thirtysomethings, halfway around the world.

They knew the songs.

That’s the power of music.

It has influence, it can transcend cultures, it’s more important than any tech or politics, it’s what people live for, respect yourself, dig down deep and try to do your best, because the world depends on it.

Even far away in Mumbai.

Listen to Don Henley. At Glenn Frey’s memorial he told the story of being in the hinterlands, far from running water, he ran into a native who looked at him and said HOTEL CALIFORNIA, even though it appeared there was no electricity to play music.

People know.

It’s got to do with more than money.

Music changes the world. You’ve just got to go somewhere to see it.

I’m here in India and I realize we’re all sustained by the common building blocks. We hear too much about the value of music being respected by businessmen, techies. If only the makers reached higher, respected themselves more, realized the future of our world depends on art. You want to reach someone? SING A SONG!

All About Music

And sooner or later
Everybody’s kingdom must end

They misdiagnosed the cause of my car overheating.

I’d just been on the phone with them earlier in the day, scheduling an appointment for major service two weeks hence, then I was ascending the hill on the 405, from the Westside to the Valley, and my car started to overheat. This was not my BMW of the seventies, which was not made for hot weather, which went into the red when you drove up a hill in hundred degree heat, since the day I bought it my Saabaru’s temperature gauge has never moved, it heats up to a certain level and stays there, but now it was jumping near the red, and if it gets into the red you must shut the engine down, but when I took my foot off the gas, the engine got cooler, but when I went downhill into Sherman Oaks it got hotter, which is against the principle of a low gear in a standard transmission, so I drove it to the Subaru dealer the following morning where they diagnosed the problem as a failed radiator cap.

This did not sound right to me. And I’m somewhat knowledgeable about cars, because I grew up in the era when they didn’t work, when no one had one over 100,000 miles, when everything in my 2002 broke, including the steering wheel. But today cars are so much better, they’re kind of like computers, you used to have to know how they worked, now you just press a button and they run, seemingly forever. That’s another issue, do you need a new car? Of course you can lease, but that’s a bad use of your money, I own, but at what point do you bite the bullet.

I should have bitten the bullet that very day and ponied up for a new car, because after they said it was only the radiator cap I paid $1500 for said major service. And after dinner at CUT with Peter Shapiro, the damn automobile overheated in the same damn place on the 405, so I drove it to the dealer the very next morning where my service writer was unavailable and I tracked down the head mechanic, Darryl. Now, you’ve got to know Subaru is burgeoning, they used to have one and a half service writers, now they’ve got five. Used to be Darryl was easily located in a corner of the one and only shop, but now you have to canvass multiple buildings to find him. But I eventually did.

Now you’ve got to know, Darryl is the best mechanic I’ve ever encountered, there’s no problem he can’t diagnose, and after describing all the details of my problem he told me it was a blown head gasket, and when I told him the car was thirteen years old and had 92,000 miles on it he looked me in the eye and said “Get rid of it.” Which I would have done, but I was $1500 upside down, damned if I was gonna get burned, especially when I found out it would be $3500 more to fix the damn thing.

That’s right, I knew what a blown head gasket was, Darryl described it as “luck of the draw,” saying I’d done nothing wrong, and my nephew is the number three BMW salesman in America, but he’d only give me a grand for the machine, and there was no way I could get it to his place in Irvine, so…

They gave me a Crosstrek to drive. I was stunned at how good it was, especially the blind spot warnings, but despite the excellence of Darryl, I do not want another Subaru, they’re noisy and technologically antiquated and mine was far from trouble free. That’s what they told me, I could make a trade on a new Subaru, which I didn’t want. I made it easy for them, they could do one of two things, give me my $1500 back or buy my car from me.

They said they did not buy cars, I said the service center was owned by the same dealership that sold new cars.

They came back and said they’d give me twenty percent off the repair.

I told them it was very simple, they could honor my original offer, cash return or purchase, or I would either cancel payment on the credit card or sue them in small claims court, and I would win, I’m an attorney, it’s a clear cut case.

I was shitting a brick, I was in shock, there was no way I was fixing the car for that price.

And that’s when Paterno told me to hold my horses, they were already NEGOTIATING!

I didn’t get it. But Peter said they’d come down already, to wait to see their next offer, the game had begun.

I was anxious, I saw no way I could win, they held most of the cards, and my car and my cash.

But an hour later they called with an offer. How about if they charged me for parts and they ate all the labor?

I said yes.

Now ultimately my car is back on the road, I authorized a couple of more repairs, since they were not charging me labor on anything they did, and there was trouble taking the engine apart, they had to send it to a machine shop, which I had to pay for, but right now the car is in tip-top shape, but I still should have bought a new one.

But that’s not my point.

Last night, on Fox of all places, Trump said not to impeach him because the economy would tank.

He’s starting to negotiate.

I know, I know, it looked like he was gonna serve out his term, he’s survived this long. But as Frank Rich said last year, it took two years for Watergate to play out.

But, you say the Congress will never authorize impeachment.

It probably won’t get to that. Because if you know your history, the Republican Senators told Nixon he had to go. Ultimately the Republican Senators are gonna tell Donald Trump to go, if he doesn’t declare victory and leave early.

Oh, 25% of the public still supported Nixon when he resigned, that’s not the point, it’s a game, and Trump just blinked.

It’s been a bad week. Trump keeps trumpeting all the good he’s done, but so did Nixon.

At some point the camel’s back breaks.

And it’s kind of how you lose a fortune, very slowly and then all at once.

But most people did not live through Watergate, they’ve got no perspective. And the news is all about the horse race, who wins or loses the pennant is irrelevant to them. And this week especially has proven there are two teams, I checked the Fox site Tuesday and Cohen and Manafort were not even close to the top. Still aren’t. Which makes you think that Trump can survive in this topsy-turvy world, but he won’t.

He’s begun to negotiate, he’s playing defense, which is a bad place to be. Just ask Hillary, just ask the Democrats, they’ve been playing defense for decades, because the Republicans play offense, all the time. The right wing defines the issues, to the point that Democrats are running away from the demonized Nancy Pelosi.

But now Mueller is defining the game, by sticking to his guns, by being a Republican to begin with.

I’m so afraid your courtiers
Cannot be called best friends

So Trump demands loyalty, believing the government should be run like a Mafia family, but Sessions says no go, he’s already running from the stink, there comes a time when you defend yourself, like John Dean, because you realize the man in charge is not looking out for you, and you don’t want to go down with the ship.

And if my hands are stained forever
And the altar should refuse me
Would you let me in, would you let me in, would you let me in
Should I cry sanctuary

No one wants to save Trump other than himself.

Congresspeople want to save their jobs, first and foremost, they blow with the wind. They’re afraid of being primaried, they’re staying the course, believing their constituents are behind them, but they’re not.

The polls were wrong about Trump’s election, they’re wrong about his support. A certain number will support any right wing President. The rest are delusional. But in between there’s a coterie who have a sense of right and wrong, and in a country of hard working people falling behind they don’t want to believe the game is rigged, that you can get away with bad actions with impunity.

And now David Pecker has turned state’s evidence.

And rather than talk to the portraits in the White House, like Nixon, Trump is talking to his minions at Fox, at rallies, but he’s stumbling, he’s lost his self-confidence, he’s on the run.

Life is a game, some know how to play it, some don’t. Some learn through experience, others repeat their mistakes. You succeed with a village, Peter Paterno told me how to play my hand. Donald Trump has only listened to himself, demanded loyalty and breached the compact on a regular basis, the only supporters he truly has are his family, and already some of its members are on the run.

While the juggler’s act is danced upon
The crown that you once wore

You think you can bend the game to your will, but it’s been around too long, you’ve to play by the rules or support the new game. Bad actors always get caught, via their own acts, karma may not be instant, but it comes eventually and it is real. The highway is littered with politicians whose careers ended by their own hands. Can you say Gary Hart? Can you say John Edwards?

The king is dead, the king is dead
Long live the king

Life will go on, there will be a new king, in this case Mike Pence, maybe even a Democrat two years hence, because no one is bigger than the government, no one is above the law. That’s part of the premise that Trump ran on, the game was rigged and he was gonna drain the swamp, but it turns out the quicksand is gonna consume him, and the more you fight it, the faster you sink.

Sure, the Republicans could triumph in November. There’s a chance Trump could survive.

But history repeats. We’ve seen this movie one time already. And we all know you live or die, succeed or fail, based on your team. Michael Jordan needed Scottie Pippen to win, and LeBron couldn’t carry a second-rate team all by himself. And the NBA reflects the modern paradigm, while football programs are rife with out of control coaches disrespecting their players. That’s what the #MeToo movement is all about, it’s a backlash to mistreatment, to male power. You could get away with it before, but not anymore.

My car will not last forever. At some point I’ll have to replace it. Maybe sooner rather later.

But I’ll get a new automobile, I’ll survive.

Just like our country.

It doesn’t need to be run by Trump.

P.S. The lyrics are from Elton John’s “The King Must Die, the closing track on his first American album from 1970. Art reflects life, art reflects truth. No one quotes their bank account when they’re looking for answers, they play music, they look at art, trying to gain insight into humanity.

P.P.S. No one is immune, everyone gets their comeuppance. Be a student of the game, maybe reinvent it, but know there’s a cost for those who cannot foresee what’s coming down the road, just like with Facebook, Zuckerberg and Sandberg were venerated leaders, does anybody want to lean in like Sheryl anymore? No, and the funny thing is she’s not even aware of it, just like Donald Trump.

“The King Must Die” – Spotify

“The King Must Die” – YouTube

I was at a gig last week and a promoter told me young agents had never heard of Bob Sillerman.

That was a turning point in the touring business, when Sillerman rolled up the promoters in 1996, it’s the basis of the present touring landscape. You might think history is irrelevant, but he who knows it triumphs, not only in war, but business.

Seymour Stein knew history, he went to “Billboard”‘s office to uncover the hits of yesteryear. And if you listen to Seymour’s story, you’ll find the blueprint for success today.

First and foremost there’s the passion. If you ain’t got it, move on, the business is too tough. Like AC/DC sang, it’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll – getting robbed, getting stoned, getting beat-up, broken-boned. If you don’t have an inner mounting flame, you’re not gonna survive. Actually, that’s one of the problems with the business today, the focus on the penumbra, everything but the music itself, music is just not a vehicle to riches, when done right, it’s life itself.

Seymour was led by that light. He took advantage of opportunities, didn’t listen to advice to his detriment. But found a way to survive and prosper.

It’s a learning experience, with no degree, none of the usual markers that can get you ahead in this life.

So you need to listen to Seymour’s story, even if you have no interest in the Climax Blues Band, Peter Green, Madonna, Depeche Mode, Talking Heads or the Ramones. Because Seymour saw something in all of these acts, and he acted upon it. And there was not instant success, but he got to the point where he’d refined the process, he recognized what was a hit and was able to sign it.

Maybe you know Seymour’s story, maybe you read his book, but in this podcast he evidences nuances, you can read between the lines, you can learn.

And you should.

A snippet:

Seymour Stein on this week’s podcast: https://t.co/yG5cDwmrd2 A snippet-Seymour Stein on the ever-changing music industry: pic.twitter.com/Yceg8wTJH8

— Bob Lefsetz (@Lefsetz) August 23, 2018

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