Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Two Lesbians Raised A Baby And This Is What They Got
Check out this video. A powerful speech appealing for the support of same sex marriage. Two Lesbians Raised A Baby And This Is What They Got
Celebrity interviews, Publicity, and Context
From BobLefsetz.com
http://wtfpod.libsyn.com/episode-145-gallagher
Have you got an hour?
Nobody has an hour, not even prepubescents scheduled to the max by parents who believe if they don't get into an Ivy League school their lives will be ruined.
But we've all got time for greatness.
I want you to listen to this podcast. Not because you care about Gallagher, not because I want to burnish Marc Maron's image, but because it's so damn riveting you won't be able to turn it off and you won't stop thinking about it when it's done.
In case you were unborn in the eighties, during that era Gallagher was the biggest comic out there, he did fourteen specials on TV, famous for smashing watermelons, no one seemed to like him but he kept on getting bigger and bigger.
And who do we attribute this to?
Ken Kragen.
Ken seems to have been forgotten, but not only was he one of the biggest managers of the twentieth century, one has to ask whether his acts would have made it without him, because each and every one of them hit the skids when the relationship ended.
Yup, Ken built not only Kenny Rogers, but Trisha Yearwood, Travis Tritt and Gallagher. And each and every one of them fired him. Ah, maybe the ending was more complicated than that, but I've always believed they got sick of listening to Ken, they wanted to do it for themselves. But Ken had the vision, Ken smoothed the rough edges, without Ken, they were nothing. Well, barely more than nothing.
Ken found Gallagher and had him open for Kenny. That's where Gallagher started, at least that's what he says in this podcast. And I tend to believe most of what he says here, because he seems to have no idea how he comes across, that's the mark of someone so enamored of his shtick that there's no need to lie.
And the intro is almost interminable, with Maron apologizing for his behavior.
And then you start listening and want to cut Gallagher a break, he's past his peak and he knows it. But then Gallagher becomes so self-satisfied, so obnoxious, that you turn on him.
It's not that Gallagher's stupid. He says how he used to be a chemist and he demonstrates more knowledge of science than I'm familiar with.
But he just can't understand context.
And Gallagher didn't want to do this podcast.
And neither did Maron.
It was Gallagher's manager's idea. You see managers don't understand context either, they believe that all publicity is good publicity. Richard Lewis played Carnegie Hall and then his manager booked him at the Concord. Richard refused, said it wasn't his audience. But after being convinced to do the gig, he bombed.
Artists know best.
And artists don't appeal to everybody. That's a fiction of the eighties, of the MTV era. You've got your own specialized audience, be proud of it.
Anyway, after you turn on Gallagher, Maron starts asking him questions and Gallagher becomes more and more standoffish. Rather than examine what Maron has to say, he just dismisses it, waves off most of comedy with one hand, saying he knows the way since he's been in the game for thirty years. Reminds me of nothing so much as the major label infrastructure putting down the Internet upstarts.
But you've really got to give credit to Marc here. Unlike bending over backward in the introduction, cutting Gallagher a break, he does not do this during the interview. He stands his ground. He goes deeper. Instead of letting Gallagher off the hook, he keeps exploring.
This is so different from today's celebrity journalism it's eye-popping. It's an unspoken rule...I provide access to my act and you play nice. You can't ask about this and you can't ask about that. And if you stumble upon a problem, if my artist looks bad, you've got to back off, you've got to make it right.
I don't care if you know nothing about comedy, if you don't give a whit about Gallagher. This podcast is dangerous theatre that just cannot be denied. Listen.
P.S. Although Maron tells a fascinating story about approaching an icon to do his podcast who refuses, based on prior bad treatment of him by Marc, you can start right in with the Gallagher interview by fast-forwarding to 13:30.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
http://wtfpod.libsyn.com/episode-145-gallagher
Have you got an hour?
Nobody has an hour, not even prepubescents scheduled to the max by parents who believe if they don't get into an Ivy League school their lives will be ruined.
But we've all got time for greatness.
I want you to listen to this podcast. Not because you care about Gallagher, not because I want to burnish Marc Maron's image, but because it's so damn riveting you won't be able to turn it off and you won't stop thinking about it when it's done.
In case you were unborn in the eighties, during that era Gallagher was the biggest comic out there, he did fourteen specials on TV, famous for smashing watermelons, no one seemed to like him but he kept on getting bigger and bigger.
And who do we attribute this to?
Ken Kragen.
Ken seems to have been forgotten, but not only was he one of the biggest managers of the twentieth century, one has to ask whether his acts would have made it without him, because each and every one of them hit the skids when the relationship ended.
Yup, Ken built not only Kenny Rogers, but Trisha Yearwood, Travis Tritt and Gallagher. And each and every one of them fired him. Ah, maybe the ending was more complicated than that, but I've always believed they got sick of listening to Ken, they wanted to do it for themselves. But Ken had the vision, Ken smoothed the rough edges, without Ken, they were nothing. Well, barely more than nothing.
Ken found Gallagher and had him open for Kenny. That's where Gallagher started, at least that's what he says in this podcast. And I tend to believe most of what he says here, because he seems to have no idea how he comes across, that's the mark of someone so enamored of his shtick that there's no need to lie.
And the intro is almost interminable, with Maron apologizing for his behavior.
And then you start listening and want to cut Gallagher a break, he's past his peak and he knows it. But then Gallagher becomes so self-satisfied, so obnoxious, that you turn on him.
It's not that Gallagher's stupid. He says how he used to be a chemist and he demonstrates more knowledge of science than I'm familiar with.
But he just can't understand context.
And Gallagher didn't want to do this podcast.
And neither did Maron.
It was Gallagher's manager's idea. You see managers don't understand context either, they believe that all publicity is good publicity. Richard Lewis played Carnegie Hall and then his manager booked him at the Concord. Richard refused, said it wasn't his audience. But after being convinced to do the gig, he bombed.
Artists know best.
And artists don't appeal to everybody. That's a fiction of the eighties, of the MTV era. You've got your own specialized audience, be proud of it.
Anyway, after you turn on Gallagher, Maron starts asking him questions and Gallagher becomes more and more standoffish. Rather than examine what Maron has to say, he just dismisses it, waves off most of comedy with one hand, saying he knows the way since he's been in the game for thirty years. Reminds me of nothing so much as the major label infrastructure putting down the Internet upstarts.
But you've really got to give credit to Marc here. Unlike bending over backward in the introduction, cutting Gallagher a break, he does not do this during the interview. He stands his ground. He goes deeper. Instead of letting Gallagher off the hook, he keeps exploring.
This is so different from today's celebrity journalism it's eye-popping. It's an unspoken rule...I provide access to my act and you play nice. You can't ask about this and you can't ask about that. And if you stumble upon a problem, if my artist looks bad, you've got to back off, you've got to make it right.
I don't care if you know nothing about comedy, if you don't give a whit about Gallagher. This podcast is dangerous theatre that just cannot be denied. Listen.
P.S. Although Maron tells a fascinating story about approaching an icon to do his podcast who refuses, based on prior bad treatment of him by Marc, you can start right in with the Gallagher interview by fast-forwarding to 13:30.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Don't you ever ever ever ever ever ever...give up.
From Bob Lefsetz:
"It ain't how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward."
Rocky Balboa
Marc Maron's podcast was referenced in today's "New York Times". He's a comic. I knew his name but was clueless as to what he did until a month or two ago, when I got clued into his podcast WTF and ultimately started listening.
He's done over 200.
200+ podcasts and I wasn't listening. Most people still aren't listening. But suddenly, Maron's got traction.
That's the kind of dedication you need.
Maron was about to give up, he'd hit a nadir. I'm not sure what motivated him to do the podcast, wherein he interviews comedians, but anybody can have an idea, but not everybody has the perseverance to execute. Usually success comes long after you expect it, when you're running on fumes, when there are just enough crumbs to keep you going, but everybody else laughs and tells you to give up.
You've got to have a vision, you've got to believe you can make it.
And this vision and the concomitant desire is more important than talent. Come on, how talented is Madonna? You've gotta want it.
Not that you can suck. The highway is littered with delusional people who believe they're entitled to success, who are still waiting for it.
But some do make it, and they're rarely overnight successes. Or else they make it and lose it and it's hard coming back.
I saw Dice at the Pollstar Awards. To say he killed would be an understatement. He went on and on, he was just supposed to intro a winner. But just as he'd get ready to rip open the envelope, he'd keep his routine going, and it was so blue but so right I've never forgotten it, I was rooting for his comeback on "Entourage". I'm a believer. And I never got Dice before this.
In this WTF podcast, Dice talks about becoming a target. That's what happens when you make it, that's what you've got to swallow, that's what goes with the territory, that's what I don't understand about Taylor Swift. You're playing the victim? You won! Have a sense of humor, the barbs come with the territory!
And we don't know if Taylor will crash, but Dice did. And how do you march forward?
By applying Rocky Balboa's philosophy. Everyone thinks it's about being a winner, taking control of your life, all that self-help b.s. Like if you visualize success, you'll get it.
What a crock.
Life is about getting knocked around. Being able to separate the bullies from the trustworthy people. Being able to bond with enough people to carry you forward.
It is all about friends.
But your enemies never give up. Because you've got what they don't. And they want to teach you a lesson.
I'm not sure if Dice will come back. Sometimes the public doesn't let you. The media ignores you. You're yesterday's news.
But you can't give up.
Rocky never gave up.
Episode 197 - Andrew Dice Clay / Max Silverstein: http://bit.ly/pSPULg
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
"It ain't how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward."
Rocky Balboa
Marc Maron's podcast was referenced in today's "New York Times". He's a comic. I knew his name but was clueless as to what he did until a month or two ago, when I got clued into his podcast WTF and ultimately started listening.
He's done over 200.
200+ podcasts and I wasn't listening. Most people still aren't listening. But suddenly, Maron's got traction.
That's the kind of dedication you need.
Maron was about to give up, he'd hit a nadir. I'm not sure what motivated him to do the podcast, wherein he interviews comedians, but anybody can have an idea, but not everybody has the perseverance to execute. Usually success comes long after you expect it, when you're running on fumes, when there are just enough crumbs to keep you going, but everybody else laughs and tells you to give up.
You've got to have a vision, you've got to believe you can make it.
And this vision and the concomitant desire is more important than talent. Come on, how talented is Madonna? You've gotta want it.
Not that you can suck. The highway is littered with delusional people who believe they're entitled to success, who are still waiting for it.
But some do make it, and they're rarely overnight successes. Or else they make it and lose it and it's hard coming back.
I saw Dice at the Pollstar Awards. To say he killed would be an understatement. He went on and on, he was just supposed to intro a winner. But just as he'd get ready to rip open the envelope, he'd keep his routine going, and it was so blue but so right I've never forgotten it, I was rooting for his comeback on "Entourage". I'm a believer. And I never got Dice before this.
In this WTF podcast, Dice talks about becoming a target. That's what happens when you make it, that's what you've got to swallow, that's what goes with the territory, that's what I don't understand about Taylor Swift. You're playing the victim? You won! Have a sense of humor, the barbs come with the territory!
And we don't know if Taylor will crash, but Dice did. And how do you march forward?
By applying Rocky Balboa's philosophy. Everyone thinks it's about being a winner, taking control of your life, all that self-help b.s. Like if you visualize success, you'll get it.
What a crock.
Life is about getting knocked around. Being able to separate the bullies from the trustworthy people. Being able to bond with enough people to carry you forward.
It is all about friends.
But your enemies never give up. Because you've got what they don't. And they want to teach you a lesson.
I'm not sure if Dice will come back. Sometimes the public doesn't let you. The media ignores you. You're yesterday's news.
But you can't give up.
Rocky never gave up.
Episode 197 - Andrew Dice Clay / Max Silverstein: http://bit.ly/pSPULg
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
Friday, November 25, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
It's Got to be about the music...
From Boblefsetz.com
1. You've got to know people. Word of mouth can spread only if you know other mouths.
2. The agent had a friend who knew the band, he checked them out, he signed them.
Then what...
3. It was about the agent's relationships. Used to be the start was a record deal, now you begin on the road. But it's almost impossible to get a gig. Unless you've got an agent. And an agent won't sign you unless he thinks you're good. Because for a good long while, the agent's going to be working for free.
4. The first Dawes tour netted the grand sum of fifty dollars a gig. The agent's commission was five bucks. Unless you can see the grand scheme, unless the band's gonna break through, forget it.
5. The band survived by sleeping on couches. Maybe rock and roll's a young man's game. If you're looking for tour support, keep your day job. This is Dawes's first bus tour.
6. Then Dawes graduated to $250 a night. At this point, they're still trading on the reputation of the agent, he's using his contacts, convincing other agents and bands that Dawes is good, that they should let them open their show.
7. Not only does the band kill it on stage, they kill it at the merch booth. They stay there forever. It's less about making money than making contacts. It's these early believers who will spread the word.
8. There was a Chevy commercial, featuring "When My Time Comes", but they got it because the track had already gone viral, kind of like "A Little Bit Of Everything" tonight. When I saw the band over the summer, everybody sang along with "When My Time Comes", vociferously. Now they're singing "A Little Bit Of Everything" too. It was passed from person to person, on a grass roots level, there was no top down campaign, no cementing radio play. Unless you're a Top Forty act, this is the way you do it.
9. When you catch fire, your price goes up immediately. Suddenly, the band was making a grand a night, then five, then ten. You're nobody, then you're somebody.
10. Taylor Goldsmith not only sings and writes, he plays. Kind of like Springsteen, Taylor can execute the leads and still sing. There's no hit yet, but it doesn't matter. There wasn't a hit off the first two Springsteen albums either. You build it on the road, the definitive track will come. Then again, Springsteen and the E Street Band were more charismatic than Dawes. The Dawes crew is more everyman, hey, maybe that's why they back up Jackson Browne!
11. Jody Stephens came out to play drums. Greatness attracts greatness. Musicians are not jealous, they're looking for the next big thing. Sure, they like money, but they like music more.
12. Benmont Tench came out and played on the two encores, tracks he performed on on the record. And when he placed his hands on the organ keys, it sounded so right.
13. They played "Million Dollar Bill". And "So Well". And, as stated above, "A Little Bit Of Everything". That's what I want, a little bit of everything, I want to partake at the smorgasbord of life. Visit every country, eat it all up.
14. I met the dad after, Lenny Goldsmith, who played with Sweathog and Tower Of Power. He said it was before in-ear monitors, he could barely hear himself sing over the horns. He gave up the dream when his second wife got pregnant. She told him he was too old to rock and roll, thirty seven, he sells real estate now.
15. I asked the drummer and bass player why they broke through, what made it happen. In unison, they both said the songs.
16. The agent got them started, but management counts too. They testified about Tony DiCioccio, he told the band what t-shirts to make, what would sell.
17. It's a whole team, not only agent and manager, but label too. You're all in it together. And it's got to be about music more than money because it's such a long hard slog.
1. You've got to know people. Word of mouth can spread only if you know other mouths.
2. The agent had a friend who knew the band, he checked them out, he signed them.
Then what...
3. It was about the agent's relationships. Used to be the start was a record deal, now you begin on the road. But it's almost impossible to get a gig. Unless you've got an agent. And an agent won't sign you unless he thinks you're good. Because for a good long while, the agent's going to be working for free.
4. The first Dawes tour netted the grand sum of fifty dollars a gig. The agent's commission was five bucks. Unless you can see the grand scheme, unless the band's gonna break through, forget it.
5. The band survived by sleeping on couches. Maybe rock and roll's a young man's game. If you're looking for tour support, keep your day job. This is Dawes's first bus tour.
6. Then Dawes graduated to $250 a night. At this point, they're still trading on the reputation of the agent, he's using his contacts, convincing other agents and bands that Dawes is good, that they should let them open their show.
7. Not only does the band kill it on stage, they kill it at the merch booth. They stay there forever. It's less about making money than making contacts. It's these early believers who will spread the word.
8. There was a Chevy commercial, featuring "When My Time Comes", but they got it because the track had already gone viral, kind of like "A Little Bit Of Everything" tonight. When I saw the band over the summer, everybody sang along with "When My Time Comes", vociferously. Now they're singing "A Little Bit Of Everything" too. It was passed from person to person, on a grass roots level, there was no top down campaign, no cementing radio play. Unless you're a Top Forty act, this is the way you do it.
9. When you catch fire, your price goes up immediately. Suddenly, the band was making a grand a night, then five, then ten. You're nobody, then you're somebody.
10. Taylor Goldsmith not only sings and writes, he plays. Kind of like Springsteen, Taylor can execute the leads and still sing. There's no hit yet, but it doesn't matter. There wasn't a hit off the first two Springsteen albums either. You build it on the road, the definitive track will come. Then again, Springsteen and the E Street Band were more charismatic than Dawes. The Dawes crew is more everyman, hey, maybe that's why they back up Jackson Browne!
11. Jody Stephens came out to play drums. Greatness attracts greatness. Musicians are not jealous, they're looking for the next big thing. Sure, they like money, but they like music more.
12. Benmont Tench came out and played on the two encores, tracks he performed on on the record. And when he placed his hands on the organ keys, it sounded so right.
13. They played "Million Dollar Bill". And "So Well". And, as stated above, "A Little Bit Of Everything". That's what I want, a little bit of everything, I want to partake at the smorgasbord of life. Visit every country, eat it all up.
14. I met the dad after, Lenny Goldsmith, who played with Sweathog and Tower Of Power. He said it was before in-ear monitors, he could barely hear himself sing over the horns. He gave up the dream when his second wife got pregnant. She told him he was too old to rock and roll, thirty seven, he sells real estate now.
15. I asked the drummer and bass player why they broke through, what made it happen. In unison, they both said the songs.
16. The agent got them started, but management counts too. They testified about Tony DiCioccio, he told the band what t-shirts to make, what would sell.
17. It's a whole team, not only agent and manager, but label too. You're all in it together. And it's got to be about music more than money because it's such a long hard slog.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
What is Maya?
Here's an explanation of what Maya is, based upon question asked about my song, 'Sou's Caliber'.
Friday, November 11, 2011
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