I drove the Mars rover!

Used to be you wanted to be on the lot. Back when movies drove the culture and Hollywood was still dreamland, back before the means of production were at our fingertips and Silicon Valley pushed the envelope and usurped L.A.’s power.

Kind of sad if you think about it. All the religious shrines have been devalued or disappeared, remember when the record store was iconic and you couldn’t even get a job there? It just wasn’t a retail location, it was the epicenter of a movement, ground zero for soul sustenance.

Which is all a long explanation to say that my heart did not go pitter-patter as I drove onto the Fox lot today. Movies are a sideshow, dumbed-down to play all over the world.

But when I got out of the structure and set foot on the campus…

I felt it.

Access is everything these days. You’ve either got it or want it. We all want to get somewhere we can’t. Like backstage. And no amount of money will get you on the Fox lot, but if your name is on the list…

Do you get anxious, wondering if your name will be there?

I do. I feel an impostor, like I’m pulling one over on somebody. And at first I thought the clerk couldn’t find my name, but in truth he was executing security protocols. He not only wanted my name, but the building I was going to and my ID. Because nowhere is safe anymore, or at least we don’t think so. That’s what’s changed. You can view the world from your couch, but if you actually want to get up and go you’re going to pass through many checkpoints. There are cameras everywhere, but still…bad actors abound.

Now I didn’t want to ask for directions. I’m fearful of appearing a newbie, and I don’t want to give the cops any reason to exclude me, to hold me back.

But I found Building 58 right away, it was right next to the parking structure.

And after taking a pee in the women’s room, don’t worry, it was single user and I had to go, I wandered through the building looking for Room 128. Act like you belong, even if you don’t, it goes a long way.

I was early.

L.A.’s weird, everybody’s late. But then you are and you feel awful.

But the rest of my group showed up soon.

There was the head of post production.

That’s a big job folks, one of the biggest. And I always wonder how someone gets from there to here. They make it sound easy, but it never is, even if you’re connected, and Ted Gagliano was not. He started off working for Frank Mancuso, was at Paramount for a long while, and…

The more this dude is talking the more I realize he’s a huge deal, and is the President of Post Production really taking time out of his day to talk to me?

Do we cut to the chase or can I investigate?

Ted went to Princeton. Not that you’d know it by looking at him, he was wearing his jeans. The biggest jobs are done by those who don’t advertise via their exterior. Rock was biggest when the players wore their street clothes. I’ll argue music went downhill when Tommy Mottola and the Sony brass started wearing suits. Give Lucian Grainge credit, he rarely shows up in one.

So the Innovation Lab is preparing Fox for the future. It’s coming, you know that, right? Everything changes, you do your best to survive.

Or you don’t and get plowed under, like all the musicians wondering who moved their cheese.

So then Ted Schilowitz showed up. He’s the hands-on guy.

And Ted S. is telling me how kids are hamstrung by society and can’t wait to get home, shut the door and make decisions, interact online and with video games. Whereas oldsters are overburdened with life and by time they get home they just want to relax, sit in front of the screen and shut down.

But screens it is.

Ted S. said we’re in front of one all day long. And that’s true. We wake up and look at our smartphone, we go to work and sit in front of a monitor, we come home and sit in front of the TV. What’s on these screens is important!

And both Teds agreed we wanted to interact.

Now virtual reality has gotten a bad rap. Kinda like 3-D TV, the techies keep raving about it and the public can’t see the fruits.

And the messaging is all screwed up. All this hogwash about VR and live entertainment. Er, no. You go to live entertainment to interact with the crowd, to feel it, seeing is only a small component.

And then you have the geeks with their gaming.

The problem with gaming is…

It’s trickery. There are no instructions and tons of dead ends and the frustration factor is through the roof! So many people check out.

But the truth is, VR is about the EXPERIENCE!

It’s not about the window to the world, but INHABITING that world.

And the techies just cannot convey this.

But when I was on Mars today…

Fox spent millions to repurpose the film “The Martian” as a VR experience.

But first I put on the Oculus Rift headset, the one with all the buzz, the one that got a boost from Kickstarter and was ultimately bought by Facebook. Fox tried to buy it, but the company was too late. If you want to surf the crest of the future, you’ve got to COMMIT!

And the truth is some of the effects I saw were cool, especially standing on the parapet of a New York building and watching the New Year’s Eve ball come down, but I was constantly afraid of FALLING DOWN! I’d just seen the doctor this morning, I didn’t want to mess up my arm. They kept imploring me to turn, but I wasn’t gonna. Especially after they told me people had fallen already.

But then I strapped on the HTC headset, with hand controllers, and jetted off to Mars.

It felt different, it felt like Mars. Lonely and red, dusty…

But then I had to take control, I had to throw switches, open doors, I was INVOLVED!

But the coolest part was getting behind the wheel of the rover. I intentionally drove it into the rocks. My seat shaked. The game was smart.

I could have driven that rover all afternoon, feeling the bumps, scanning the landscape. It was kind of like skiing, it took all my energy and concentration, I felt removed from the real world, and that’s a thrill.

And you can buy the Mars excursion right now. But there are even better things coming. Narratives, but with more options.

The truth is we love narrative, we’re addicted to stories. As for short attention spans, if that’s the case, if kids can’t concentrate, then why are they doing marathons on Netflix?

We’re gonna have so much time on our hands. Machines are gonna do the work, we’re not even gonna DRIVE!

So what fills the hole?

Entertainment!

Video games already outstrip movies in revenue. There’s something on the horizon, more immersive. The price of the hardware has to come down, and it will, as it simultaneously gets better, but it’s about a breakout hit, software.

Don’t depend on the techies. These were the same people who told us to buy computers to store our recipes. Huh? The breakthrough app was AOL, interactivity, we wanted to connect. And I’m sure there will be a VR environment like “World of Warcraft” coming.

“Myst” broke open computer gaming. We just need the app everyone’s got to own.

Few owned computers, even fewer had modems, then AOL drove everybody to the store, they wanted to play.

People are thinking about the future. It’s not quite here, and it won’t be what people say it will be, but we’re on the hunt for titillation, and we go where we find it.

And the stunning thing was the two Teds were consumed by this. Conversation in music is rarely about that, it’s all about the business, the money, the penumbra. But in Room 128 today we were freestyling about story, about technology, this is what you come to Hollywood for, to escape the grind of the bank, to avoid a life of drudgery.

So maybe the dream factory is ready for a rebirth. A true hyperspace that is not dependent upon “Star Wars” remakes.

One thing’s for sure, I’M SITTING DOWN FOR IT!

It’s over.

The media can’t get over the fact that no one is paying attention to it. That the “New York Times” is an echo chamber, Fox News too. These baby boomers and Gen-X’ers are functioning in a different era, when one could reach everybody.

You can’t reach everybody anymore.

The Police started this paradigm in music. Stewart Copeland’s dad was a spook who’d been stationed in out of the way places and Stewart and his brother, the band’s manager Ian, decided to take the act to the hinterlands, after all, people are people, you can make fans everywhere.

And this is how the music business has operated ever since. You cut an album every three, four or five years and then go knocking on doors all over the world, trying to drum up interest and convert people. But if you’re doing that today the joke is on you, the cycle moves too fast, new product comes every hour, never mind every day, and if you’re not busy creating you’re being left behind.

But that’s just to stay in the game.

Winning the game?

Lower your expectations.

In a world where even the NFL’s ratings are taking a hit, where vaunted TV shows don’t crack double digit millions in viewers, the truth is attention is scattered and you just can’t gain it.

Now you can rebel against this, to no effect. This is what the oldster musicians have been doing for a decade and a half. Their main message is who let the dogs out? Not only the public expecting all the music for one low price, if not free, but the other acts they’re now competing against. With the barrier to entry essentially nonexistent, new acts are climbing the wall and invading. And the same thing is happening in news. Everybody’s a reporter. And the old guard just can’t understand why consumers don’t drop all the newbies and pay attention to THEM!

Hmm…

How does it all work out?

I DON’T KNOW!

But the biggest act of the year was the election. The debates garnered audiences unheard of previously, the numbers were especially staggering seeing how bad most entertainment products do these days. Let that be a lesson to you, when it’s about life and death, about your future, people care. And fakery’s got no place in the game. If you’re DOING it for ratings, if you’re DOING it for the money, you’ve missed the plot. That was one of the Donald’s hooks, he was funding his campaign HIMSELF!

This is important. Because as Bob Dylan said, to live outside the law you have to be honest.

Which is why the techies triumphed. Their products were based on 0’s and 1’s. There was little human emotion involved. And they created items that everybody needed. Which is why techies became the new rock stars. Everybody had a Facebook page, everybody had an opinion on the service. And now there’s Snapchat and…

The truth is this tech thing is long in the tooth. It’s hair bands about to be replaced by hip-hop and grunge. But the lesson still stands, in order to dominate today you’ve got to deliver what people NEED! And just telling them they’ll need it won’t get you there. It’s about virality, word of mouth, heat.

And the product must be palatable to most.

Which is why Adele’s “21” was such a hit. Everyone’s got a soft spot for artistry. We like good voices, hooks, melodies. “21” outsold everything else by a huge multiple. Then she and her team shot themselves in the foot by refusing to put “25” on streaming services and making an album that just wasn’t good enough.

You want your stuff to be everywhere. The techies wrote this rule. Acceptance is key, monetization comes thereafter. But the entertainment business is a greedy, street one, it focuses on money first and leaves too much cash on the table.

But the truth is we’re only interested in great. It’s a world of 9’s and 10’s only. Sure, you might be able to gain an audience for a 7 or 8, but you can’t grow it significantly, because people are overwhelmed, they don’t have time for mediocre.

So you’ve got to lower your sights. Most people and their endeavors will not reach critical mass. And a few will triumph, but then comes the question, WHAT WILL THE REST DO?

Driverless vehicles are going to decimate the ranks of professional drivers overnight, millions of truck drivers are going to lose their jobs, and they’re never coming back.

And the internet has made it so only a few musicians are wealthy.

And only a few news outlets are profitable.

So if you’re in it for the long haul, climb to quality.

But know that it’s almost impossible to reach critical mass.

Everybody likes something different, everybody’s got a different opinion.

Fake news didn’t get Donald Trump elected, angry, disenfranchised voters did. And it’s hard for the media to accept this, believing it is an all powerful ruler. Just like the music business believed it could corral consumers into buying overpriced CDs.

Most people don’t know Taylor Swift’s music.

Most people have never heard of Drake.

Most people don’t read the “New York Times.”

AND MOST PEOPLE DON’T CARE!

Manchester By The Sea – Trailer

Life is about loss.

It starts off all sunny and sweet, with your first grade teacher telling you you can become President, and then you wake up one day filled with grief, wondering what happened, soldiering on like a zombie, if you can put one foot in front of the other at all.

“You Can Count On Me” is my favorite film of the twenty first century. It’s hiding in plain sight, you can see it, but almost no one does, I haven’t heard anybody reference it in years.

And while you’re at it, looking up ancient gems, try 2011’s “A Separation,” which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film, deservedly so, but Americans can’t like anything about Iran, never mind a movie with subtitles.

Film used to be art.

Now it’s a genre. Inhabited by superheroes. A place where you go to be abused. Today at the AMC they had thirty minutes of previews. Just because I’m a captive audience doesn’t mean you can insult me, especially after I’ve paid. But that’s the America we live in, where it’s so hard to garner eyeballs that we force you to pay attention, even if you don’t want to. Because the United States is about sales. Convincing people to buy what they do not need via subterfuge, so the purveyor can put food on the table, a roof over his head and…

Not everybody’s a winner.

I know that’s heresy, but it’s the truth. Not everybody is college material. Not everybody can be rich.

And “Manchester By The Sea” is about these people. It was written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan, the same man who did “You Can Count On Me,” that’s why I went, never underestimate your credibility, while most are whoring themselves out to the highest bidder, believing the corporation is their daddy, there are some who are still seeking truth, who have an audience, however silent, bonded to them. And “Manchester By The Sea” will never gross a hundred million dollars, probably won’t win Best Picture, but for those hungry for a peek at real life, this is where you can get it.

Certain things happened in my life that I just can’t get over. I didn’t see them coming, and all I can do is push them down inside and march forward, but I feel like I’m the only one, when I know so many others are hurting too. I want to tell them they’re not alone, because loneliness kills, deadens you inside, you can work with others every day but still feel alienated, still feel unknown, still feel like if you disappeared right now…you wouldn’t be missed.

Lee Chandler made a mistake.

We all do. But the movers and shakers, those we look up to, deny it. How are you supposed to accept the fact that you screwed up?

You get into a car accident because you were fiddling with the radio, or looking at a girl or guy on the sidewalk… But no one says that, they blame another driver, a sunspot, but deep inside…they feel awful.

And sometimes your mistakes are so major there’s no coming back from them. A line is drawn.

Sometimes it’s something you say. I’ve been in relationships where my significant other has said something that I know there’s no turning back from, that we’ll be together a bit more but it’s all downhill from here, it’s just a matter of time before it’s over, because I can’t ever get past what they said.

Sometimes it’s something you do.

Lee did something. He’s admits it, he’s apologetic, but it’s not enough, he won’t be forgiven, by others or himself.

So he leaves.

But then more loss occurs and he’s forced to return to Manchester By The Sea, where his original mistake took place.

And the photography in this film is brilliant. If you’ve ever lived in New England, especially during the winter, you’ll marvel at the vibe, the snow, the cold… TV has taken the reins from film but it’s all about story, there’s no focus on atmosphere, which doesn’t work so well on the small screen anyway.

And when Lee returns he’s a marked man.

His mistake is as fresh as yesterday. And he just can’t cope with it.

And speaking of coping…

Gretchen Mol, the It Girl of yesterday, plays an alcoholic mother. We’re brought up to believe looks are the golden ticket, that if you’re beautiful life works out. But that’s not true. Some people are incapable of doing the right thing, Gretchen Mol’s Elise is one of them.

And then there’s the son, Patrick, who is surrounded by friends and has two girlfriends. Illustrating not only that people are everything, it’s all about community, but that high school truly is the peak of many people’s lives. Those who are ultimately left behind.

And live long enough and you find out doing the right thing is just not enough. It takes two to make a marriage work. You might not want a divorce, but she does. But does love ever fade?

When Lee gets a phone call from his ex it’s everything he wants and nothing that he can handle. We lie awake at night dreaming of things going right but then when the opportunity presents itself we realize there’s no turning back.

I’m not recommending “Manchester By The Sea.” Most people don’t want to see depressing movies about losers.

But I do.

And some others do too.

Because we know under the skin we’re all the same. That we win and we lose and half the time we’ve got no clue what’s really going on, we just get up every day and do what we’re supposed to and hope that the good times come.

Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don’t.

And then you realize so much time has passed that doors have closed. Not only will you never play for the Yankees, but you won’t have children, you won’t be rich, you’ll be lucky if you’ve got enough money to get you through, and enough laughs to accompany you on your journey.

It’s just a matter of time before things go bad.

I remember stumbling through the nineties being coddled by couples in the Palisades.

Now every one of those couples is divorced.

I remember being the first in my group to get the Big C, and now friends of mine have died.

I remember telling my story over and over again to people who didn’t want to hear it to the point I no longer tell it, but the truth is…

I’ve still got those feelings inside, the chapters of my life are written in stone and they still don’t make sense.

But when I see “Manchester By The Sea” I feel that someone else gets it too, has been there, knows how I feel, and this allows me to move forward, however gingerly, with so many fits and starts.

I don’t know how art became about winning, about sunniness, about anything but the human condition. It used to soothe me, now it bounces off of me.

But there are some people working who are still trying to get it right, trying to illuminate life so we all can relate.

Kenneth Lonergan did this in “Manchester By The Sea.”

And if you’re someone who feels misunderstood, who is more internal than external, who wonders how you got here, how life didn’t work out as planned…

This is the film for you.

Now what?

The press gave this blowhard a pass but now the public has put him in retreat. He gets out and..?

I know, I know, we’re supposed to have sympathy for the mentally ill. But we’re also supposed to recognize psychiatric problems and steer the person to treatment, we did not do that, we stood by idly as this inane insane man whipsawed through our media until he blew himself up.

I, for one, have little sympathy.

I could commit heresy and say he’s just not that talented.

I’ll let you decide.

But I will say him screaming how he was ignored in fashion, how he wasn’t embraced by other businesses… Michael Jordan was the best basketball player ever and he couldn’t make it in baseball. I know of no CEOs who can make it on the hardwood. Why should Kanye West get a pass? Why do we have to listen to the drivel that comes out of his mouth? You’re lucky if you can do one thing well, never mind at a world class level. But in truth, Kanye was selling merch. The mark of a fashion king or queen is when someone buys the item on style as opposed to brand name. I don’t think that ever happened with Kanye’s limited production items. But somehow, he was lionized as a fashion icon too, when the truth is he was just selling souvenirs.

I’m not saying he’s not an innovator. Charging people to see your clothing, to show a video? That’s genius if you think art is about commerce, something music and movies believe is now the holy grail. It doesn’t matter whether a track or a flick is good, just whether it makes bank. Come on, when the Top Ten and weekend grosses are trumpeted in every medium known to man do you think it’s not going to impact the culture? The Beatles never bragged about their number ones, but in a different era Mariah Carey rings the bell and can’t stop talking about it. Is that how far we’ve fallen, when it comes to art we can only talk about statistics? Does everything have to be weighed this way? I guess it does, in a media where lists are everything because they garner eyeballs.

Now Kanye won’t be inside forever. The goal of the hospital today is to stabilize you and get you out as quickly as possible. Then again, they’re restricted by insurance payments, whereas Kanye can pay cash. But really, the days of locking people up for years are passe. Kanye’s gonna be on the street soon. Then what?

We gave Owen Wilson some space, respected his troubles, he attempted suicide and when he was released…crickets. Proving that the media can do the right thing, that not everything is grist for the mill.

But Kanye thrived on publicity.

But then he became Icarus and flew too close to the sun.

Marrying Kim… I blame her, she’s a social climber. That basketball star wasn’t big enough for her. And when Kanye fades, and they all fade, except for Max Martin, will she cashier him, trade him in? I think so. Her brand is built upon publicity, the media is complicit, and when people stop paying attention, she shakes it up.

But at least she’s famous for nothing. We can dismiss Kim Kardashian out of hand. But Kanye?

Credit Obama for calling him a jackass after the Taylor Swift ridiculousness. Barry was excoriated for it, but at least he was being genuine, he was speaking the truth, which is how the Donald won and Hillary lost. Save me the e-mail about Trump’s lies, his SUPPORTERS, who got him ELECTED, believed in him and he certainly broke taboos, all the inside the beltway people said you couldn’t say that, but he did, and the reporters said Trump was toast and they were wrong, they seemingly always get it wrong and they want our trust?

And Kanye, an African-American, who said George Bush didn’t care about black people, he comes out for Donald Trump? The day Donald Trump is good for the black people is the day Adolf Hitler is good for the Jews. Trump may not want to kill blacks, but a lot of his supporters do. And when the rich get richer, history tells us the poor are left behind.

But Kanye isn’t poor anymore!

And then Kanye pissed upon his contemporaries, Jay Z and Beyonce, et al. What did they do to him? That’s when you sever a friendship, when you’re attacked for no reason. And Kanye miscalculated, he didn’t know they were more beloved than he!

And speaking of miscalculation, Kanye thought anything he said goes. That people would follow him willy-nilly anywhere. But it turns out THEY WON’T!

That’s the big story here, the wisdom and power of the crowd.

I’ll argue all day long that the right wing labeled Hillary Clinton unfairly. But I’m hard pressed to say her status quo agenda made me hopeful. Bernie Sanders may have promulgated policies that had no chance of passing but at least he channeled people’s frustration and spoke the truth. But the media blasted Bernie and said hosannas for Hillary. Meanwhile, Trump sneaked to victory between them.

So does Kanye come back and do the same act?

If so, it’s on us to reject it. For the media to cry foul, which it won’t do, because he brings eyeballs and they’re selling ads. But the public? Kanye won’t be instantly embraced. That’s what none of these pop stars realize, that no one’s forever, everybody’s just grist for the mill.

So what is wrong with Kanye?

Nothing serious, I’m sure. He’s just a raving egomaniac in a country populated by them. Not only Trump, but every billionaire believes he too can be President. When we speak of 2020 we hear names like Mark Cuban, even basketball coach Steve Kerr. Because it’s become a popularity contest, no one ponders the fact that the President has to govern. Then again, we’re all about lifting the two-dimensional prophets. Everybody who does the hard work is a chump, at least in the eyes of the media. Clean a toilet? Teach a class? You’re just a taker we can do without. As for the immigrants picking fruit and doing menial labor? They’re taking our jobs and screwing the American economy. Huh? That’s not true, every American wants to be Kanye!

That’s right, deep in the heart of the uneducated is the belief they too can be a rapper, get on a reality TV show, they’re just a shot away from fame.

And it’s not much better amongst the educated. Every college graduate believes they can write an app and be a billionaire. Steve Jobs is their hero and if Evan Spiegel can make it, so can they. Is it any wonder that Evan Spiegel is engaged to Miranda Kerr? Used to be techies were geeks, social misfits, but now they want to be entertainers and the entertainers want to be geeks and I’m stuck in the middle with you, wondering what happened to our country.

Kanye?

Make a record. Cut a hit song. That’s the only thing that can bring you back. You believed your own press, you thought you were a cultural wunderkind. But the truth is you’re second-rate in other spheres. Never forget what brought you here.

As for musicians speaking about politics?

I’m all for it, other than the social networks it’s the only way to reach people. But your opinion ain’t worth much if you don’t vote, like Kanye. You don’t get an opinion if you stay out of the game. Pick a side and advocate for it. And if some of the public rejects you?

Kanye just couldn’t take it. He’s a crybaby. And when the people who bought tickets and merch, who supported every move, were pissed on by him, the backlash began.

Kanye could have apologized, made some lame excuse. But he just couldn’t believe people didn’t love him that much, wouldn’t follow him anywhere. And why should he? He interrupts the VMAs and MTV is thrilled, it’s a magic moment, when the truth is he should have been banned, like Andrew Dice Clay in ’92, because there are rules and if you don’t obey them…

But it turns out the rules just apply to the little people. The winners break them. Whether it be Trump not paying taxes or corporations keeping profits overseas. And we can debate the legality of these moves all day long, but the truth is these entities are testing limits, pushing boundaries, they’re not playing by the spirit of the game.

Used to be musicians tested limits.

But now they’re afraid, because they’re brands and they don’t want to tarnish their image. Did Jackson Pollock not drip because the people couldn’t handle it? Did Bob Dylan continue to make protest music because that’s what the people wanted? Did John Lennon not reveal his inner pain? OF COURSE NOT! THEY FOLLOWED THEIR HEART! AND WERE WILLING TO ENDURE THE CONSEQUENCES!

No artist is willing to endure the consequences anymore, which is why they play it safe, work with Max Martin and the usual suspects. Come on, Max made those Taylor Swift and Weeknd hits, he’s the star. Let’s see the acts do it by themselves.

They can’t.

The public is looking for people to believe in. They need spiritual food, not salesmen. But what they keep getting is charlatans, propped up as heroes.

You win some, you lose some.

Kanye just lost one.

He could lick his wounds and say mea culpa, but he won’t! Because he’s been raised in a culture where you double down and don’t admit fault.

But that era’s coming to an end. Life is just too hard. We’re all human.

Kanye, get better.

But if you come out the same man, I’m out. And everybody else will be too. Take us on a new journey, an aural adventure that titillates us, that’s not about the press story but the music. And forget the clothing, the penumbra, don’t you have enough money?

Money won’t buy you love.

Kim Kardashian was ripped off in Paris and people thought it was fake, just like her TV show, done for ratings.

Kanye insulted his audience and people rejected him.

The rules don’t change, just the people.

And without the people you’re nobody. They’re the correction factor.

Believe it.