Lefsetz on Springsteen's blog/Super Bowl performance

[Ehwmatt]

Thoughts? Deano?

http://www.brucespringsteen.net/news/su ... urnal.html

How can the Boss get this so right, and everything else so wrong?

This is EXACTLY what rock fans have been looking for forever. ACCESS! You might think
backstage is boring, but to the fan, it's a dream. Too often unfulfilled.

True, Bruce doesn't write prose as well as he writes songs. But the fan doesn't mind, the
fan is soaking up all the information.

Bruce followed U2 and the Stones to the Super Bowl, but he's leading in the blogosphere.
While Bono is pontificating in the "New York Times", which his fans are not reading, Bruce
is totally up to date. Let's just hope he UPDATES often. That's the number one rule of
blogging. Regular postings.

Don Henley is a notorious faxer/writer. How come he can't have a blog? He can't sell a
solo record. Maybe by creating a home online he can build a fanbase that's INTERESTED in
his new music.

It's about starting with what you've got.

As for the content of Bruce's post... There's no mention of the band's performance being
canned. But what's even more fascinating to me is this story got no traction. Because
the Super Bowl was OVER! That's our society today. Once the event is done, nobody cares.
Once the fight is history, they've moved on. Very soon, if not already, most people
won't even remember who won the Super Bowl, even though they watched.

Today it's less about having a radio promotion man and more about having a new media/pr
expert, someone who truly understands cyberspace.

Bruce needs to post some demos of "Working On A Dream" online. He needs to give away his
new album to everyone who goes to the show. Now, since he's so prolific, he should write
a few new numbers and release one every few months. People can't digest a whole album,
but they'll check out a track.

That guy at EMI who said the company might sign acts to fifty track deals in the future,
he's got it right. I won't say everything you've known is wrong, but you can't cling to
past paradigms, they just don't work.

And if Bruce really wants to get the label its money back for his less than successful new
album, he's got to pull a Trent Reznor, truly giving the fans what they want. A hundred
bucks for a package including the CD, vinyl and a hardcover book of backstage photos,
maybe signed by the band. Maybe you pay fifty dollars EXTRA for the signatures. This is
the upside, this is the future. Not playing to millions of people who don't care, but
giving more to the people who do. Why let them blow all their money on scalped tickets.
Have them pay you directly. They're GLAD TO DO IT!

[Rockindeano]

The Journey fans here won't read this, but I know you and Walrus will, so here goes:

http://www.brucespringsteen.net/news/su ... urnal.html

How can the Boss get this so right, and everything else so wrong?

Very colourful and informative write up/blog. Had no idea they practiced the Halftime show in the driving rain, all guitars powered up and full band as well. I wish all bands would do write ups like this. He takes the reader backstage, and lets them in all the secrets. The band as it turns out, was not canned, so blow me losers.

As for what he is getting wrong, I would love to know- The guy is on a roll seldom seen in music before; current number one album, Grammy award winner, Golden Globe Award winner, Super Bowl Halftime show act, that was arguably the best ever, the biggest touring band in the world, and a new tour, that will gross over a 100 million dollars, not to mention, he just bitchslapped Irving Azoff in front of the entire entertainment industry. I am bewildered.....

This is EXACTLY what rock fans have been looking for forever. ACCESS! You might think
backstage is boring, but to the fan, it's a dream. Too often unfulfilled.

True, Bruce doesn't write prose as well as he writes songs. But the fan doesn't mind, the
fan is soaking up all the information.

Bruce followed U2 and the Stones to the Super Bowl, but he's leading in the blogosphere.
While Bono is pontificating in the "New York Times", which his fans are not reading, Bruce
is totally up to date. Let's just hope he UPDATES often. That's the number one rule of
blogging. Regular postings.


As for the content of Bruce's post... There's no mention of the band's performance being
canned. But what's even more fascinating to me is this story got no traction. Because
the Super Bowl was OVER! That's our society today. Once the event is done, nobody cares.
Once the fight is history, they've moved on. Very soon, if not already, most people
won't even remember who won the Super Bowl, even though they watched.

It is a mention for the fan, on his site. It wasn't meant to be appearing on the NY Times bestseller list. Did Journey write about their Super Bowl week on Back talk, or whatever the fuck they call that horrible place nowadays? The Bruce fan is spoiled. he or she gets everything. Look at his site- free downloads, videos, and a great accessible site. There is nothing that you want that is not there.

Bruce needs to post some demos of "Working On A Dream" online.

He did/does. In fact he gave away four of the songs for free and their respective videos too.

He needs to give away his new album to everyone who goes to the show.

Why would Bruce give out his cd free when it is the number one selling disc in the world, and has gone platinum in it's first week?

Now, since he's so prolific, he should write a few new numbers and release one every few months.

He did. He wrote the Wrestler for a movie. He was called up by Mickey Rourke while on tour in Ireland, asked about it, was Fedexed the script, read it, and threw out a top ten song. That was 2 months ago. Now, there is a new cd. WTF are you harping about Bob, you fucking dolt?

And if Bruce really wants to get the label its money back for his less than successful new
album, he's got to pull a Trent Reznor, truly giving the fans what they want. A hundred
bucks for a package including the CD, vinyl and a hardcover book of backstage photos,
maybe signed by the band. Maybe you pay fifty dollars EXTRA for the signatures. This is
the upside, this is the future. Not playing to millions of people who don't care, but
giving more to the people who do. Why let them blow all their money on scalped tickets.
Have them pay you directly. They're GLAD TO DO IT!

LOL, again, not so successful album? Number one on the charts, loaded with prospective hit songs, and a likely candidate for album of the year, with some saying one of his best efforts yet, including Born to Run; -yet Lefsetz wants Bruce Springsteen to be more like Trent Reznor?

Go fuck yourself Bob, you moron. You has this entire story inverted. More artists, and maybe all but a few, should look at how progressive Bruce is and has become, how he stays relevant, how he continuously gives his fans something new, something valid, not dated rehashes. Trent Reznor? I wonder if Bruce even knows who the fuck that douche is?

[Ehwmatt]

The Journey fans here won't read this, but I know you and Walrus will, so here goes:

http://www.brucespringsteen.net/news/su ... urnal.html

How can the Boss get this so right, and everything else so wrong?

Very colourful and informative write up/blog. Had no idea they practiced the Halftime show in the driving rain, all guitars powered up and full band as well. I wish all bands would do write ups like this. He takes the reader backstage, and lets them in all the secrets. The band as it turns out, was not canned, so blow me losers.

As for what he is getting wrong, I would love to know- The guy is on a roll seldom seen in music before; current number one album, Grammy award winner, Golden Globe Award winner, Super Bowl Halftime show act, biggest touring act in the world, and a new tour, that will gross over a 100 million dollars, not to mention, he just bitchslapped Irving Azoff in front of the entire entertainment industry. I am bewildered.....

This is EXACTLY what rock fans have been looking for forever. ACCESS! You might think
backstage is boring, but to the fan, it's a dream. Too often unfulfilled.

True, Bruce doesn't write prose as well as he writes songs. But the fan doesn't mind, the
fan is soaking up all the information.

Bruce followed U2 and the Stones to the Super Bowl, but he's leading in the blogosphere.
While Bono is pontificating in the "New York Times", which his fans are not reading, Bruce
is totally up to date. Let's just hope he UPDATES often. That's the number one rule of
blogging. Regular postings.


As for the content of Bruce's post... There's no mention of the band's performance being
canned. But what's even more fascinating to me is this story got no traction. Because
the Super Bowl was OVER! That's our society today. Once the event is done, nobody cares.
Once the fight is history, they've moved on. Very soon, if not already, most people
won't even remember who won the Super Bowl, even though they watched.

It is a mention for the fan, on his site. It wasn't meant to be appearing on the NY Times bestseller list. Did Journey write about their Super Bowl week on Back talk, or whatever the fuck they call that horrible place nowadays? The Bruce fan is spoiled. he or she gets everything. Look at his site- free downloads, videos, and a great accessible site. There is nothing that you want that is not there.

Bruce needs to post some demos of "Working On A Dream" online.

He did/does. In fact he gave away four of the songs for free and their respective videos too.

He needs to give away his new album to everyone who goes to the show.

Why would Bruce give out his cd free when it is the number one selling disc in the world, and has gone platinum in it's first week?

Now, since he's so prolific, he should write a few new numbers and release one every few months.

He did. He wrote the Wrestler for a movie. He was called up by Mickey Rourke while on tour in Ireland, asked about it, was Fedexed the script, read it, and threw out a top ten song. That was 2 months ago. Now, there is a new cd. WTF are you harping about Bob, you fucking dolt?

And if Bruce really wants to get the label its money back for his less than successful new
album, he's got to pull a Trent Reznor, truly giving the fans what they want. A hundred
bucks for a package including the CD, vinyl and a hardcover book of backstage photos,
maybe signed by the band. Maybe you pay fifty dollars EXTRA for the signatures. This is
the upside, this is the future. Not playing to millions of people who don't care, but
giving more to the people who do. Why let them blow all their money on scalped tickets.
Have them pay you directly. They're GLAD TO DO IT!

LOL, again, not so successful album? Number one on the charts, loaded with prospective hit songs, and a likely candidate for album of the year, with some saying one of his best efforts yet, including Born to Run; -yet Lefsetz wants Bruce Springsteen to be more like Trent Reznor?

Go fuck yourself Bob, you moron. He has this entire story inverted. More artists, and maybe all but a few, should look at how progressive Bruce is and has become, how he stays relevant, how he continuously gives his fans something new, something valid, not dated rehashes. Trent Reznor? I wonder if Bruce even knows who the fuck that douche is?

When I first started reading Lefsetz, he had some interesting things to say. He's always been abrasive, for sure. But, he's become increasingly bitter over the last year or so in his writing. He rarely has ANYTHING positive to say about any one. I'm generally not a fan of the "You couldn't do it better than the one you're criticizing" deflection, but Lefsetz's bitterness/diatribes have reached a point where I'd fuckin use it on him. I know at one point he was some kind of consultant for a label or two, maybe more. I'm 99% sure he was never an executive, successful producer, successful marketer etc., so I don't know where he gets off talking like he knows everything about everything.

Criticism is fine if it's grounded in reality and one admits the shortcomings of his/her own knowledge on the subject, but Lefsetz can do no wrong in his own eyes.

And I agree, I love the idea of artist blogs. One thing Lefsetz is right about is that these artists need to be doing more to market their product than simply recording a CD and playing 50 shows a year. The record industry is a business, I don't need to hear from some suit at the label office.

Being a band is also a business, but it's more than that. It's about connecting yourself with the faithful that rush out at 8 AM on release day to buy your new CD before work, to those who fork over $50+ for decent seats (and spread their legs for Ticketmaster), and to us losers who spend countless hours pounding away at our keyboards debating about our favorite bands.

If you attach a face and a persona to your music, which is easily done in this day and age of interactivity, maybe the next dickhead will feel bad about not forking over $7.99 for a digital copy of your new album. Maybe they'll close out BitTorrent and pull up the iTunes store because they feel a connection to you. If I were in a band, I'd be all over the Internet connecting with fans and detractors alike. These guys are busy, but there's plenty of downtime on tours and in between recording sessions, not to mention time completely off. There's no excuse for not establishing a connection today when their struggling so much.

[Ehwmatt]

By the way, since my Todd Rundgren thread didn't get any traction here, I'm reposting this in here:

Todd Rundgren - "The Music Industry Needs to Evolve"

26 minute lecture from, for my money, the smartest guy to have worked in the biz. Bear with it if you're at all interested, it's long, but fuckin fascinating

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuse ... =468127299

[WalrusOct9]

Look at his site- free downloads, videos, and a great accessible site. There is nothing that you want that is not there.

His site is better than most official sites, but could be much, much more.

Other than maybe Dylan or the Beatles, the Springsteen vault is perhaps the most intriguing and yet least pillaged archive in rock....why not use the website to do a "Dick's Picks" type live release series like the Dead or Phish have done? Just saying...there's some amazing bootlegs, particularly from the Darkness tour, but there's a lot of diehards who'd still buy properly mixed and mastered releases of old live shows.

Bruce needs to post some demos of "Working On A Dream" online.

Demo versions of crap are still crap.

Why would Bruce give out his cd free when it is the number one selling disc in the world, and has gone platinum in it's first week?

Because the WOAD tour will play to five or ten times as many people as will buy the album. Bruce and the band have more money than they know what to do with...if "getting the music heard" is that important to him, it wouldn't be that strange of an idea to put the album in as many hands as possible. (Especially since Prince, Journey, McCartney, and others have done similar stunts)

And if Bruce really wants to get the label its money back for his less than successful new
album, he's got to pull a Trent Reznor, truly giving the fans what they want. A hundred
bucks for a package including the CD, vinyl and a hardcover book of backstage photos,
maybe signed by the band. Maybe you pay fifty dollars EXTRA for the signatures. This is
the upside, this is the future. Not playing to millions of people who don't care, but
giving more to the people who do. Why let them blow all their money on scalped tickets.
Have them pay you directly. They're GLAD TO DO IT!

LOL, again, not so successful album? Number one on the charts, loaded with prospective hit songs, and a likely candidate for album of the year, with some saying one of his best efforts yet, including Born to Run; -yet Lefsetz wants Bruce Springsteen to be more like Trent Reznor?

It's successful compared to many, but not as big as The Rising or Magic...Rolling Stone may have drooled over the album, but I haven't found too many others who've been that impressed, sorry. And you know I'm a huge Bruce defender, at any cost, but even I can't justify this one Deano. But also consider how many people spent $120 on tickets to a Springsteen show this year compared to the number who give a shit enough to buy his new album. Granted, this is sadly true for all classic rock acts, but I'm just pointing it out.

Sometimes I find Lefsetz interesting, othertimes he's a blowhard...this time he's a little of both.

[Rick]

By the way, since my Todd Rundgren thread didn't get any traction here, I'm reposting this in here:

Todd Rundgren - "The Music Industry Needs to Evolve"

26 minute lecture from, for my money, the smartest guy to have worked in the biz. Bear with it if you're at all interested, it's long, but fuckin fascinating

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuse ... =468127299

I watched that video. Very cool idea. Me? I probably wouldn't subscribe to that, as I have most of the music I care to listen to already. But for the music listener that has a much wider range of interest than I do, which I would say is nearly everyone, it would be a great thing for them. It would be like Sirius radio, where you can choose the playlist. If I understood him correctly.

[Ehwmatt]

By the way, since my Todd Rundgren thread didn't get any traction here, I'm reposting this in here:

Todd Rundgren - "The Music Industry Needs to Evolve"

26 minute lecture from, for my money, the smartest guy to have worked in the biz. Bear with it if you're at all interested, it's long, but fuckin fascinating

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuse ... =468127299

I watched that video. Very cool idea. Me? I probably wouldn't subscribe to that, as I have most of the music I care to listen to already. But for the music listener that has a much wider range of interest than I do, which I would say is nearly everyone, it would be a great thing for them. It would be like Sirius radio, where you can choose the playlist. If I understood him correctly.

It's definitely a pretty whacky idea, but the conventional shit clearly isn't working for most of the music out there today. Todd is just incredible - the guy is so fuckin smart and innovative. I was lucky enough to hang out with him backstage and have dinner/drinks with him til 3 in the morning last summer after his Cleveland gig. The guy basically talked the whole time. I didn't get bored for a second.

[Rick]

By the way, since my Todd Rundgren thread didn't get any traction here, I'm reposting this in here:

Todd Rundgren - "The Music Industry Needs to Evolve"

26 minute lecture from, for my money, the smartest guy to have worked in the biz. Bear with it if you're at all interested, it's long, but fuckin fascinating

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuse ... =468127299

I watched that video. Very cool idea. Me? I probably wouldn't subscribe to that, as I have most of the music I care to listen to already. But for the music listener that has a much wider range of interest than I do, which I would say is nearly everyone, it would be a great thing for them. It would be like Sirius radio, where you can choose the playlist. If I understood him correctly.

It's definitely a pretty whacky idea, but the conventional shit clearly isn't working for most of the music out there today. Todd is just incredible - the guy is so fuckin smart and innovative. I was lucky enough to hang out with him backstage and have dinner/drinks with him til 3 in the morning last summer after his Cleveland gig. The guy basically talked the whole time. I didn't get bored for a second.

Isn't he the one that Liv Tyler used to think was her father?

[Ehwmatt]

By the way, since my Todd Rundgren thread didn't get any traction here, I'm reposting this in here:

Todd Rundgren - "The Music Industry Needs to Evolve"

26 minute lecture from, for my money, the smartest guy to have worked in the biz. Bear with it if you're at all interested, it's long, but fuckin fascinating

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuse ... =468127299

I watched that video. Very cool idea. Me? I probably wouldn't subscribe to that, as I have most of the music I care to listen to already. But for the music listener that has a much wider range of interest than I do, which I would say is nearly everyone, it would be a great thing for them. It would be like Sirius radio, where you can choose the playlist. If I understood him correctly.

It's definitely a pretty whacky idea, but the conventional shit clearly isn't working for most of the music out there today. Todd is just incredible - the guy is so fuckin smart and innovative. I was lucky enough to hang out with him backstage and have dinner/drinks with him til 3 in the morning last summer after his Cleveland gig. The guy basically talked the whole time. I didn't get bored for a second.

Isn't he the one that Liv Tyler used to think was her father?

Yup, her mom, a former Playboy Playmate, didn't want to tell her she was Steven's cause he was a coked-out mess

[Rockindeano]

And I agree, I love the idea of artist blogs. One thing Lefsetz is right about is that these artists need to be doing more to market their product than simply recording a CD and playing 50 shows a year.

Well, Lefsetz is not right in this story. He is accusing Bruce solely, of not doing what you correctly stated. He is front and center, and gives his fans tons of information and access. Lefsetz must be a conservative republican eh?

If you attach a face and a persona to your music, which is easily done in this day and age of interactivity, maybe the next dickhead will feel bad about not forking over $7.99 for a digital copy of your new album. Maybe they'll close out BitTorrent and pull up the iTunes store because they feel a connection to you. If I were in a band, I'd be all over the Internet connecting with fans and detractors alike. These guys are busy, but there's plenty of downtime on tours and in between recording sessions, not to mention time completely off. There's no excuse for not establishing a connection today when their struggling so much.

JSS is really good at interacting on the Web. he gets it and is up to date on all things technical. He is smart and uses the internet as a tool. I have no doubt that Jeff was at Bruce's level, he would just as proactive as Bruce is now if not more so.

Now, when is Andrew going to get his review in on WOAD? I am ready to jump his shit for anything less than 95. Seriously, I would expect top 5 cd, but can see a loss to Work of Art, St Deamon, Toto GH release number 12, and Jeff's latest release.

[Ehwmatt]

And I agree, I love the idea of artist blogs. One thing Lefsetz is right about is that these artists need to be doing more to market their product than simply recording a CD and playing 50 shows a year.

Well, Lefsetz is not right in this story. He is accusing Bruce solely, of not doing what you correctly stated. He is front and center, and gives his fans tons of information and access. Lefsetz must be a conservative republican eh?

He touches on the theme of "doing more" frequently in his blogs, if not here.

And Lefsetz is very liberal. I think you'd find much in common with him politically

[Rick]

By the way, since my Todd Rundgren thread didn't get any traction here, I'm reposting this in here:

Todd Rundgren - "The Music Industry Needs to Evolve"

26 minute lecture from, for my money, the smartest guy to have worked in the biz. Bear with it if you're at all interested, it's long, but fuckin fascinating

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuse ... =468127299

I watched that video. Very cool idea. Me? I probably wouldn't subscribe to that, as I have most of the music I care to listen to already. But for the music listener that has a much wider range of interest than I do, which I would say is nearly everyone, it would be a great thing for them. It would be like Sirius radio, where you can choose the playlist. If I understood him correctly.

It's definitely a pretty whacky idea, but the conventional shit clearly isn't working for most of the music out there today. Todd is just incredible - the guy is so fuckin smart and innovative. I was lucky enough to hang out with him backstage and have dinner/drinks with him til 3 in the morning last summer after his Cleveland gig. The guy basically talked the whole time. I didn't get bored for a second.

Isn't he the one that Liv Tyler used to think was her father?

Yup, her mom, a former Playboy Playmate, didn't want to tell her she was Steven's cause he was a coked-out mess

He seems like a pretty cool guy. I'll bet it was fun to hang out with him.

Thanks for the info Matt.

[Ehwmatt]

And yes, JSS is really good about that. Unfortunately for Jeff, he never had the commercial traction that some of these bands that struggle today once had, like Styx, Journey, Survivor etc. If these kinds of acts got more proactive, they'd remind their old fans that they're out there and they'd hopefully be able to reel in at least a couple of younger fans. Most of the people I introduce to "my music" that are around my age wind up liking it a lot. Why? Because good musicianship and good songwriting will touch people that appreciate what music's about.

I'm convinced that in 15 or 20 years, the contemporary music of the last 10 or 15 years will be looked on as a bigger joke than the worst disco.

[Rockindeano]

It's successful compared to many, but not as big as The Rising or Magic...Rolling Stone may have drooled over the album, but I haven't found too many others who've been that impressed, sorry. And you know I'm a huge Bruce defender, at any cost, but even I can't justify this one Deano.

I honestly disagree here with you Walrus. WOAD is a happy album versus the darkness(Bush administration) of Magic. I can honestly see 4 top tens from WOAD- Wrestler, Title track, This Life and Queen....except for that F bomb he dropped at the ending of Queen may hurt a bit The Rising is a masterpiece, and I agree you can't touch that one, but like he himself said, these three albums together are as good as any 3 he has ever done.

As for giving the cd away free? Maybe that's why he did the Walmart thing. That release is a garbage, lazy effort. Another GH release, but hey, how many will go to WM after seeing the Super Bowl and pick it up? Then become interested and then find out he has the new one out, and then go pick that one up? Jon Landau doesn't miss too many chances. He and bruce are the best minds in the business. Kind of reminds me of a Perry/ Herbie team a little bit.

[Ehwmatt]

By the way, since my Todd Rundgren thread didn't get any traction here, I'm reposting this in here:

Todd Rundgren - "The Music Industry Needs to Evolve"

26 minute lecture from, for my money, the smartest guy to have worked in the biz. Bear with it if you're at all interested, it's long, but fuckin fascinating

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuse ... =468127299

I watched that video. Very cool idea. Me? I probably wouldn't subscribe to that, as I have most of the music I care to listen to already. But for the music listener that has a much wider range of interest than I do, which I would say is nearly everyone, it would be a great thing for them. It would be like Sirius radio, where you can choose the playlist. If I understood him correctly.

It's definitely a pretty whacky idea, but the conventional shit clearly isn't working for most of the music out there today. Todd is just incredible - the guy is so fuckin smart and innovative. I was lucky enough to hang out with him backstage and have dinner/drinks with him til 3 in the morning last summer after his Cleveland gig. The guy basically talked the whole time. I didn't get bored for a second.

Isn't he the one that Liv Tyler used to think was her father?

Yup, her mom, a former Playboy Playmate, didn't want to tell her she was Steven's cause he was a coked-out mess

He seems like a pretty cool guy. I'll bet it was fun to hang out with him.

Thanks for the info Matt.

It was a blast... the only time (and probably one of the only times) I'll ever get to hang out with one of my favorite musicians in that capacity. I've "met" Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell from America, John Petrucci from Dream Theater, Al Stewart, and Bernie Leadon (the old Eagles lead guitarist) long enough to shake their hands. That's about it. Wish I woulda had more time to pick Todd's brain.

[Rockindeano]

I'm convinced that in 15 or 20 years, the contemporary music of the last 10 or 15 years will be looked on as a bigger joke than the worst disco.

Forget 15-20 years. Many kids nowadays laugh at the stuff we listen to. And some of it is laughable. It is dated. Look at Revelations. I know a great many of you like it, but it does sound dated. And add to the fact you got fat fuckers like Def Lippard bumping around on stage without shirts on, with long hair and receding foreheads, using canned vocals certainly doesn't help. Look at a band like ASIA. Gifted to be sure, but they look like they crawled out of the group coffin. Parading around in Depends, holding onto walkers, with golden brown teeth and liver spots, hitting the early bird special at Denny's to save 35 cents on coffee refills is not fresh.

[Rockindeano]

Walrus,

You going to Bonneroo? I think you will most definitely love the lineup this year.

[Ehwmatt]

I'm convinced that in 15 or 20 years, the contemporary music of the last 10 or 15 years will be looked on as a bigger joke than the worst disco.

Forget 15-20 years. Many kids nowadays laugh at the stuff we listen to. And some of it is laughable. It is dated, and the fact you got fat fuckers like Def Lippard bumping around on stage without shirts on worth long hair an receding foreheads certainly don't help. Look at a band like ASIA. Gifted to be sure, but they look like they crawled out of the group coffin. Parading around in Depends, with golden teeth and liver spots is not fresh.

Asia looks like hell and some of the stuff we listen to is admittedly dated. You can't escape the cheesiness of synth basses, crappy keyboard tones, and overchorused guitars. But, those fuckers still played. Maybe I'm biased, but I don't see how history could possibly treat Kanye West or Jay-Z well. The fact that our stuff gets laughed at leads me to believe the current shit will fare much, much worse.

[WalrusOct9]

I'm gonna try to see if I can get a single-day ticket for Bonnaroo...no way I can afford the whole weekend but if Bruce is an hour away from me I better fucking be there.


Sorry I just can't go with you on WOAD...I don't mind a "happier" Bruce. I actually quite enjoy Lucky Town and some of the lighter stuff on The River and Tracks. The guy is an amazing pop songsmith, regardless of his mood, and I've always found some pleasure in even his most trivial pieces (like, say, most of Human Touch besides the title track).

In fact, I think it was necessary after two 9/11 and Bush-influenced E-Street albums and the otherwise dark (but solid) Devils & Dust for Bruce to make a more optimistic album. But it was just too soon, I think...there's a couple of decent tunes (and "The Wrestler," which is kind of a separate entity musically from the rest of the disc) but nothing that rises to the level I expect. It still feels rushed...between the Super Bowl, Max's upcoming Tonight Show gig, Clarence's health, and the start of the Obama inauguration, I can see why Bruce wanted to have this album out when he did, but it really could have used another year of songwriting and refining before release.

[Don]

By the way, since my Todd Rundgren thread didn't get any traction here, I'm reposting this in here:

Todd Rundgren - "The Music Industry Needs to Evolve"

26 minute lecture from, for my money, the smartest guy to have worked in the biz. Bear with it if you're at all interested, it's long, but fuckin fascinating

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuse ... =468127299

I watched that video. Very cool idea. Me? I probably wouldn't subscribe to that, as I have most of the music I care to listen to already. But for the music listener that has a much wider range of interest than I do, which I would say is nearly everyone, it would be a great thing for them. It would be like Sirius radio, where you can choose the playlist. If I understood him correctly.

It's definitely a pretty whacky idea, but the conventional shit clearly isn't working for most of the music out there today. Todd is just incredible - the guy is so fuckin smart and innovative. I was lucky enough to hang out with him backstage and have dinner/drinks with him til 3 in the morning last summer after his Cleveland gig. The guy basically talked the whole time. I didn't get bored for a second.

Isn't he the one that Liv Tyler used to think was her father?

Yup, her mom, a former Playboy Playmate, didn't want to tell her she was Steven's cause he was a coked-out mess

He seems like a pretty cool guy. I'll bet it was fun to hang out with him.

Thanks for the info Matt.

Hey Liv, who's your daddy?

[Ehwmatt]

By the way, since my Todd Rundgren thread didn't get any traction here, I'm reposting this in here:

Todd Rundgren - "The Music Industry Needs to Evolve"

26 minute lecture from, for my money, the smartest guy to have worked in the biz. Bear with it if you're at all interested, it's long, but fuckin fascinating

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuse ... =468127299

I watched that video. Very cool idea. Me? I probably wouldn't subscribe to that, as I have most of the music I care to listen to already. But for the music listener that has a much wider range of interest than I do, which I would say is nearly everyone, it would be a great thing for them. It would be like Sirius radio, where you can choose the playlist. If I understood him correctly.

It's definitely a pretty whacky idea, but the conventional shit clearly isn't working for most of the music out there today. Todd is just incredible - the guy is so fuckin smart and innovative. I was lucky enough to hang out with him backstage and have dinner/drinks with him til 3 in the morning last summer after his Cleveland gig. The guy basically talked the whole time. I didn't get bored for a second.

Isn't he the one that Liv Tyler used to think was her father?

Yup, her mom, a former Playboy Playmate, didn't want to tell her she was Steven's cause he was a coked-out mess

He seems like a pretty cool guy. I'll bet it was fun to hang out with him.

Thanks for the info Matt.

Hey Liv, who's your daddy?

Sexiest songsmith of the 70s, bar none

[Ehwmatt]

I'm gonna try to see if I can get a single-day ticket for Bonnaroo...no way I can afford the whole weekend but if Bruce is an hour away from me I better fucking be there.


Sorry I just can't go with you on WOAD...I don't mind a "happier" Bruce. I actually quite enjoy Lucky Town and some of the lighter stuff on The River and Tracks. The guy is an amazing pop songsmith, regardless of his mood, and I've always found some pleasure in even his most trivial pieces (like, say, most of Human Touch besides the title track).

In fact, I think it was necessary after two 9/11 and Bush-influenced E-Street albums and the otherwise dark (but solid) Devils & Dust for Bruce to make a more optimistic album. But it was just too soon, I think...there's a couple of decent tunes (and "The Wrestler," which is kind of a separate entity musically from the rest of the disc) but nothing that rises to the level I expect. It still feels rushed...between the Super Bowl, Max's upcoming Tonight Show gig, Clarence's health, and the start of the Obama inauguration, I can see why Bruce wanted to have this album out when he did, but it really could have used another year of songwriting and refining before release.

I got WOAD Sunday and I'm still enjoying it a lot. I can't get enough of "My Lucky Day," "Queen," "The Wrestler," "Kingdom of Days," "Life Itself," "Surprise, Surprise," and "The Last Carnival." It's not all happy and poppy, some more pensive/darker shit on there for sure.

[Rockindeano]

I'm gonna try to see if I can get a single-day ticket for Bonnaroo...no way I can afford the whole weekend but if Bruce is an hour away from me I better fucking be there.


Sorry I just can't go with you on WOAD...I don't mind a "happier" Bruce. I actually quite enjoy Lucky Town and some of the lighter stuff on The River and Tracks. The guy is an amazing pop songsmith, regardless of his mood, and I've always found some pleasure in even his most trivial pieces (like, say, most of Human Touch besides the title track).

In fact, I think it was necessary after two 9/11 and Bush-influenced E-Street albums and the otherwise dark (but solid) Devils & Dust for Bruce to make a more optimistic album. But it was just too soon, I think...there's a couple of decent tunes (and "The Wrestler," which is kind of a separate entity musically from the rest of the disc) but nothing that rises to the level I expect. It still feels rushed...between the Super Bowl, Max's upcoming Tonight Show gig, Clarence's health, and the start of the Obama inauguration, I can see why Bruce wanted to have this album out when he did, but it really could have used another year of songwriting and refining before release.

Great points, but maybe this is the end? He has turned down the SB 14 straight years, and now plays it. Danny passes away. Clarence is 67 and can hardly walk. He and Patti are still strong, but maybe he wants to help her focus on her solo gig? These last 4 months do seem rushed; awards shows, both wins, Obama, SB, new disc, new tour..makes one think doesn't it? I do however think if he retires, you will see a retirement tour like none ever in music history. landau spoke of 20 night stands in NYC and LA. He was talking 250 night one year tour with 3 hour shows. I can see him doing that to be sure. Every fan will have a chance to see him.

As for Bonneroo, Your other bands will be there too- Phish and Dave Mathews. Maybe you could invite St john, he loves Phish, DM and Bruce so much!

[Rockindeano]

I got WOAD Sunday and I'm still enjoying it a lot. I can't get enough of "My Lucky Day," "Queen," "The Wrestler," "Kingdom of Days," "Life Itself," "Surprise, Surprise," and "The Last Carnival." It's not all happy and poppy, some more pensive/darker shit on there for sure.

Stronger disc than Revelations?

[StoneCold]

Lefsetz wrote:

People can't digest a whole album, but they'll check out a track.

Stupidest thing I've ever heard.

iTunes may have brought the single back but any artist worth their salt puts out a quality album.

People still want to digest a whole album not the next one hit wonder.

[Ehwmatt]

I got WOAD Sunday and I'm still enjoying it a lot. I can't get enough of "My Lucky Day," "Queen," "The Wrestler," "Kingdom of Days," "Life Itself," "Surprise, Surprise," and "The Last Carnival." It's not all happy and poppy, some more pensive/darker shit on there for sure.

Stronger disc than Revelations?

I dunno if I'm ready to make that comparison. It's kinda like comparing a strong Dream Theater album to a strong Little River Band album. How can I measure Outlaw Pete against anything from Revelation, for example?

Rev is a good album (not as good as Arrival) with some staying power issues for me. Some of the songs I really enjoyed at first, like "What It Takes To Win," get virtually no listens now. Honestly, since summer ended, I've spun NWA, Change for The Better, AATY, Turn Down The World, and Where Did I Lose Your Love. That's about it. Never got the huge attraction to What I Needed. But then, I tend to listen to Journey a lot more in the summer time. Rev might sound great again when I'm cruisin around in 85 degree sunny weather. I need more time with WOAD to check its staying power. Even then, I'm probably content not to compare the two.

[Ehwmatt]

Lefsetz wrote:

People can't digest a whole album, but they'll check out a track.

Stupidest thing I've ever heard.

iTunes may have brought the single back but any artist worth their salt puts out a quality album.

People still want to digest a whole album not the next one hit wonder.

Us music nuts want cohesive good albums, but a lot of people don't care. They're content to download DSB and be done with Journey. Or Born to Run/In the USA/Glory Days with Bruce. It's definitely a problem in my generation - you oughta see the looks I get from most casual music listeners my age when I'm sitting there letting an entire double album play through.

Edit: Also, even people who would sit through an album in the "good old days" have a lot more to distract them - higher volume of work (thanks to technology's efficiency!), Internet to play with, hundreds of TV channels, hell, even videogames are creeping into the 30+ bracket. Music is background noise more than true hobby/passion for most people these days, especially people around my age.

[larryfromnextdoor]

Did Journey write about their Super Bowl week on Back talk,

dude.. your on the money here... i cant believe the band didnt hype the heck out of this! promote it

then talk it up afterward.. i guess some things never change..

i had forgot all about the "official site"...

[StoneCold]

Which is why Springsteen is still ahead of the pack and a "pro" like Lefsetz should see it.

Even in a one hit wonder world, he's not compromising the music. The technology is there to sample any track so why is Leftsetz harping on this "1 track" crap? He's grasping as he usually does now.

[Red13JoePa]

Just shut up, Lesfetz.