Bob Lefsetz Article

From: Bob Lefsetz [mailto:bob@lefsetz.com] Sent: January-10-08 2:21 AMTo:

Subject: Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers

So I’m surfing god knows where and my computer starts to go BALLISTIC! I mean it starts trying to send e-mail, have a conversation in iChat, allthe while actually speaking to me and opening up Terminal, to fuck with mysystem. This is not supposed to happen on a Mac. I can’t get a menu to work, so much is happening so fast, I can’t force quitany of the apps. So I shut down the entire machine. It takes forever toreboot, under Mac standards, maybe a minute and a half, and then…MAIL’stotaled. Says I’ve got nothing. Seventy odd thousand e-mails… Pfft. I’m in shock. This is not what I had planned for today. I startedresearching online, found nothing and ultimately called Apple. Where thedude was very friendly, but seemed more interested in documenting my alienattack than actually helping me. But eventually I was transferred to asecurity specialist. You know what it’s like to actually to speak withsomeone who knows what he’s talking about? I mean I’m no dummy, I know whata plist is, I know how the machine works. And we’re having an intellectualdiscussion about Macs, security… I’d like to tell you I have such wisediscussions in the music business, but instead I’m usually the victim ofbullying and hype. No wonder the techies are taking over the world. Having installed Leopard and Time Machine, I was able to…go back in timeand put my machine where it had been at noon. Turns out to be easier to dothan I thought. As was installing the extra 500 gig hard drive. Althoughthe dude at Seagate got confused telling me which one to buy. And then I decided to download MissingSync, for my Blackberry. I got an iPod Touch as a gift. It’s the greatest ad for an iPhone ever.Everything just works, INSTANTLY! Not a perfect iPod, since you have towake it up every time you want to adjust volume or change songs, but surfingthe Web is cool. If only I lived in a larger house and I couldn’t take mylaptop wherever I wanted. But I’m NEVER switching to AT&T. “ConsumerReports” just trashed their service, deservedly. I call you, I can’t hear,we can’t connect. Would you switch to Verizon so you can see that cellphones actually work? Not as well as in Europe and the rest of the world,but good enough. But being on a BlackBerry on Verizon leaves me using theexecrable PocketMac. Which doesn’t sync half of half of the contacts. So,after updating my address book using the new Mail menu that allows you toinstantly add the people who’ve e-mailed you, I went to purchase MissingSyncand COULDN’T FIND MY WALLET! I’m calling the grocery store, I’m freakingout. Not quite as bad as having a car accident, but talk about ruining yourwhole week… After an hour, after reality had to start to set in, after Iturned the house upside down, I found it under my bed. How it got there… What else is on my mind? They say it’s the greatest country in the world, but if you believe this,you haven’t left home. I was on a plane, the fucking bathroom door didn’twork. Talk about SMELL! And there was a kid coughing. THROUGHOUT THEFLIGHT! I’ve got a cough now too, asshole. And I’m reading an interview with David Frum, who plays for the wrong team,i.e. the Republicans. And they ask him what his problem is with LaurieDavid. And he says ANYBODY WHO FLIES AROUND IN A PRIVATE JET PREACHINGGREEN DESERVES NEGATIVE FEEDBACK. I agree. You e-mail me to tell everybodyto use fluorescent bulbs, but your carbon footprint is the size of Exxon’s. And Steve Jobs is gonna announce iTunes movie rentals Tuesday. Am I theonly one who doesn’t give a fuck? That these same rich assholes want topreserve a business making these horribly shitty pictures? It’s us versusthem. And they are rich, they’re wealthy hedge funders paying capital gainsrates on their guaranteed income. They’re people who believe money triumphsover everything. And while I’m at it, although the mainstream and cool merged in the latetwentieth century, I’m here to tell you COOL IS DONE! No one cares anymore.For cool to triumph, there’s got to be a mainstream. THERE IS NOMAINSTREAM! Just a zillion different niches. Hey, my favorite e-mail of the week is the one from the guy who works atBank of America Securities giving me shit that my listening habits aren’tcool enough. YOU WORK FOR THE MAN! I can listen to music all day long, I’mnot a slave to the grind. But you’ve got your money, so you think you’re abig swinging dick. And what does this have to do with music? If you like something, SO BE IT! People hated the Carpenters in theseventies, now everybody says they were great. Don’t follow leaders, watchthe parking meters. Which brings me to this two disc free download album Bruce Hornsby is givingaway on his Website. Didn’t work for me at first. The unzipping hung. But when I ultimately got it, and listened on my iPod, I was stunned. THEYCOULD ACTUALLY PLAY! Remember when being a musician meant that you wereschooled, you practiced, you had talent? When how you looked, your image,your endorsements…weren’t even part of the picture? Well, looks alwayscounted, but that didn’t stop Jerry Garcia and Pigpen. But it would stopthem today. So these are not my favorite Bruce Hornsby MP3s. My absolute fave is hisrendition of “Tangled Up In Blue” with Bela Fleck live at the TellurideBluegrass Festival. Still, there are moments of magic here. Listen to thevery first track, “Country Doctor”. Not as a hit, but while you’re doingsomething else, reading the newspaper. You’ll be HYPNOTIZED! You’ll findyourself tapping your fingers involuntarily. That’s a reaction to music,not buying the merch. What a fucked up business this is. It’s about money, not music. But when Bruce segues from “Fortunate Son” into “Comfortably Numb”, youremember who you are. All those times you heard the Pink Floyd track on FMradio. If you want an adventure, buy Bruce’s “Spirit Trail”. You’ll becomeenraptured. I want another double album like that, of new material from a guy who got ona run, who didn’t labor so much as get INSPIRED! And there’s inspiration on this free download. You can hear the joy, youmarvel at the musicianship. It may not be your cup of tea, but that’s notthe point. The point is you can listen to this, you don’t have to see it,you can be taken away by the notes. And, right now, I want to be lifted ona magic carpet above the bullshit, and this music works. http://www.brucehornsby.com/free_christmas2007.htm —
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