Where is the outrage?

Tim Westergren rallies listeners to save Pandora from extinction.

Silicon Valley rallies the troops to save net neutrality.

But when it comes to coughing up your browser history to you ISP?

Crickets.

Pop stars and sports team agitate against heinous North Carolina legislation that oppresses minorities and the state blinks.

The Republicans decide to allow your ISP to sell your browser history so they can make money, costing you money in the process, since your wants and desires can be manipulated, and no one raises a finger.

Is it that we’re all so fatigued? With new revelations about Trump and his posse every single day?

Or is it we’re so overwhelmed by the loss of the election that we can’t be counted on to stand up?

But we stood up against flight rules that were discriminatory. We stood up against health care policies that would have eliminated coverage for many, but when it comes to protecting each and every one of us, as individuals, we blink?

What is the nation we’re now living in? One wherein we pledge fealty to the government and sacrifice our individuality, lose our lives in the cause of “progress”? Foul our air and scar our bodies so corporations can make more money increasing the GDP? Come on, all this relaxation of energy rules. Do you personally need a pipeline? Furthermore, coal has been eclipsed by natural gas and solar, the latter of which has been pushed by the government, proving that the institution can do some good, but I don’t want to get down into the weeds too much because I think this is something we can all agree on, is there any person who wants LESS PRIVACY?

I need you to read this opinion piece by Tom Wheeler, the former head of the FCC:

How the Republicans Sold Your Privacy to Internet Providers

You will be very scared.

Not only is this rollback gonna be signed by Trump after sailing through Congress, the bill prohibits the FCC from acting on behalf of the public in privacy matters in the future. There, you just lost a layer of protection.

And Wheeler makes the point that phone calls are protected, but now when you search for a new car, that info can be sold to dealers who can act upon it.

And I don’t want you to be criticizing the NYT. I don’t want you to be e-mailing me about George Soros. Those are false equivalencies trumped up by a right wing media that has resulted in this nincompoop becoming President. Sure, Soros donates to left wing causes, but if you believe he uses his money to threaten Democratic leaders and spearhead his own agenda contrary to the will of the majority just like the Koch brothers and Robert Mercer, you’re just plain wrong. And no one has as many boots on the ground as the NYT. The WSJ has shrunk the newshole to such a degree there’s nearly nothing left. It’s like reading a pamphlet. And what is there focuses on general news as opposed to the business news I subscribed for.

And the “Times” itself had an editorial yesterday decrying the loss of privacy, read this one too:

Republicans Attack Internet Privacy

Have we learned nothing from Edward Snowden? How many whistleblowers have to be sacrificed before we get the message… Those in power are in the pockets of corporations and are not looking out for you and me, no way, meanwhile they eradicated whistleblower legislation, because that’s the problem, the takers out for themselves impeding progress. You probably believe liability judgments and class actions are raising your insurance premiums. Not really, not by much. Even the WSJ admits this. The end result? You can’t sue a company anymore, you’ve got to go to arbitration, where the odds of winning are infinitesimal.

So now they know where you are and they know what you’re doing and you’ve got no recourse. Sound like a bad novel, maybe “1984”? It does to me.

And what I know is if this somnambulant public woke up and protested congresspeople would freak out and roll these changes back. We’ve seen it time and time again. When it comes to technology D.C. is clueless. And when the tsunami of people who live online, which is almost everybody, complains, elected officials back down.

But the Silicon Valley companies are quiet because they don’t want to piss off the ISPs.

And the left wing is overwhelmed and the right wing wants us to jet back to the 1950s but the truth is we’re living in the twenty first century.

So do you want a camera in your bedroom? Do you want everybody to know what you’re doing? Almost thinking, because that’s what browser history is all about?

Then welcome to 2017, where your elected officials just coughed up those rights, figuring you just didn’t care and weren’t paying attention.

God, I wish we had some leaders, people who had the attention of the masses, who were trusted, who had credibility, who could wake people up and make them take action.

But although Edward Snowden could stand up on principle, you can’t get an artist to do the same, no way, they’re afraid of the hit to their career.

And the corporation outlives its executives and it must be protected at all costs.

And do we expect Zuckerberg and the social nitwits to stand up here when they’re doing the same damn thing, slicing and dicing our information, eradicating our piracy?

If it makes money, it’s cool.

But I don’t believe that. I believe the air that we breathe, the conversations we have, the searching we do, should be protected, inviolate.

I’ve coughed up enough of my privacy already.

Thursday Playlist – Spotify

“Eagles Fly”
Sammy Hagar

I discovered this during the Napster era. It was never a hit, but it could be one of Sammy’s best productions ever, featuring an uncredited lead by Eddie Van Halen as well as credited bass work by that famous axe-swinger. And isn’t it funny, neither Sam nor Dave could reach the same commercial heights without the elusive Eddie. Sure, Dave had some initial solo success right after “1984,” but that dissipated quite quickly, seems the public knows where the magic lies.

“Eagles Fly” is an anthem. It’s a revelation in an era where we have none. Where beats dominate and melody is anathema. And one thing’s for sure, Sam can sing. I’m including this cut because I heard a live take on No Shoes Radio wherein Sammy claims to be 65, not denying his age, and he wails and loses not a step.

Used to be our airwaves were laden with anthems. Remember “Paradise City”? That’s what’s getting everybody out to see GNR at the stadium. But rock is in the rearview mirror and too many purveyors can neither sing as well as Sammy nor play as well as Eddie.

This is a one listen get, assuming you like this kind of music. Check it out.

“Spring Is Here”
Wendy Waldman

It most certainly is, in Southern California, I know the technical date was ten days ago but when I walked out the front door today and it was warm and sunny and I contemplated when I’d start wearing shorts I knew spring had finally sprung.

Funny how you live long enough and your favorites fade in the rearview mirror. Wendy Waldman is going to college to study composition, expanding her boundaries, and I applaud that, especially when so many aged boomers are relaxing and retiring. But what is weird is this excellent cut, which goes through my brain every year at this time and more is gonna be lost to the sands of time. It’s the instrumentation and feel, the hope.

Hope, it’s a funny thing. I feel best when I have it.

“Monday, Monday”
The Mamas & the Papas

I heard Papa John Phillips on Howard Stern today. Which is quite weird, since he’s been dead for quite a while. I never knew he slept with Jane Fonda but it turned out Papa John had a book and had written about it and this whole segment was sex-oriented, funny how Howard’s changed, but I was continuing to listen because the hype was that Steven Tyler, who was in the studio with Joe Perry too, eventually suggests to Papa John they write a song together and the folkie begs off. I never got to that point, but as they were playing a game I couldn’t stop thinking back to when, when the Mamas & the Papas were gigantic.

“California Dreamin'” was the initial hit. A west coast counterpart to the east coast “Sound Of Silence,” which shared the airwaves at the same time.

And then came “Monday, Monday,” cementing the act’s place in the firmament. This was long before we heard “Creeque Alley” and realized how many dues they’d all paid, except for Michelle, who is still alive and kicking, who suddenly had every girl in my high school imitating her look.

Now at this point, my favorite Mamas & Papas cut is “Twelve Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming To The Canyon),” even though it didn’t make the top ten, I heard it, I knew it, but didn’t come to love it until I bought a greatest hits album in the eighties and listened to it over and over again. And to be true, I’ve got to add “Words Of Love” in here too, which had a rollicking summer circus feel in contrast to the winter weather when it was a hit, remember when an act’s next hit didn’t sound exactly like the one had come before? And while I’m running through the catalog, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention “I Saw Her Again” too. It’s the exuberance, the intro like an Association song, that hooks you. You walked down the street and sang this in your head and just felt happy, back before society became coarse and the street ruled. Come on, you’ve got no idea what it was like to have a crush in the sixties and be able to sing this song in your head.

And “California Dreamin'” may be forever, some of the other songs may be remembered, but the genius of Papa John…is being lost to the sands of time.

“The Way It Is”
Bruce Hornsby & the Range

This riff goes through my head on a regular basis, and I’m not sure why, but just this morning, standing at the sink, getting ready to put in my contacts, that descending piano lick…

This was a gigantic hit on KNX-FM, L.A.’s soft rock station, back in the summer of ’86, I’d let the radio play and write articles on my Mac Plus in preparation for the first issue of “The Lefsetz Letter.”

“A Long Time, A Long Way To Go”
Todd Rundgren

From “The Ballad of…”, before he remade “Hello It’s Me” and came out from behind the console to be a star. “The Ballad of…” is his best album, most people do their best work in obscurity, when no one is looking, no one is paying attention. Then again, if you had a record deal at all back then you got some attention, but this was released on Ampex/Bearsville, which meant it was almost like it never came out at all, this was before Albert Grossman moved his label to Warner Brothers, I bought “The Ballad of…” as a cut-out, back when music was scarce and you followed your favorites, especially if they got no significant traction, I was a huge Nazz fan.

Every track on “The Ballad of…” is a winner, and none of them are the same, they evidence exquisite craftsmanship in the writing and the production, and if there were any justice at all, and there isn’t, Todd would have been inducted into the R&RHOF long ago, proving that honors and awards are worthless.

“Love Is The Answer”
Utopia

But it’s really a Todd Rundgren song, absent the jazz fusion/rock sound of the band. Actually, “Love Is The Answer” is on “Oops! Wrong Planet,” which is the most Rundgrenesque of Utopia’s records, i.e. more straight ahead rock. But the winner is this, the closing track, which was a hit in a schmaltzy version by England Dan & John Ford Coley, but this is the one you’ve got to know…

And when you feel afraid, love one another

It’s no sign of weakness to say you’re scared, to ask for help.

When you’ve lost your way, love one another

The older you get the more you realize, you’ve got no idea where you’re going, you’re in a backwater, you need help, there’s no harm in asking for directions.

When you’re all alone, love one another

The scourge of humanity, loneliness. If only someone were there, we wouldn’t be lost in the detritus of our own thoughts.

When you’re far from home, love one another

It’s a conundrum. The best things happen when you’re on the road, but the pitfalls counterbalance the peaks and oftentimes you’re at loose ends.

When you’re down and out, love one another

People are afraid to look like losers. When they need help most they won’t ask for it.

All your hope’s run out, love one another

Did you see that scary Princeton study on the death rate of middle-aged whites? They’re killing themselves in droves, they’ve lost all hope, there’s no economic opportunity, it’s scary.

When you need a friend, love one another

You can’t make it alone, you need friends. Someone to listen to you, someone to call when you’re down and out.

When you’re near the end, love…

It’s coming, you just may not know it yet. You’re gonna die, sooner rather than later. And the closer you come to the conclusion the more stuff that you thought mattered doesn’t. Assets especially. It’s the intangible that counts. Your friends, your connections, your conversations.

We got to love one another

We most certainly do.

But in today’s game we’re fearful that if we’re not on guard, we’re gonna end up with the short end of the stick. Everybody’s huddled, protecting what they’ve got, focusing on points of division as opposed to connection. And to tell you the truth, I was a bit O.D.’ed on all the love talk way back when from not only Todd, but John Lennon. But having achieved their goals, they knew there had to be something more.

We’ve got to love one another.

We’ve got to love the planet.

We’ve got to think long term as opposed to short, know we’re just custodians of the Earth and we must protect it for future generations.

And I contemplate all this when I listen to such majestic music as “Love Is The Answer,” from back when you could be wimpy and hard-edged and still be the same person.

When did this become a thing?

I first started noticing it on hipsters. Yoga-pants wearing males sporting sandals who seemed to be saying I’m expending so much energy that I just cannot have my hair on my neckline preventing my sweat from escaping. Look at me, olfactory mess that I am, I’m a living, breathing human specimen you can only envy.

But you wouldn’t want to touch.

That’s the thing about man buns. The women make fun of them. I’ve never ever heard a guy talk about someone’s bun but women constantly confide and snicker, laughing at the wearer.

And now it’s expanded. If you’ve got enough hair it’s a reasonable choice. You can no longer tell the personality by the bun. I was at the hospital yesterday and a blue collar denizen escorting his mother was sporting one.

Now when I was in college, and even nerds started growing their hair long, I cut mine off. But no one wants to stand alone anymore, everybody wants to join in.

And why should the man bun be any more acceptable than the ponytail? Maybe if you’re a movie star, or a rock star, you can get away with long locks, indicating you’re an outsider, marching to the beat of your own drummer, even though you’re usually just a slave to the financial grind. But for decades we saw aged men with thinning hair pulling what was left back into a wimpy ponytail that would have any horse in the barn running away.

But that look has evaporated. Now you tie it all on top of your head like a Teletubby. As if it were a hook we could swing you by. Radiating to all the message that you’re a follower, not an individual, trying to gain some cred when actually you’re losing some. Kinda like all those bald guys who shave their heads so they think we won’t know…

Much ado about nothing.

Replacing your mobile phone today is like replacing your computer, something you used to do every couple of years and now do every six or seven. You see the functionality is good enough. Now it’s solely about fashion.

I believe we need cultural signifiers. But they’re disappearing in front of our very eyes. Buy that status iron today, because tomorrow we’ll all be getting our cars on demand, owning nothing. And if you’ve got a phone with LTE, which has been around for half a decade at this point, your device is good enough, you don’t need a new one. And now that they’re making you pay the full price, now that T-Mobile has revolutionized the mobile sphere, people are scared, they don’t want to pay the better part of a grand for a new handset. Of course they were paying that sum before, it was just buried in the contract, illustrating how subterfuge works, kinda like in concert tickets, but do you really need a new phone for a grand?

Most people don’t think so.

Look around, very few people are using the latest hardware. And they don’t care. I love my iPhone 7 Plus, but if Verizon didn’t give me $650 for my iPhone 6, scared I might jump to another provider, I wouldn’t have purchased it.

So what we have is media telling us a story is important when it’s not. Either you’re part of the Android or Apple ecosystem and chances are you’re not gonna change, it’s like trying to turn a Trumper into a left wing acolyte. Now it’s about services.

Make no mistake, like Verizon, Apple and Google are doing their best to lock you into their ecosystems, doing a good job along the way. But it’s got little to do with the handset. You don’t need a new device to use Google apps or Apple Music.

And speaking of Apple Music, now that they’ve marketed to everybody they’ve got the e-mail address/credit card for, have they hit a wall?

But that just illustrates that the focus is now software.

You don’t want to own anything, you just want it available when you need it. Everything else is a souvenir. Souvenirs can be treasured, but they’re a sideshow in the acquisition economy.

People like cool new stuff. But most don’t need it.

The days of cool hardware are done. The focus is on what the hardware, which is good enough, can do. Software reigns. And not only productivity apps software, but music, art, anything that can be accessed/streamed.

The ball is back in the creators’ court. The retailers are taking a backseat.

What are you going to do with this opportunity?