MORE ON INFORMATION IS THE NEW ROCK N ROLL…AND THE “REAL” PEOPLE TREND

MORE ON INFORMATION IS THE NEW ROCK N ROLL…AND THE “REAL” PEOPLE TREND

Looking around media and music, there’s so many negative emotions:

*Scared

*Defensive

*Backward looking…nostalgic for the old days...or worse: OPERATING as if it were the old days.

*Confused

*Paranoid

Time for re-thinking. A lot of people call wondering about the best course to take to be a DJ or a Program Director. I tell them to consider re-thinking. Unless they have spectacular talent or a new and realistic programming concept, it doesn’t look too good. That’s the reality. In the 60’s, 70’s or 80’s, those were very real career choices, but today, not as much. There are still opportunities for talented people with new ideas---but times have changed from those crazy days a decade or three ago. But -- I continue to think that Information is the new Rock n Roll. And the World needs good creative minds to balance out the technocrats, bureaucrats, fast buck guys and the power point army. It’s a time to be POSITIVE! But positive through “re-think” rather than dwelling on the crumbling of old institutions.

By “Rock n Roll” I mean the innovative spirit that America is ready for, just as they were ready for Rock n Roll in 1955 or so.

There was always music. But it was flat and stagnant in the early 50’s (in the mainstream that is) until Rock n Roll. Real Patti Page stuff that didn’t resonate defined mainstream music. “Rock n Roll thinking can be related to information in these ways…the timing is SO right for Information to take on Rock n Roll thinking.

*Technology facilitated Rock. Transistor radios, hi-fi. Technology facilitates information. Internet. But transistors and Hi-Fi’s would still be playing Doris Day if it wasn’t for the imagination and content of Rock.

*Innovation. Rock was all about a “NEW” sound. One that the Industry veterans didn’t necessarily like. Artists WORKED at creating a new sound that was in sync with the era. Media veterans need to work at that “new look” with the same imagination that Sam Phillips or Buddy Holly had. That’s FUN.

*Rock broke down the great White monopolies. We may have a Black president…time to work at that 1930’s White monopolist image that you see in Big Media these days...

*Newspapers are AM Radio. The AM’s that evolved right are doing just fine. Aren’t the two top billers in Chicago AM? Internet is FM…in about 1966. Still in its infancy.
There’s big opportunity to Evolve AM (newspaper) and INVENT FM (Internet). Then there’s today’s passenger train: The record business…they need to figure out what their freight strategy is… As we’ve learned at XM---Re-inventing is the fun part.

* Often old media like Newspapers have everything in place for evolution: Distribution, infrastructure, newsgathering mechanism. The problem is in living in the past and attitude. It’s all there—just needs to think like RCA Records did in ’55: Embrace Rock n Roll. Columbia under Mitch Miller didn’t. Took them 12 years to recover. MGM records NEVER did…and they died. I’d say the same thing about terrestrial radio…why does old media shoot itself in the foot when they have EVERYTHING in place?

*Rock threw out the playbook. 1954: “You have to have strings on it to be a mainstream hit”…I’ll bet there are hundreds of these clichés in the media business…EVERY business.

*Rock looked forward. It was about the next new thing…new sound…new look…new angle. Media people need that same FORWARD thinking. Hard sometimes when the pressure for immediate performance is mandated, but it’s still necessary.

*Rock moved fast. Band signed on Monday…released on Friday…#1 on Monday. Analyzing is good—OVER analyzing is a disease.

*Rock shocked…without trying…it just DID because it was SO fresh, it was shocking.

*It was quality driven. Of course there was short term crap, but the content created by people who had long term careers were quality conscious.

I have to believe that SO much of the thinking is focused on dwelling over the problems…and not enough on creating buzz…innovating in ways that Joe Public sees…Information IS the new Rock n Roll, but we need to create the records. Maybe it takes something as bold and non traditional as this theme to cut through the negativity and doubt.

Easy for me to say all this…but the more people that grasp this idea, the better off we’ll all be. It’s a WAY of thinking.

It was nice to see Obama & Hillary being nice to each other at the last debate. Such a simple concept. I really worry about most politicians…

Then there was the CNN presentation of the debates. If they threw in Tom Petty and a few football players, the Super bowl would have some competition.

Click this video for the truth about our election:

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/poll_bullshit_is_most_important


Here’s a blurb from Newsweek about a coming trend---REAL PEOPLE. I think the Media gets New York & LA Fever figuring everyone looks up to these fashion capitals. Not exactly. Most people, except the terminally junked, look at the high fashion look as plain goofy. In TV, those News people are so…plastic. No wonder local TV news is often a clichéd and dated routine. I see a trend toward REAL people. Not ugly…not cute…those two things are irrelevant. It’s all about CHARACTER. Junk Culture is fed by this transparent “Red Carpet Look”…and it’s inevitable that will fade in today’s environment where you have too many sources to help you see through that garbage. I commend 60 Minutes. They hardly have “lookers”…but they’re been around for 5 decades and remain a powerhouse…Read on:

Fashion-industry folks say the trend of using real people to sell clothes attests to a fatigue with skinny, expressionless models in ads and on runways. As proof, they point to the negative publicity surrounding the painfully thin models at last spring's Fashion Week. "I definitely think there's some backlash amongst people who see fashion shows, then read stories about how the models have to smoke themselves to death and only drink lemon water for six weeks," says Simon Rogers, head of Ugly New York, a casting agency for "real"-looking models. "People would like to see somebody up there who reflects how people on the street really look." (The TV show "Ugly Betty" echoed this sentiment in a recent episode where Betty staged an "alternative" fashion show with nonprofessional models.) Now, with New York's Fall 2008 Fashion Week arriving this week, fashion watchers say we may begin to see subtle indications of the trend on the runway: the models will still be thin and gorgeous, but they may look more like thin, gorgeous versions of real people than like stereotypical models. "In the '80s and '90s, models were expected to look glamorous and clean, like Niki Taylor and Christy Turlington," says Faran Krentcil, former editor of Fashionista. "Now people want girls wearing concert T shirts and jeans they've patched themselves—girls who have an appeal that goes beyond how pretty they are." In other words, the demand is for models who exude personal style, whether they're wearing their own ratty duds or haute couture.

Now for the entertainment section---Jim McBean, one of our production aces joined me for a flight to New Haven. He video’s the thing and made this rather amusing short vide:

http://youtube.com/results?search_query=new+haven+pizza+flight&search=Search

THE DIY THING, CHANGE FROM THE OUTSIDE, JUDGEMENT AND THE COMMON SENSE ERA!

THE DIY THING, CHANGE FROM THE OUTSIDE, JUDGEMENT AND THE COMMON SENSE ERA!

Went to a big book store looking for an old title. I couldn't believe how many books there were about the secrets of marketing and success. In scanning through a few of them, many of them struck me as ego trips for the writers...or simply nonsense akin to a Sunday morning Informercial. Few addressed common sense or judgement...or the basics. Way too many voodoo and "keys to success" books. Of course there are some great ones too, like Jim Citrin’s books. I had a problem finding the long out of print book I wanted so I went home and ordered it online...in about five minutes. DIY.

Do It yourself is often where it’s at. Quite a change from the service oriented “we do it for you” era. Remember buying an airline ticket? Go to a travel agent and they do the work. Other than some specialty trip or big corporate ticketing, who wants the hassle of using a travel agent? Travelocity is SO much better. Same thing with…just about everything. Then there are things you just DON’T want to do yourself. That’s where there’s a big opportunity and I’m amazed at how companies are blowing it. If you’re in a service area—better serve. I’m amazed at how difficult it was to get a returned call from a PLUMBER…or how you can actually get bad service in a restaurant…or bad service ANYwhere. All part of the massive “re-think” that’s required to succeed in the 21st Century. Re-thinking and AFDI’ing what is essential is what defines the blueprint for success.

Back to the Plumber: First the lies. Yellow pages full of “24 Hour Service”…yeah right! Just try to call one on a Sunday. I got four unreturned messages, two guys pissed off because we called them on a weekend, two guys who could be here midweek. Then the attitude that they’re doing you a favor. Then the exorbitant bill.
,, and we STILL couldn’t get someone here on a Sunday. If there was a DIY plumbing thing. I’d DIY.

How about Airlines? It is an absurdly complicated and expensive business, compounded by bad fuel prices, labor problems and an angry press. Just like plumbers: The lies: Been delayed? Whenever anyone at XM gets delayed, they usually e-mail me so I can find out what’s REALLY going on. I do, and it’s always totally different from what passengers are being told. Then the attitude…pissed off employees…and it shows. I’m fortunate enough to have a plane. I DIY.

Selecting a car, making a record, shopping…DIY

My point is—if you are supposed to provide service, provide it-- or people will DIY. Take XM. We HAVE to provide interesting music, or people will DIY. TV stations have to provide killer programming or people will DIY (as in rent movies). Newspapers have to evolve or people will DIY (the internet). Companies forget that in today’s environment, it’s easier and easier to DIY if you aren’t at the absolute top of your game.

Sometimes it’s about getting out of your space to get a better grasp on thinking about your mission. I’m going on ten years here at XM, and I remember early on, XM was a United Nations of careers. We had guys from cable, hardware, aerospace, rocket science, military, etc…all mixing it up. It was a positive challenge. If I came up with some “radio” idea—it would be quickly challenged. Sure, a few radio things are timeless and I had to explain that…but SO many were nothing more than “radio ideas” that I was conditioned to doing, but weren’t necessarily valid. You can see ‘out of your space’ thinking happening in other areas. Richard Branson starting an airline? Steve Jobs running the music Industry. Sometimes it takes people out of their space to force successful change.

Flew up to White Plains New York a few days ago. Went with Rob Johnston from our research team and Kenyon Crouch on our marketing team. Kenyon Crouch. In the 60’s a station would have paid a ton to use that name for their News Director. What a classic Radio News name. His Dad was an astronaut! That’s kind of cool. Once we landed at the freezing White Plains airport, we were picked up by Dwight Douglas who invited us up for a lunch. Dwight was an associate at the old Burkhart/Abrams. He needs a manager to sort out his ideas. He’s working as a VP at RCS, a music software leader, but went on and on about how he has written 17 screenplays, 5 books, 9 sitcoms and a play. In fact when I worked with him, he seemed to write a book a week. Needs a manager.

The flight was great. I love flying in and out of New York. Tests your abilities mixing it up with planes that have crews. The controllers have NO patience and god forbid you should sound amateur. Rob was hoping we’d run into ice so he could see my Cirrus’ de-icing equipment work. No ice. That’s good. Ice is bad stuff on airplanes. My plane and most new generation planes have a wide array of equipment geared to keep you OUT of it. Big jets can climb in and out of it pretty fast, but a piston plane often toils around for a long time at those icy altitudes. I have XM Weather onboard which is possibly the most important piece of safety equipment in the last 30 years. It provides a pilot with an arsenal of information to help decision making while airborne, then if you get yourself into an icing situation, there’s a back-up called TKS. The leading edges of the wings and tail section have metal strips with about 800 holes per square inch. Called a weeping wing. When ice happens, flick a switch and the holes bleed out a fluid that melts the ice and creates a protection on the entire wing and elevator surface as the fluid lows backwards onto the airfoil. Then, you ask ATC for a different altitude or route to get you out of the nasty stuff.

The key to safe flying is not only the equipment…but JUDGEMENT. The public would think that most general aviation accidents are things like the engine quitting over the mountains. In fact, it’s almost always stupid pilot tricks. Some form of BAD JUDGEMENT.

I’ve lost about 50 pounds or so. Quincy Jones once told me—“There’s a reason you don’t see many fat 70 year olds”. I’m far from 70, but he made a real good point there. This has put a serious re-think into my weekly Lunch flights where I grab a bunch of victims from XM to test out regional food favorites. Fortunately, I have a plan. Pre check the menus at the famous Roadfood.com and figure out the least dangerous items ahead of time. Seems to work. Funny about losing weight: It’s EASY, and there’s ways to do it that are completely sensible. Plus, I get an extra 3 knots out of my plane with the reduced load.

Would someone tell Obama and Hillary to stop bickering? It’s SO bad, that it’s being positioned as comedy. Looks like the Dems might yet find ANOTHER way to lose. Sure seems that if either took a more “I’m bigger than this nonsense” position, it would resonate and make the other candidate look like a bozo. Common Sense 101.

Then there’s Ralph Nader threatening to run. Why?! Is his ego SO out of control that he can’t just write books and bust big companies? I assume he’s a super liberal, so guess what—His entry as an independent will suck over liberal votes and clear the way for a conservative. Not that that’s bad…though I can’t see any of them currently running having the vision to save a Country having a nervous breakdown. Another tip: Learn Spanish—and use it.

So they are building a giant monument to Martin Luther King here in DC. About time. Of course now there’s an uproar because a Chinese person is sculpting it. This guy is probably the world’s greatest sculptor. Ah…wouldn’t Martin want it to be the best sculptor? Instead you hear “A Chinaman!!—This is terrible!!”. I really wish the Political Correct era would end. Bring on THE COMMON SENSE ERA!

Good Judgement and Common sense...seems pretty simple.

HIRING TO RE-INVENT...AND THE MAGIC OF NON-TRADITIONAL RESEARCH

I was going through some notes...old notes…scribbled stuff on legal pads. I wrote out the "notes" seen below in 1998 in preparation for joining XM. I also remember talking to other “programmers” from other National media to get some feedback. The only thing is, none of them were really programmers. They were “deal guys” who SIGNED stuff but rarely created anything. Often Smart guys, but it quickly became apparent that we were on our own when putting a staff together for XM. Law degrees and track records weren’t really going to move the needle. There was really no staffing model. Or any kind of model. We had to find people to CREATE more than aggregate content. It was helpful that Hugh Panero, our CEO, told me “Get people with green hair and rings in their noses…not your old pals…”. I never let on that most of my pals HAD green hair. These notes refer to the creative side as some of these below mentioned characteristics might be TOO out there for people with more traditional responsibilities (I had to transcribe these from scribbles--I think I got most of it):

WE ARE NOT BRINGING IN A STAFF....WE ARE SIGNING UP A CAST. Once You have the blueprints, the company support of the Vision. You have the makings of the ultimate Operations team that has a prayer to execute some crazy ideas.

People running the creative have to have a great mind. More mind than track record. Then the tools to REVOLUTIONIZE Broadcasting are secondary.

What could possibly fuck things up???
HIRING AVERAGE PEOPLE! OR—creating an environment not conducive to creativity, imagination, freedom and passion.

Look at it like a movie. XM should sound like a soundtrack to life...not "radio".... there's already radio and it's free.

Fabulous Script. Studio Support. Critics tensed and ready. Great Directors & Producers.

Everything is in place.

What could fuck that up???

THE WRONG ACTORS.....Average casting.
With the right Actors, ya got an Oscar coming.

Look at any GREAT movie. It's got the Story.....It's got the Sound.....It's got the RIGHT ACTORS. Great casting

..Broadcasting is the same thing. We gotta hire AMAZING individuals.
That means:
*Brilliant dreamers
*The right person for the plot. The wrong DJ on an XM channel is like casting Woody Allen for the Rocky part.
*People that have "it"
*Eccentrics......all the way to the bank
*Warriors. Ready to accept and complete the mission of revolutionizing. In XM's case, we preached: Liberating Radio listeners with the same Moxie as a motivated group of Rangers freeing up a village. XM IS NOT THE PLACE FOR THE MEEK OR FOR THE "K-109 PLAYS THE HITS” CROWD......its war out there. WE HAVE THE THANKS. WE HAVE THE STRATEGY AND TACTICS...WE JUST NEED THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO CAN WIN THIS DAMN THING!

Nothing will sabotage the mission more than an "average" hire to execute. Nothing will speed up total creative victory than a great hire.
Gotta keep a place runnin' on eccentric energy....hyper creativity...otherworldly brilliance.......it's the spirit that's going to take a place through the stratosphere...it's an energy...an intensity...a cleverness...a "way of thinking" that separates you from the rest of the pack.

I have nightmares about pukers, Joe Radios and average types polluting an inventive environment. Innovative turf is sacred....hiring is an art....as we recruit, you must maintain the standards, high values and”it" radar that got YOU hired in the first place.

At XM, and I'd think with most inventive media companies:

BE CAREFUL WITH CONVIENIENCE HIRES
Out Of Work....pretty average, but "available...cheap, and can come quickly." NO!
Out of Work because they got drunk with Jimmy Page after the Zep show in '73, and barfed on the GM while giving him a lift back to the station in Jimmy's limo. YES!
A fried of yours who is a nice, reliable guy but not amazing NO!
A friend of yours that happens to be amazing... (C’mon you know that's rare) YES!
...the point is we'll raise a big red flag with out of work or personal friends who's merit id your friendship.......I worry about convenience over brilliance.

*LOOK FOR "IT"...MORE SPECIFICALLY;
Natural voices. No Pukers...No forced "Big Voices"...we're all about reality not balls
Format Passion. Livers of the format lifestyle. Not "Generalists".....but guys & gals who live and breathe your formats. Never: "Hey, I can do AC, Country,...passion what's that?...I'm a "radio guy". Test them! Play Fawlty Towers and Three Stooges to potential hires to check if a candidate "got it"....

Eccentricity. “Getting” the things that aren’t so obvious. Most don't...we don't want them if they don't.
*New Ideas. Already doing a call without "10th Caller" cliché?? Hmmm.thats good.
*Unhireables...weirdos.....Bring 'em on! 85% may be TOO weird...but 15% might be BRILLIANTLY weird.
*Smart People...real smart people. Not necessarily “educated" smart....but life smart.
*Experienced pros? 90% are tired burn outs. Experience is often Bullshit. It's where your mind is now and where it can GO. (Now—as far as a Doctor or Airline Pilot—I’ll take experience every time…but in our world, experience can mean baggage)
*Strange Accents? Yes! What’s with this thing radio has about hiring nice clear voices? Let’s get some street in there.
THINK!....Does the candidate:
A) REALLY AND TRULY show potential for greatness...or is their tape and mind maxed out. BE HONEST!
We need people who
CAN HOLD UP, JOIN IN and CONTRIBUTE. This is the "creative" majors. No creative minor leaguers in this camp, pal! This is not the place for the creatively weak, suit n tie, normal Americans. Bring us your brilliance...not your average.
c) Live in the same space we do? Most people don't.
We can't pollute XM or the Airwaves with anything less than brilliant people.....
*Whiners, Boring or Negative people will not last here. Grumpy is OK....Goofy is OK.....Out There is OK...Boring or Negative are unacceptable.
(----EVIL DANGER ZONE OF AVERAGE----)
99.99999999% of Americas radio guys are in the Evil Average Zone...AVOID THEM.
Seek people who can stand up to the intensity of "The Mission" and help you take it higher and further. Working at creative places is hard, challenging, insane, tiring...but there is no other gig in the World as cool as a place that's re-inventing. HIRE ONLY SPECIAL PEOPLE!

OK…so much for the note scribbles…now a few some random thoughts:

*Flew Southwest Airlines recently. Couldn't take my plane because of a snowstorm brewing. THOSE GUYS get it. Smooth...reliable and extremely impressive. No wonder they actually make money. From uniformity of their aircraft and route structure to the simple basics of happy employees...they are a hell of an airline--Quite a story in today's environment. Google Herb Kelleher. You'll see the kind of thinking that set the pattern for this successful company.

*Got feedback on my disdain for political polls and "traditional research". Well, I think most Focus groups, auditorium tests and polling that most media does is flawed. The NON TRADITIONAL research that is mind blowingly GOOD is the R&D that goes into Mars Landings, Cancer cures, new technology and new thinking that makes a difference. If media got into researching on that level--you WILL see change

INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY IS THE NEW ROCK N ROLL

INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY IS THE NEW ROCK N ROLL


There has always been music…but in 1955, it all changed, there was ROCK N ROLL which went far beyond “music”. AND here in 2008,—there has always been news/information and some form of technology, but the opportunity is to do to information and technology what Rock n Roll did to Music is what's moving the meter. It's all been happening for awhile now. But from a brainpower and innovation viewpoint, Rock n Roll looks backwards. The vision is on information and technology. And it's probable that Rock n Roll’s inventive/world changing days are behind. NOW---That doesn't mean its dead—in fact it’s very much alive, but I think the magic of Rock n Roll in the 21st century is all about immersing ourselves in its deep and unbelievably rich history. People in the music business are usually hopeful that it's all about "new music". It WAS...but the magic now is in mining the history, which only a thin layer of it has been touched. Mining can mean DISCOVERING what’s out there, or seeing amazing bands perform their history at the well honed level of today. Music will impact people forever and there'll be other forms of it that engage the world, but my point is that that "Rock n Roll thing" is more about the past (and that's fine and can be/is EXTREMELY lucrative) than the future. Of course, not a pleasant thing for a business that is focused on breaking new acts…but a pretty good time for the miners. If I were in the music business, I’d focus on mining and technology instead of the old school trying finding the next big hit and getting it played a lot. Vegas has better odds.


Rock n Roll is a universal term. EVERYone knows what it means from 7 to 70…and pretty much everybody was touched by it. It’s plain un-American to not like Rock n Roll. In 1956 it meant teens, but now, it’s demographically universal. Hell, Obama’s song is by U2 and Huckabee is using Skynyrd! ROCK N ROLL is an attitude that resonates around the World---but it can be and IS being applied to non musical initiatives.

In its purest sense Rock n Roll arguably means:

INNOVATION
ATTITUDE
SWAGGER
NEWNESS
BIG—MASS APPEAL
RE-INVENTION
CREATES FANS NOT USERS
POWERFUL
CHANGING
ARTFUL
REBELLIOUS
INTELLIGENT…IN A MASS APPEAL WAY
LADEN IN MONEY, INFLUENCE AND POWER

Done right it’s like:

DYLANBEATLESPINK FLOYDU2
ERIC CLAPTON
JIMI HENDRIX

(Lasting … integrity …quality …in touch with the soul of the Nation)

Those above mentioned points and artists are the same points that will and are defining the NEW "Rock n Roll"--INFORMATION & TECHNOLOGY

Today’s information merchants can and often do also go Cheesy, manufactured, short lived, soul-less….say—that sounds like a lot of today’s “pop” music!

I would classify Naomi Campbell interviewing Hugo Chavez as not exactly life changing. Too bad she wasn’t a pop figure in the 70’s—we could have had her interview Idi Amin.

In many ways Information delivery is where music was in the 50’s. POISED for something new. And ‘something new’ IS happening before our eyes. Just the fact that you are reading this blog is NEW.

And where music was once the definer, now it’s often an add-on…something that makes technology a richer experience…kinda like a video game with amazing music.

The Music Business ate itself… A lot of why music ate itself is because those controlling it, forgot they were in the ROCK N ROLL business and got absorbed by the gaming and bullshit and forgot:

INNOVATION
ATTITUDE’
SWAGGER
NEWNESS
BIG—MASS APPEAL
RE-INVENTION
CREATES FANS NOT USERS
POWERFUL
CHANGING
ARTFUL
REBELLIOUS
INTELLIGENT…IN A MASS APPEAL WAY
LADEN IN MONEY, INFLUENCE AND POWER

,,,I don’t blame the music business...it was all inevitable


INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY IS THE NEW ROCK N ROLL


I love music as most people do, but the pulse of the Nation is information and technology based. THAT’S the buzz. That’s where the excitement is…where the action is.

Looking back is fine and enjoyable---There's SO much there. But looking forward---the excitement will more likely be information and technology based discovery than a hot new artist that has the lasting impact of a Dylan, Beatles, Pink Floyd or Zeppelin. Oh--and for those who say that they were special cases---Yes they were, but imagine the state of music without the driving influence they had on other artists. Without Elvis and The Beatles, Patty Page would be voted the most important artist of the 20th Century.

POLLS: They sure nailed it with Obama “winning” New Hampshire. What a joke. At 4pm the day of the voting, networks were writing Clintons eulogy. THAT is what I don’t like about traditional research.

....Passionate about the past and excited about the future!

THE WORD REVOLUTION & THE BOYS CLUB VS. THE REBELS

THE WORD REVOLUTION & THE BOYS CLUB VS. THE REBELS

Uh oh, we are entering “Awards Show” season. Celebrating everything wrong with entertainment. The whole “the red carpet” thing…the tux clad crowd trying to out fashion each other…and having been to some of these: The small talk and bullshit. “Hey there’s Artie Fufkin! ---Hey Artie, you rock...love ya...long time no see big guy (hug)”…then five minutes later “Fufkin—what a jerk…” Yeah—can make good TV ratings and sell more ‘product’, but I wish they’d just go away. They are SO goofy. The Grammy’s and Oscars are grandfathered in and done well—in fact we are doing quite a bit with the Grammy’s and it gets great traction. They have a historical thing going---that’s fine…but most of the others are made-for-TV ultra junk.

Ever watch LINK TV? That is one weird channel. I think it’s about bringing cultures together. To me, it’s all about bringing another boring unrealistic channel to my TV set.

OK—so much for my bad attitude about TV, I can always tune in TV Land to watch their great promos, or watch International news shows for the interesting production, or Fox News for the cute girls.

The big opportunity for media in 08 is de-laming it while simultaneously growing the audience. Do-able. I’ve seen study after study, as well as instinctually feel that America doesn’t actually LIKE much what they’re seeing hearing or reading…but they do it anyways. Sorta like a lot of food---It may taste pretty average but ya gotta eat. Going a step further, it’s unfashionable in the trade and un-businesslike to admit any of this. Maybe as in radio, the innovators have mostly cashed out…or maybe most of today’s breed of media titan is so self absorbed with the boys club they’re in that they just don’t care. Probably a little of each infused with this burning desire to stay clearly within the profitable (a good thing) but the ultimately limiting zone of safe (a bad thing). The old boy’s club thing holds innovation back. Same guys…same style…same M.O....the same elitist disattachment...the same kiss ass political gaming. I think part of Barack Obama’s appeal is that he ain’t in that club. Look at any tired, faltering but once, maybe even still prosperous business or institution and you’ll see The BOYS CLUB running the show. The “club” is bad...it’s on its last legs. The new club will rule...you can see it coming...in fact, it’s there if you look at whose winning.

It’s going to take some rebels to change all of this…and there’s too much opportunity to keep the rebels down…young and old...as there’s SO much to rebel against, with new ideas. The rebels are out there, winning and going to win. The myth is that the rebels are the “new” generation. Nope. I’d put old guys like Jobs and Murdoch right in there with “new” rebel thinkers. It’s all about weather one is sitting back in “the boys club” or thinking like a rebel. And there’s a tendency to think that the Boys club are old guys…not necessarily, as they are recruiting young guys for the club too. It’s all about a state of mind and a will to “fight” the average.


It IS nice to see some shows TV blending interesting with theater. The Off Road Trucking and Kitchen Nightmares kind of shows…and the Top Chef type competitions.
Most of these concepts originated in Europe and Japan….then they come to the USA and get slickened. I hope we get a bit more innovative. Japan did it—they’d steal our ideas and make them better…now they create often better products. Time to CREATE better products, and our traditional #1 export ENTERTAINMENT is a good place to start.

I’ll never forget when I was in Australia and a noted programmer asked “Why is it that all American radio stations give away prizes to the ‘9th caller’? It is some sort of regulation? I replied “Sheep”.


New Years Resolutions: The only new Years resolutions that work are the ones you start in August.

Candidate theme song artists:

OBAMA U2

CLINTON CELINE DION

EDWARDS MELLENCAMP

GUILIANI RASCAL FLATTS

HUCKABEE SKYNYRD

ROMNEY ELVIS

At least in Iowa, looks like Classic Rock is what sells.

I’m not so sure about these “theme songs”. More cheapening I think. More utilization of the “pop culture” card. Probably more effective if only ONE candidate discovered it, but when they ALL have their theme songs, it further takes this escapade into cheese territory. Something a High School student council candidate might try. Wonder what would happen if one candidate said “This is all about the business of running the Country, not some song…”?

There’s a word revolution….First Offices- Here’s my in/out list for office lingo:

OUT : IN

PING: Call

BAKE IN: Add to

YOU THE MAN: Nice Job

GANGBUSTERS: Did Great

HOME RUN: Did REALLY Great

METRICS: Numbers

OFF LINE: Shut up and we’ll talk about it later

OWN: If it screws up it’s your fault

DOWNLOAD: Here’s what happened

PRE MEETING: Let’s make sure we are all saying the same thing

DIVERSITY: Different stuff

ACTION ITEM: Something you gotta do

IDEATE: Come up with stuff

ASSUMPTION: Guess

I did a presentation for the University of Richmond Business students awhile back called "Secrets from the Creative Side" that dealt with filling them in on what those guys are thinking. Three of them came up to me and said they were enlightened because I talked like a civilian.

A word revolution needs to happen beyond the office. On radio, TV and in print, there’s a kind of media speak that speaks to everyone but the user. In radio: We need to evolve from "Radio Speak" to "Street Speak"....a little history:

In the 50's, Radio was the transmitter of pop language. Borrowed from the beatniks, the truly influential DJs like Alan Freed peppered their raps with "Man, Cool, Dig It, and even Daddy-O"......They talked street.

In the 60's, cool stations borrowed from the urban streets. "Boss Radio, Rip Off, and Hippie" didn't come from a focus group or some suburban wordsmith.

In the 70's, ”Far Out, Oh Wow, bogus, decent and bad ass" we're right out of the late 60s underground.

THEN---In the 80s and 90s, most radio stations evolved from "Street Talk" to "Radio Speak"......The Most, The Best, Home of, The New, etc...
It was part of the data revolution that just went too far! It helped create a very sterile sound. I was at focus groups where we'd actually "test" street terms. You can imagine how that went. Not well. What tested well was "The Best, The Most, Home of, The New etc..." --of course those focus groups were 30 years ago, and those terms are STILL everywhere.

This all fueled a setback for talkin' the streets not the marketing report.

We're all about sound, not detergent. THE LINES GOT BLURRED AS STATIONS MARKETED THEMSELVES AS CONSUMER PRODUCTS RATHER THAN ENTERTAINMENT VEHICLES.....

Make it up. Seriously. Radio has the power to make up...fabricate words. Say them and they will come. In fact, I doubt if a well scrubbed teenybopper in 1965 knew that when she was saying "Wow! That new Tommy James record is Boss" she was technically saying "Wow! That new Tommy James Record is good heroin” (Boss was a drug term originally from the 30s). Anyways, what I'm saying is, MEDIA IS POWERFUL. You say it...and if it “sounds” right, they'll use it.

RECLAIM COOL NEW LANGUAGE FROM THE COMPUTER PEOPLE. ---Hey, they don't own cool culture! But those guys are brilliant at coming up with cool names: Spamming, Hacking, I.M. Cool words that stick.

Of course, the Hip Hop Culture OWNS word invention

Words rule.

THEY GREYING OF AMERICA…AND PUTIN/EINSTEIN FOR PRESIDENT?

THEY GREYING OF AMERICA…AND PUTIN/EINSTEIN FOR PRESIDENT?

There’s a “Baby Boom” retirement trend that is emerging as a mainstream news item, and it IS huge. A massive population hub entering the post work years. I guess I’m closing in on that age….soon. But an interesting thing about this demographic is that so many are healthier, hipper and more engaged that prior “upper demos”. Hell, I can’t IMAGINE retiring! I feel like I’m 30, and act like I’m 10. Doesn't hurt that I went on a major health kick and am close to fighting weight again. And I’m not alone. There was once the “Great 25-34 scare of ‘78”. All of these FM radio stations that owned 18-24 year olds back then we’re buying into the panic that the baby boom was over and soon there would be no teenagers left on earth by 1980. And these 18-24 targeted stations would be left with no listeners as the typical 18-24 rocker, would wake up on his or her 25th birthday and say “To hell with Led Zeppelin…I’m 25-34 now…bring on The Captain & Tennille and Bread oldies. Never happened. Goes back to the fact that 16-20 are the musically formative years…the music you are into then, sets the stage for your musical life. I’d chuckle at big name radio guys suggesting back then that Hendrix and Dylan were “fads”…

I just went flying with Skip Finley, a radio mogul, one time client and all around good guy. He's about 60 going on 30. There are a lot of those out there that cancel out the traditional view of demographics and lifestyle. Anyone over 50 gets these AARP welcoming kits. AARP? Maybe when I'm 90...maybe.

Ever watch those Time-Life informercials hawking the “Summer of Love” CD’s? Induces severe nausea as there’s the obviously paid “star” of the 60’s” interacting with very un cool people fawning about how “If you’re Going to San Francisco wear Some Flowers in Your Hair” was the voice of the generation and ‘changed their lives’. If THAT song changed their life, they are not finished changing.

Quality is what creates timelessness. Junk fades. Quality isn’t an economic or demographically defined term. I think “The Chipmunks” were quality. Done very well. Lovable rodents that stand the test of time. I’m glad to see that they’re film is doing well and that their Christmas song still gets played. I used to take a Chipmunks 45 and slow it down to 33 to see how they REALLY sounded. They’re better fast.

When I watch the Time Life thing, I want to scream out: YOU FOOLS! You can buy an I-pod and download the songs…or get an XM and actually HEAR and re-discover ALL and MORE of the songs. Symbolizes how few marketers understand how 50+ thinks. Weather it’s those goofy Fidelity ads with Rock Stars or the trivializing of the culture back then…most “Baby Boom” marketing efforts are laughable. Missing the purity and essence. Bob Dylan’s radio show talks to the mindset better than anyone---because it’s natural. Not forcing it.

We used to have a term called “The Weekend Hippie”. Coat & Tie Monday-Friday, then jeans and mild partying on the weekend.

A massive market opportunity is not very sexy, but VERY rewarding---Old people who still think like kids. BIG.

Musical acts whose debut recordings were made three decades ago dominated the North American concert business in 2007, with half of the top 20 grossing performers having started their careers in the 1970s. When an Apple figures out tapping into this audience…look out!

Back in the 60’s, it was Cold War time. The Ruskies were supposed to bomb us at any second. Later I realized that Russian products other than Vodka and Caviar sucked. If they launched an ICBM in ’63, it probably would have blown up on the pad. I toured an old Aeroflot Russian jetliner once…it made Greyhound look like the Queen Mary.

So, I’ve always had this question mark about Russia. Ememy? Good guys with bad leaders? Last week I saw a very impressive interview with Vladimir Putin. Time made him “Man of the Year”. Hmmmm. Need to look at this guy in a more unbiased way. It showed a high level of intellect that made a lot of sense. Compared to some of the stupidity of our campaign, it was eye opening. It was very truthful, intelligent without being elite. Of course, the guy may be a complete scumbag engineering a completely rigged election…then again maybe not.

(Time interview)

How do you see the relationship between Russia and the U.S., going forward?Russia and the U.S. were allies during the Second and the First World Wars, which allows us to think there's something objectively bringing us together in difficult times. Today to be successful, one must be able to reach agreements. The ability to compromise is not a diplomatic politeness but rather taking into account and respecting your partner's legitimate interests.

Can you give an example?The North Korean nuclear issue. We treated the issue very seriously. We were thinking about each other's interests and about the interests of the country in question. In the end we resolved the issue to a large extent.

What should be done in Iraq?From the very beginning, I considered that it was a mistake. As for what we do today and in the near future, overall I agree with President Bush that everything must be done so that the Iraqi authorities are able to deal with security issues on their own. What we differ over is that the U.S. believes it is impossible to impose time frames for the withdrawal. In my view, that would prompt the Iraqi authorities to be more proactive.

Americans wonder why the recent Russian elections could not have been more open and why, for example, Garry Kasparov was put in jail.Why did Mr. Kasparov, when arrested, speak out in English rather than Russian? When a politician works the crowd of other nations rather than the Russian nation, it tells you something.

Do you think the U.S. wants to see a strong Russia or a weak Russia?I believe the U.S. already understands that only a strong Russia will respond to the genuine interests of the U.S.
What is NATO's purpose today? If Russia were invited to join, would it do so?I wouldn't call NATO a putrid corpse of the Cold War, but it is a leftover of the past. How can NATO efficiently fight terrorism? Did it stop the terrorists on 9/11? Where was NATO then? Russia has no intention of joining military-political blocs because that would be tantamount to restricting its sovereignty.

One of the perceptions that Americans have about Russia is that corruption is endemic. How do you handle that?Badly. I must say that in the transitional economy, it is difficult to address such problems. But I'm fully convinced that down the road, [they] will be tackled more efficiently.

What role does faith play in your leadership?First and foremost, we should be governed by common sense. But common sense should be based on moral principles first. And it is not possible today to have morality separated from religious values.

How does a lifelong KGB man raised in the Soviet Union become a believer in free markets?One doesn't have to be a particularly bright highbrow to see the obvious, that the market economy has major advantages over an administrative system. We have had GDP growth of about 7% a year on average over the past seven or eight years. We have paid off all our debt. Real income growth is about 12% for the population, and for me, that is the main achievement.

You must feel lucky that the price of oil is so high.Fools are lucky. We work day and night!
The government has arrested some ?Russian industrialists and seized their assets. Why?Well, "Thou shalt not steal." They didn't have difficulties with me. They had difficulties with the people of the country and with the law.

Has your KGB training helped you as President? There's an old saying "Once a spy, always a spy."Well, those are lies. Naturally, some of that background can be of help. They taught me to think independently. They taught me to gather objective information, first and foremost. The second thing, from working in intelligence, is learning the skill of working with people. Above all, to respect the people you're dealing with.

In Russia, a number of journalists have been murdered. Is there some kind of pattern? Is there something that you or the government can do to prevent it?First, many people, including journalists, are tempted to make a little bit more money here and there, which means they get involved with entrepreneurs, sometimes with criminal businessmen. Then there are genuine fighters against corruption, against the criminal elements. Where such losses have occurred, I take them personally.

What do you think are American misconceptions about Russia?Well, you know, I don't believe these are misconceptions. I think this is a purposeful attempt by some to create an image of Russia based on which one could influence our internal and foreign policies. This is the reason why everybody is made to believe, like, it's O.K. to pinch the Russians somewhat. They are a little bit savage still, or they just climbed down from the trees and probably need to have their hair brushed and their beards trimmed.

Can you tell us more about Boris Yeltsin and Mikhail Gorbachev?They moved toward destruction of the system that no longer could sustain the Soviet people. I'm not sure I could have had the guts to do that myself. This is a very important change. It gave Russia her freedom.

What about the conflicts you've had with former Soviet republics on gas prices?What conflicts? There are world prices for gas. Why should we sell to anyone below the world-market prices? Do Americans? Could you come to a store in the U.S. and ask, "Well, I'm from Canada. We Canadians are close neighbors. Give me that Chrysler at half price"? What would you hear from the salesman? "Go away!"

President George W. Bush said he looked into your eyes and got a sense of your soul. Have you gotten a sense of his soul? I consider him a very reliable partner, a man of honor. Yes, Iraq was a mistake, but he is a fair and honest man.

Do you think there was a missed opportunity after 9/11 for the U.S. and Russia to work more closely on the anti?terrorism front because of Iraq?We could have acted in a more coordinated and therefore more efficient way. That is true. But cooperation between our secret services is happening and is achieving results.

Can you describe this cooperation? Are there institutional structures that exist between American and Russian intelligence in the field of fighting terrorism? Yes, the so-called partnership channels. And recently the work has been quite successful, including cooperation to prevent terrorist acts against the citizens of the Russian Federation and the U.S. I recently discussed this with President Bush over the telephone.

Earlier you used the phrase Thou shalt not steal. Have you read the Bible?Yes, I have. And the Bible is on my plane.

Do you use e-mail? Do you blog?Well, it's a big shame. I don't use these technologies. I don't even use a telephone. My staff do it for me. But they do it wonderfully.

They still make shit products…but I kinda like this Putin guy,
…I like looking to other world leaders. There’s something wrong here…it’s a time of change. Not only in Media…but in EVERYTHING. Is it GOOD change that improves lives…BAD change that screws it up more…or INSIGNIFICANT CHANGE that is change without resonation?

….Some words for 2008 from Einstein:

Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

It gives me great pleasure indeed to see the stubbornness of an incorrigible nonconformist warmly acclaimed.

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.

One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality.

It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.

It should be possible to explain the laws of physics to a barmaid.

The bitter and the sweet come from the outside, the hard from within, from one's own efforts.

Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. Full effort is full victory.

We must find a way, or we will make one.

Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.

The gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge.

To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science.

Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe. -Albert Einstein.

HOLIDAY INTERNET FUN…AND THE NEXT BIG TREND: BULLSHIT FREE MEDIA aka TRACTION BY ACTION

HOLIDAY INTERNET FUN…AND THE NEXT BIG TREND: BULLSHIT FREE MEDIA aka TRACTION BY ACTION


Check out this “mis-interpretation” Pearl Jam’s “Yellow Ledbetter”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLd22ha_-VUU

Then…something scary:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3X1K93ff5l


Now, something cool:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qNVvRXnWCk …


TRUTH:
Last week, in hearing looking and watching the Mitchell report coverage...it's central theme is "truth"... (Or lack of), as in who's telling the truth. This morning on TV and in print, the Weather reporting is....SO sensational, you cant really get the TRUTH. I think there's a STRONG growing appetite for "The Truth". The research I've seen on Fox News' extraordinary success shows one key finding is that their FANS think they tell the TRUTH instead of skewing it. (Expert perception creation at it's best)

I think TRUTH is soon to be a HOT marketing/positioning/branding/defining term. No one has "claimed" it. And it's tough to get any cred by simply saying "Hey--we tell the truth”. But I think too many places are too busy being "the Best"...”on Your Side" and other focus group fantasies. Whereas “THE BULLSHIT STOPS HERE as an angle would probably be very effective. Though I’d guess most marketing and media people just can’t resist the temptation to OVER sell and focus on the clichés…that rarely resonate anymore. The old school “slogan era” is drawing to a close. A New era is emerging.

There’s a website that has old TV ads. Classic stuff:
Go here:

http://www.roadode.com/classicindex.shtml

Not only are they amusing, but you can see how the now hilarious “selling” is more humor than salesmanship by today’s standards. My point is that most media are operating by 20 year old standards. My favorite is Asking a Question. “Tired of the same old music? Try….” That’s not too far from (circa 1961) ‘Hey Mom, kids wearing you down? Try Geritol…” Or in radio---It’s bragging “The best…the most…” In News, it’s “Action, Now, Immediate, Early Warning News Special Alert”. In Politics it’s “...The other guy is bad…and I approve this message”.

Then there’s REALITY TV. Well, it IS hardly reality…but “TRUTH” is what it’s all about. “Real”. Of course it’s fake real…but the IDEA is ‘real’. I was on the Apprentice along with Eric, Lisa Ivery and Lou Brutus last year. Took 4 days to tape it—by the time it was over, the reality was on the editing floor…

The BIG opportunities in 08 are all about….taking a deep breath, and telling; it like it is. Aka Truth. Not in a slogan…but in everything that permeates the product—so people actually BUY the fact that you are in the NO BULLSHIT ZONE. This doesn’t mean being SO honest that you don’t gain traction…it means NOT fearing TRUTH or resort to "marketing" truth and hoping people see beyond the 'sell'...and getting off the damn hype machine…breathe deep and stop feeding the Bullshit machine that create “yeah, sure” rather than “damn right!”. Change via AFDI rather than telling people you are changed, but in reality it’s all still the same. TRACTION BY ACTION. The next big trend…

”trust me”.

Oh…and click here for a really good article on the state of the music business from David Byrne. Never cared for his music…a little too “hip” in a New York way…but the guy is pretty smart:


http://www.wired.com/entertainment/music/magazine/16-01/ff_byrne?currentPage=alll

Finally….once again, from Miss Teen South Carolina, the bright future of our Country, what just might be quote of the year:

I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don't have maps and I believe that our education like such as in South Africa and Iraq and everywhere like such as and I believe like that they should like do our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S. or should help South Africa and should help Iraq and like the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future for us."

STEPHEN KING’S CULTURE STANCE, A LOW MAINTAINENCE LED ZEPPELIN (?), OBAMA’S GAME SHOW, STEROIDS, AND XM IS A FUNNY PLACE

STEPHEN KING’S CULTURE STANCE, A LOW MAINTAINENCE LED ZEPPELIN (?), OBAMA’S GAME SHOW, STEROIDS, AND XM IS A FUNNY PLACE

I always liked Stephen King. He writes brilliantly, He’s an XM listener, then here’s an excerpt from his recent interview in TIME:

Do you actually think Britney and Lindsay should be on our cover?Yeah, I do.
Sort of a, 'This is what the media's actually interested it, so let's just put it out there' thing?I think there ought to be some serious discussion by smart people, really smart people, about whether or not proliferation of things like The Smoking Gun and TMZ and YouTube and the whole celebrity culture is healthy. We've switched from a culture that was interested in manufacturing, economics, politics — trying to play a serious part in the world — to a culture that's really entertainment-based. I mean, I know people who can tell you who won the last four seasons on American Idol and they don't know who their f------ Representatives are.
But you've been well in the public eye for decades now. Is it pretty blatant how much worse it's gotten?It's worse every year. And the guy says to me — the Nightline guy — I didn't get the guy's name. Granted, I haven't been feeling real well and it was a long day of interviews. But he said to me, "If we didn't cover cultural things, we wouldn't be covering you and The Mist, and promoting the movie." And I'm like, "Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan aren't cultural." They aren't political. They're economic only in the mildest sense of the word. In fact, if I had to pick somebody, some celebrity who has had some impact this year, some sort of echo in the larger American life, I would say Hannah Montana. That whole issue of online ticket sales and scalping fascinates me. There are [legitimate] issues there about the Internet, so that actually does seem to have some cultural significance.But Britney? Britney Spears is just trailer trash. That's all. I mean, I don't mean to be pejorative. But you observe her behavior for the past five years and you say, "Here's a lady who can't take care of her kids, she can't take care of herself, she has no retirement fund, everything that she gets runs right through her hands." And yet, you know and I know that if you go to those sites that tell you what the most blogged-about things on the Internet are, it's Britney, it's Lindsay. So I think it would be terrific [to have them as TIME Persons of the Year]. There would be such a scream from the American reading public, sure. But at the same time, it's time for somebody to discuss the difference between real news and fake news.
True, in terms of Britney Spears, she's still fairly young. When you were young, fame sort of screwed you up a bit, didn't it?The difference is that Britney is now famous for being famous. Her sales have gone down with almost every album, bigger and bigger jumps, so that nobody really cares about her music anymore. They care about the tabloid headlines and whether or not she's wearing panties. I mean, is this an issue that the American public needs to turn its brainpower on? Britney Spears' lingerie, or lack thereof?

OK---Can't blindly argue with popularity--I get that…but I continue to believe that his comments reflect one of the most important issue our Country faces. A slow growing disease that sneaks up on the public consciousness. In a perfect world, if you correct this dumbing, SO much else GOOD flows from the cultural correction…then again, if it’s not corrected and JUNK CULTURE continues to spiral unchecked—then we are completely fucked and it’s just a matter of time that it’s Rome all over again. You can't tell a Britney fan that they're stupid. Doesn't work that way. It's a bigger mission that real leaders can change. Since we are so driven by Capitalist instincts—I believe that the OPPORTUNITY in “smartening” the culture is huge...and done intelligently and with mass North America in mind, will be a massive one. In other words, there’s money in correcting the Junk Culture mentality…smartening CAN be extremely lucrative. Apple is a favorite example...you rarely see them doing "dumb down" stuff, or clichéd stuff, or 'because the focus group told us so/we do it but we have no clue why' stuff. Saw two surveys showing 89 and 87% of adults have NO interest I hearing about Brittney and Paris in the news…but guess what? It’s still there.

What’s dumb? In my opinion:

*Anything the Simpson’s make fun of. They have the best dumb radar on TV.

*Anything that doesn’t make people’s lives better.

Big money smartening in a world where dumb down or simply being so locked into the business and mechanics of trying to be successful that you are anesthetized on what it actually takes to do it is standard operating procedure among the old line. There's opportunity is being balllsy enough to generating mass appeal lasting quality. As always--BALANCE: Information with innovation with execution. I think the "next big thing" will be SMART.

Not elite....smart.

Saw a poll. Average age of Hannah Montana fans is 9. I actually kind of like that show for what it is. It’s just breezy kid stuff. I’m glad she’s a sensation. I'm glad she's a massive success. A lot different from a "serious" story about Paris Hilton’s DUI. It is what it is. Not dumb...Not smart...just fun stuff for kids.

Then there's Dara Altman is our Attorney here. She brought her Son’s class by. I guess he’s about 12. Hannah is not a player there. All the boys asked about was Jimi Hendrix…Led Zeppelin…Ozzy and Alice Cooper. Reverence. Odd, as each of those could be their grandfather.

Dispatched Lou Brutus and George Taylor Morris to the Led Zeppelin show in London. Lou filed this report:


Set list:
Good Times Bad Times (9pm local time)
Ramble On
Black Dog
In My Time of Dying
For Your Life
Trampled Underfoot
Nobody's Fault But Mine
No Quarter
Since I've Been Loving You
Dazed and Confused
Stairway to Heaven
Song Remains the Same
Misty Mountain Hop
Kashmir (Main set ends 10:51 local time)
(Encore 1)
Whole Lotta Love
(Encore 2)
Rock and Roll (Show over at 11:03 local time)

Overall:
An incredible show. The first three numbers suffered (very) slightly from some microphone feedback, a less then stellar house PA mix and what appeared to be the band taking a bit of time to find their footing. From the 4th song on it was full steam ahead and they continued to pick up momentum until the end. Once they found their groove it was obvious that they were enjoying themselves immensely. The crowd was riveted from the moment the lights went out. As the show opened the air seemed to go out of the arena and it almost seemed like the 20,000 attending were in a slight state of shock at the site of the band finally playing. A simply breathtaking night. Very well played with exciting musical and emotional moments.

Then there was this….

In their heyday they were the lords of excess - with vodka for breakfast and champagne for supper fuelling a 24-hour party habit.
Yesterday, however, it was clear that Led Zeppelin had come down to Earth after a very long high.
Instead of the notorious "coke" lady employed on their 1973 U.S. tour to keep the rockers rocking, last night's reunion gig was more in need of a tea lady.
More than one million people applied in a lottery for one of the 20,000 seats
The band - reformed for the first time in 19 years - requested little more than a constant flow of caffeine-free herbal tea and sparkling water for their backstage dressing room.
Concert promoter Harvey Goldsmith said: "They are much older now obviously and are very low maintenance. They've asked for cups of tea. We'll have some beer and a bottle of wine for them backstage but they have said they require very little.

..A low maintenance Led Zeppelin….?

If they tour in 08, I’m sure it’ll be amazing as they’ll likely have a clear head to re-interpret their classics. HOWEVER, as unPC as it is to say this, I doubt if anything new they write will be in the Kashmir mode. I believe you HAD to be in the state they were in order to create music like that. They of course can likely still create great new songs, but THOSE kinds of songs are part of the era, the environment and drug induced state they were immersed in. Realistically, a key reason that much Classic Rock was “better then” is because of the time and the head space. Few artists will admit that publicly, but the 1965-1975 era and general environment –and that includes the “mind expansion” stuff common to that era WAS part of the magic they created. You cannot deny that. The upside is that a clear head in the 21st Century makes for better re-interpretations of those songs. Performing them with a clearer head. Those drug hazes come with the turf in that business…it happened…it was part of the music culture and era. I get appalled by those who scorn those drugged out hippies. It’s reality of what it was. A lot of them self destructed. But a lot came out of the tunnel in a positive way. Those who came out of the tunnel can bring new magic to dongs that could have only been created in the environment and time that they were hatched. Hey—I know it’s BAD stuff that comes back to bite you, but at a given time…in a given place, it HAS aided the music process. I’m not condoning...I am just pointing out the reality, as well as the possibilities of presenting the writing on then with the knowledge and clarity of today. As consumers of the output—I’m fine with it as long as the artist doesn’t kill themselves and eventually evolves to a saner state with the experience behind them but without guilt. File it under ‘you had to be there’…

Speaking of drugs, our Baseball channel went OTT in presenting wall-to wall coverage of the Mitchell Report. It was really expertly executed. Kudos to Eric Logan, who as usual, was completely on top of things and commissioned a dedicated channel to READ the whole report. For a baseball fan, it was a remarkable audio resource. And the coverage continued throughout the weekend with REAL PLAYERS telling the story. It was XM at it's best.
Our Led Zeppelin Channel is going to Phase two. Introducing new features… And my favorite: LICKIPEDIA, where our John Stevens teaches listeners classic Page licks. Both are cool.

..Check XM PODCASTS…On I-Tunes.

OK, Presidentially, Obama and Oprah turning politics into a game show?—absolutely silly, and Huckabee with idiotic comments like “"Don't Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?". Actually, I think Jesus and the Devil played in a band together back in the 60’s. Can’t anyone get it right? I think Obama is very fresh and adds a positive dimension to the old boys club of politics—I just hope he doesn’t blow it via the celebrity thing. Nothing against Oprah--she's golden, but the IDEA of celebrity bonding like this...Speaking of Comedy, we wrapped up the first season of UNMASKED. It’s kind of like Artist Confidential, but no music…makes sense since its comedians. We’ve done George Carlin, Bob Newhart, Carlos Mencia, Robert Klein and scores of other timeless and emerging artists of comedy. It’s REALLY an amazing show. We also have a series called “Stand Up Sit Down” that Sonny Fox does. That list is instance, ranging from John Cleese to Bill Cosby. Between the two shows, XM is a funny place.

RE-DISCOVERING LED ZEPPELIN, PASSIONATE RESEARCH FROM USC, DOES DON IMUS REALLY MATTER AND WHINING VS. FIXING

RE-DISCOVERING LED ZEPPELIN, DOES DON IMUS REALLY MATTER AND WHINING VS. FIXING

George Taylor Morris and I flew up to New York for Artist Confidential with Josh Groban. Big, mostly female crowd was hyper with energy and excitement. I’m not a huge fan of his stuff, but those who were, were electric. Funny thing about Josh. He’s a real nice guy. Reminded me of Larry Bernstein from grade school…the kinda guy who’d come over to my house, read my brothers Playboy’s and talk about our model trains. Then----Josh lets out with this voice! I flashed back to Gomer Pyle…you know, he used to play Gomer, then suddenly launch into a song and he’d transform into this dynamic baritone. Or going WAY back, there was a guy named Frank Fontaine who played Crazy Guggenheim on Jackie Gleason’s variety show. Basically Crazy was mentally impaired. Then Jackie would say “Hey Crazy…how about a song”. And he’d go into this lush NON impaired song. Now, Josh is HARDLY like Crazy or Gomer, in fact he’s wonderfully bright and focused guy, it’s just that his incredible voice has nothing to do with his look.

Josh brought a string section and competent band. He was scared before the show as he’s never done something as intimate as this…once we got rolling he transformed into the ultimate guest. Great music, breezy and caring interaction with the crowd. Wonderful.

Rediscovering my roots. That’s what the Led Zeppelin Channel is doing for me, as is Bob Dylan’s show and Tom Petty’s show. With The Zeppelin Channel, I have really gained a new realization of why I am so enamored with the 1968-1975 era of British Rock. Pink Floyd, early Yes, Jethro Tull, the Who and others all shared a level of intellect that is rare to hear these days in rock. The rediscovery included the cerebral lyrics. Sometimes you are so bombarded by the might of Zeppelins music that you miss the fact that lyrically they were on another planet—in a good way. It WAS rock n roll poetry.

Look at Immigrant song:

We come from the land of the ice and snow,>from the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.The hammer of the godsWill drive our ships to new lands,To fight the horde, singing and crying:Valhalla, I am coming!On we sweep with threshing oar,Our only goal will be the western shore.We come from the land of the ice and snow,>from the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.How soft your fields so green,Can whisper tales of gore,Of how we calmed the tides of war.We are your overlords.On we sweep with threshing oar,Our only goal will be the western shore.So now you’d better stop and rebuild all your ruins,For peace and trust can win the dayDespite of all your losing.

Some may say it’s overblown and pretentious, but at that time and place, it resonated as an anthem. And if you actually LISTEN, there is a cinematic quality. And it was executed with such swagger and vision, that and argument of pretension is null.

While the band is known for its might, I always viewed them as very cerebral and heady. And even when they were soft, they were always HEAVY, and while they possessed obvious musical skills, you could count on them to deliver an eccentric edge, weather it was backwards mellotrons in Kashmir to ….just about everything they touched.

Too often we look at these artists as “Classic Rock favorites” I always viewed Zeppelin as a ethereal thunder…Yes created audio movies that took you places…The Who were so damn CLEVER, (especially in their under appreciated gem “Sell Out”) Pink Floyd were Technicolor. It’s sad to see that so many people lump these artists together as “Classic Rockers” numbed to the majesty of the music... It’s a lesson in contemporary music to re-discover the music that is in your DNA. I pity the poor programmer that looks at Zeppelin (or other giants) as audience test figures rather than basking in the magic that were soundtracks to souls. Stories. Innovation. Jimmy Page's DADGAD tuning on Kashmir, Chris Squire's re-invention of the function of the bass guitar in early Yes...the list goes on.

The Onion says it all: http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/local_radio_station_has_got

Time distortion: You'd be amazed at the number of people that suggested Led Zeppelin was too "young and hard". Then, many said Led Zeppelin is old and irrelevant. Classic Time distortion. The reality is that Stairway to Heaven peaked in 1972. If someone was 18 then, they are going on 54 years old! Hell, Cadillac used them in a campaign. The point here is that they are regrouping for a big show and planning a US Tour...and they are the third highest selling artist in US recording history. They are beyond traditional age definition. They are timeless

I'll bet that newspapers/ TV and others locked into traditional thinking stations give it perfunctory coverage at best. While music may not be a big driver, this is one area where the newspapers/TV can be relevant in this space.

It's all about reverence in all demographics for GREAT artists. When I was 18, a 35 year old song was something like Al Jolsen---didn’t make much sense to a guy who just acquired Hendrix’ Electric Ladyland. But a 35 year old record today can be important and inspirational to al ages. It’s good to see some great artists being discovered. It’s the “Johnny Cash factor”.

Speaking of re-discovery---Bob Dylan’s Theme Time Radio Hour offers a different kind of discovery. You of course hear his musical POV, but more importantly, his show delivers a rare look at him as a person. Far more so than his movies and 60 Minutes piece. He’s really a funny and interesting guy. Tom Petty’s show is similar, but I get more of a glimpse at Tom’s library from it…as if you’re sitting in his home as he commands the record player—He probably has a record player—and that’s good!

The lady who was almost killed for naming a Teddy Bear in Sudan was released…damn, they’re strict over there!

Went to LA...Of course getting to LA was typical. My plane is still in maintenance so I flew commercial. The plane was packed with holiday amateur travelers. Compounded by a Dulles based TSA that is unbelievably inept and generally rude. I kept my cellphone in my pocket and breezed right through the metal detector...and of course it was rare to find a TSA person with any command of English. In fact, a lot of Middle Easterners manning the posts. Unbelievable. Of course the worst is the amateurs who decide to unpack their cases at the last minute delaying the line. Then the language barrier kicks in as the TSA person yells at the amateur in Farsi.

Imus is back. Big fcking deal. I can't believe the coverage he got. I know he has fans, and that’s great, but he was on a lot of marginal AM’s with generally weak ratings...and then all of this coverage. Fox, CNN, everyone, was doing big special reports...it further underscores how completely lost the news media is. Add Al Sharpton and a bunch of other no name pundits in there and it makes election coverage look credible. I still think Imus is a miserable old coot. Again, no bash on those who like him...it’s just that I don’t see the justification for the absurd national coverage.

..No whining...just observing...

Then watched the local TV in LA. Gotta think that the way TV news is presented here in the modern world is really based on 1969 thinking...when there were four local stations battling it out without cable or Internet. It's SO laughably dated. I'll watch Fox, E!, and others... then check the many internet sites, and the local news is CRYING for a radical re-invention to stay even remotely relevant in today’s environment...at least one that attacks it with vicious tenacity. Gets it in SYNC. Even the basics are missing: One channel said "We'll be back to the News after these words"...Yeah? What news? Who are you? They didn’t even mention who they are...probably important as my cable has 150 channels. Then 4 minute stores from a miserable looking reporter on some obscure school referendum that affected about 1% of LA...and it was live...at 10pm...in front of a vacant schoolyard. Why?

The “changes” at local TV are a lot like the newspapers. One major paper claimed “they were aggressively making the reader experience more engaging…by making the pages smaller”. Huh?

Whining is one thing--identifying and changing is the better fix.

From the TSA to dated TV...I remain optimistic.

ELECTRONIC INDUSTRY CONVENTIONS, TV CLICHÉ 457-B, AND DUMBING DOWN THE WHITE HOUSE

ELECTRONIC INDUSTRY CONVENTIONS, TV CLICHÉ 457-B, AND DUMBING DOWN THE WHITE HOUSE

Music and Radio Industry conventions used to be “must attend” events. In fact everybody DID attend them. This was in the pre e-mail halcyon days when the music industry was flush with cash and promise. It was a chance to argue or just watch the arguing. The argument focus was the same very year---Record Companies bitched about not getting enough airplay and radio stations defended themselves….but it was interesting. Of course not one single radio person would leave a convention and think “say—the promo guy from Poly Sutra was right! I’m going to throw out the format and play everything…”, but it was still a good spirited balance of interesting, annoying and amusing. Then at night every label tried to out do each other with their suites. From inviting stars and hookers to all night orgies. Atlantic Records was usually the best as I recall. There were different types of conventions. The NAB was pretty much radio only where big names got to get drunk for a few days…then it became more of the winter meetings for station traders, and now it’s a love fest for vendors. Then there was the old Billboard and Gavin Conventions. They were mostly labels and programmers with a few Star GM and Owners holding panels that were packed to the rafters. The early R&R Conventions were like this. Though I usually thought these conventions were a waste of time…they pretty much were, but looking back they were fun…and part of the freer and more interesting music and radio community of an earlier time. It was a place to meet the big names, listen to the “dialogue” and hang out late on someone else’s tab. From 1976 though about 1988 we had our own Burkhart/Abrams conventions. They became more important than the “real” conventions…but that’s a whole other story. There were also some elite conventions. MIDEM was and is ground zero for International Music. Very few radio guys, mainly because it isn’t marketed to them and it’s in Cannes, which would bust the budget of any American station. MIDEM is the Rolls Royce of music conferences. Expertly organized in an amazing environment. The crowd ranges from mega stars to struggling songwriters. Then there used to be the Inside Radio conference in Phoenix. Another blue chip affair that attracted Group owners and vendors with large expense accounts. It was more of a meet and greet with the big names and a chance to show off your wares to a decision maker audience. I was always surprised that Record Companies didn’t attend to learn or at least ratchet up their schmooze to a higher level. Then there was thins thing called the Poe Convention. I went to ONE. It was WAY too sleazy. Elliott Spitzer would have had a field day at this one. Today, the dialogue happens electronically. The Lefsetz Letter is the modern equivalent of the industry convention. Maybe Bob should have a convention.

Did you know that there’s now Youporn.com and even Godtube.com? Yep, free amateur Porn and Preaching. And they are getting HUGE traffic.

OK---I get why dumb shows are successful. Dumb sells. Then there’s Kellie Pickler on “Are you smarter than a Fifth Grader” who thinks Europe is a Country. This is not good. Really….this is dangerous shit. She has a great voice and seems like a nice, engaging person, but “celebrating” this level of ignorance is scary. We’ve somehow evolved into this place that idolizes idiocy. Good clean entertainment with a bad aftertaste.

I Tunes have an interesting new feature (or I think it’s new). You take a genre and it gives you different levels: Basics; Next Steps: Deep Cuts and Complete. The titles they include in each category are highly questionable. I think they rushed into the selection, but the idea of graduated sophistication levels is pretty smart.

More electronic junk food.

TV CLICHÉ 457-B: Holiday travel coverage:

*Standard issue reporter interviews a tired traveler in front of the United Airlines counter at (put major airport here). Usually has a crying baby in a stroller for effect. Complaining how their flight was cancelled.

Then…. segue to:

Arrivals monitor, preferably showing CANCELLED alot

Then….segue to:

*Standard issue reporter reports on delays from outside the terminal.

Damn! You would think there’d be better ways of covering this since you KNOW that it’s going to be a key story 4 or five times a year.

Solution:

*Get out of the terminal and into the technology. Being a pilot, there are SO many ways to present air travel in a far more compelling way. Such as:

--Capture the stunning displays at any ATC facility.

--Talk to controllers…an Approach Control facility is A LOT cooler than a terminal.

…the list goes on. Holiday Air Traffic coverage is in my opinion based on laziness, not thinking or unawareness of the myriad of opportunities to cover this in a “cooler” way—that cuts through and has more “wow” to it! I guess this falls under the critical importance of RE-THINKING as not only a long term strategic thing, but with literally everything a channel/paper/website does.

So Oprah is going on tour with Obama. Well, no doubting Oprah’s incredible power, magnetism and mass appeal credibility, but I wonder if that’s such a good idea. We’ll see. The pop culturing of a Presidency is something I think will inevitable back-fire. Then Hilary announces a Barbra Streisand thing...then Obama comes back with a "is that the best they can do? Why not Capt. and Tennile". What a joke. It'll cost him voters...blurs the issues...cheapens it all. No surprise that Clinton is going with Barbra. A few years ago, Quincy Jones invited me and Hugh Panero to the White House to meet Bill Clinton. Barbra was there. She gave Bill a passionate kiss that lasted about 4 minutes. Interesting. A few weeks later I was invited to the Capitol to meet with Senators about the potential for Liberal Talk radio. They never quite got that it was about ratings and not a vehicle to elect politicians. I told it like it is, complete with the “stop whining” thing, and street perceptions of hard core liberals…never got invited back.
Too bad—they should have listened…

From a new Harvard study:

• 64% of those polled do not trust press coverage of the presidential campaign.• 88% believe that campaign coverage focuses on trivial issues.• 84% believe that media coverage has too much influence on American voting choices.• 92% say it is important that the news media provide information on candidates’ specific policy plans, but 61% say the media does not provide enough coverage of policy plans.• 89% say it is important to hear about candidates’ personal values and ethics, but 43% say there is not enough coverage of personal values and ethics.Instead, those surveyed claimed they were getting "exactly the type of campaign coverage that they want the least," the report found

…Why don’t more media people “get” this??!! Sounds like opportunity to me…

Abu Dhabi is bailing out Citibank…what’s wrong with THAT picture?

Back home at XM, IT was a massive success. IT is a six week long rundown of pretty much EVERY pop song that hit the charts from the 30’s to today. Our “aggregate” channel XMX Channel 2 did a mini version of it during Thanksgiving—it really was pretty amazing. We do a similar thing with Country music called “The Long Haul”. These things break every rule and may radio people don’t get it…but the vast majority of listeners think it’s the coolest. Further underscores the vast wasteland of thinking between Industry thinking and public thinking.

Now, we’re getting in gear on the Led Zeppelin channel. We don’t want this to be a jukebox, so we’re working diligently at acquiring and creating material that passes the bands muster and meets the quality standard expected by the fans.

In a few days, it’s off to USC. The professor is Jerry Del Colliano who used to run the extremely influential INSIDE RADIO daily newsletter. Jerry is probably a good teacher because he comes from the real world and talk about real situations rather than dwelling on the history of the FCC. His newsletter was famous in radio circles. Before your coffee you’d have to read it. A real love/hate thing. Kinda like that morning show that you hate. When someone asks you WHY you hate it, the answer is “Because, this morning at 8:20 they said…..”. Anyways, his top students are doing a project for us. I’m excited about it because the students have NO baggage, they aren’t going to skew the data to support a new format they’re going to pitch. And the students are preparing this with a passion that a traditional research company simply doesn’t have. Plus—it’s a bargain. I LOVE talking to the students. Very inspiring and fresh…and a powerful reality check.

My airplane is getting its annual inspection. Legally required. The "phone call" when it's ready is scary. Usually starts with "Well, there's good news and bad news"...The good news is that she's ready...the bad news is that it needs a new framistat..." Airplanes are a good incentive to work hard.

A FEW DAYS AS A MEDIA CIVILIAN, HULU.COM, TRACE ADKINS AND DURAN DURAN

A FEW DAYS AS A MEDIA CIVILIAN, HULU.COM, TRACE ADKINS & DURAN DURAN

We had an Artist Confidential Double header in New York. Used the Legacy Studios on 38th street instead of the typical Jazz at Lincoln Center which we are associated with. "JLC" was all booked up with Holiday activities, so off to West 38th street it was. Great facility over there. Extremely accommodating, comfortable, and the room is fantastic visually and sonically. First night was Trace Adkins. A nice guy...tall and Country. Kinda reminded me of a modern day John Wayne. He has great stories. Hell, he was once shot in the chest by an irate wife and survived. His POV is pretty right leaning. He's almost a Country Ted Nugent without the psycho thing. I think Trace is very much the voice of the Red State, and he presents his case with surprising clarity and logic. Would make a good commentator in some markets. I really liked him and his fans. His fans are unbelievable "nice". Like many Country artists, he was happy to stay an hour and meet and talk to EVERY fan. Unreal. Try that most genres--ain't gonna happen. I'm not a huge fan of his sort of music, but the show delighted the fans, and that's all that matters.

The next night was Duran Duran. I couldn't fly myself so had to take the Delta Shuttle which actually left on time. the weather was awful and the Duran show started at 9pm, that means I'd miss the last shuttle and have to spend the night which I couldn't do as it was my last day before a short trip to Naples Florida. The show actually started around 11 and ended at 1am! Feedback was that the guys were amazing, as reported by the tired throngs of mangers, label people and XMers in attendance. Not to mention some love letters from their fans in attendance. I've been working on Duran Duran for Artist Confidential since 2003...I guess it didn't hurt that Michelle over at 20 on 20 has been incredibly supportive of the band too. It's that "16-20" factor in action. The music that moves you during those formative years, sticks with you. The fans were the first generation and they don't grow out of artists that moved them. In the Rock n Roll stock market, hold onto Duran Duran stock for long term benefits.

Jayme Karp our Artist Confidential goto coordinator phoned her Mom when she found that we were taking Delta instead of my plane as her Mom suspects that I will fly and endanger her daughter in any weather conditions. I earned points from the Karp's for having the sense to go commercial on an icy night.

Lou Brutus hosted both of these shows as regular George Taylor Morris was out that week. Lou, our all star utility man, took a break from programming the Led Zeppelin Channel to take the reigns. He was great as he seamlessly maneuvered from a Deep South to a UK presentation.

So, it was then off to Naples Florida. First time in the area for while, at least since putting on the local AOR many years ago. The flight down was awesome as we had an approach over the beach and lined up for final approach about ten miles off the coast. Not every flight there are dolphins between you and the runway. Checked out the local stations. Really can’t handle FM. They all sound exactly alike with some minor exceptions on the play lists. The voices...the attitude...the...everything. So I ended up on AM. Could pick up WQAM the first station I worked for out of Miami. I got sentimental as that station, so many years ago, was SO in sync with what was happening. It manufactured excitement in every break. The sadness came in listening to the soul less FMs today. Utilities...nothing more. While it's a different era today, there is NO imagination left on those stations. Instead of dwelling in sadness, I’m just happy to contribute what I can to XM where we have the opportunity to make a difference. Plus I can listen to our highly successful 60s station to recapture that sprit that has vanished. Our 60s on Six IS SOOOOO much better than an oldies station today which is simply more crap 21st Century FM radio...that happens to be playing old songs. So--back to AM. It was at least "interesting". Musically I used my I-pod as I deliberately didn't bring XM...The goal was to spend a few days recharging and attempting to live as a normal non media civilian....and if I had XM, I'd be making notes. Didn't matter though...I was making notes anyways. Went out and bought 12 newspapers, watched every channel on the cable and tried to listen to local radio, and used the opportunity to try to come up with some thinking as I was this temporary civilian away from the office and on a very low email week. CNBC had an interesting show on the history of video games. Five year life cycles and a target that moves at light speed. Old media can learn a few tricks from these guys, though their demographic is so narrowly defined that they don't have to worry about mass appeal age wise. A nice luxury.

Print wise, other than visiting the local newsstand, the hotel delivered a USA Today, WSJ, New York Times and the local paper. Four examples of good definition. USA Today being Americas greatest hits...breezy, scannable and vibrant. WSJ was medium paced, dead on the money for their psychographic target and scannable "real news" without fear of being bogged down by this weeks' celebrity scandal. New York Times was "heavy" and intellectual. The local paper was lightweight, foreign (couldn’t relate to the local stories---there’s not that much going on in Naples in light of today’s Global community) and old. Most local newspapers seem to be locked into an old school format, and their format is a combination of ingredients as if grasping at straws, whereas USA, WSJ and the NY Times have a very clear mission and format. Newspapers remind me of AM radio in 1975. A handful will figure it out and remain giants--and even grow, others will fade away or simply become obsolete via the emerging technologies...and that's already happening. The ones that figure it out will be timeless. With all of the talk about Satellite, FM, Internet radio and MP3, there are a few AM stations...in 2007 that kick the hell out of all of those new media. Newspapers biggest obstacles are self inflicted: Denial, a dated culture, inflexibility, fear, holding old values sacred, a club where outsiders are unwelcome, cumbersome internal structure based on 1957, worshiping the journalism school (good grammar is good--but can you imagine if the pioneers of modern radio demanded a broadcast journalism degree? Top 40 would have never existed as the schools tend to preach history and correctness more than innovation and imagination), obstinate....Still--like an AM station that continues to dominate, there’s no reason a newspaper can't dominate. It just ain't going to be Ward and June sending rover out to fetch the Daily Bugle from the front porch, Dad reading the sports while Junior reads the funnies and Mom looks for recipes. Though I think some papers still view it that way.

Then there are the local TV stations...no comment, they all look exactly the same in EVERY market. I am now convinced that most local anchor people are manufactured at a plant somewhere in Pasadena....next to the facility that cranks out news intros and slogans...And that the look, feel and smell of local stations is mandated by some secret content law.

One thing that really impressed new was HULU.COM. It's the new site that's a joint venture between NBC Universal and News Corp Fox. It's kind of a "professional" You tube. I signed up as a beta tester. While You Tube is infinitely entertaining as I find everything from Radio Controlled 747's landing in parking lots to ...anything. There's a DIY quality about it, whereas Hulu is slick, easy to navigate, very high quality and clean. The content ranges from the Blues Brothers movie to old episodes of Jack Webb's Dragnet (classic...so bad they are genius) to the latest Simpson’s and Kitchen Nightmare episodes. While its ad supported, the ads are infrequent and VERY short--don’t really notice them. Unlike the grainy homemade You Tube video, you go to full screen on Hulu and its pretty crisp with good sound. The content isn't very deep yet, but I'm sure it will be as they add shows and open it up to the public. Early on though, the whole experience was a good one. It's run by a guy from Amazon. Kinda like the name too...

It's good to be a civilian for a few days...

ELECTION ADVICE FROM SOMEONE RELATIVELY NORMAL

ELECTION ADVICE FROM SOMEONE RELATIVELY NORMAL

Arlo Guthrie did Artist Confidential. What a storyteller! From a young Bob Dylan knocking on his door to meet his dad, to well…you gotta listen. Arlo is what Artist Confidential is all about. The stories! Then two days later we did Diamond Rio. Sweet harmonies and great guys. A joy. Did a Christmas Edition. Jon Anthony subbed for George Taylor Morris and pulled it off great. It’s interesting to see the traction the Artist Confidential series is getting lately, since the introduction of XMX—Channel 2. A day doesn’t go by when I Don’t get:

LISTENER: Say—that Artist Confidential thing is cool
ME: Yeah. How long have you been listening to XM?
LISTENER: 4 Years
ME: And you never heard of Artist Confidential?
LISTENER: Nope.

Sorta says it all about OTT (Over-the-top). Gotta be OTT or it doesn’t cut through. Not in the age of subtle in terms of these kinds of things.

Still a year away from the Presidential Elections and the circus is in full force. No wonder John Edwards got booed at a Mellencamp concert. It’s their way of commenting on the dumbing down/junk culture/idiot culture presentation of candidates. The dysfunctionality of the process that underscores today’s junk culture environment.

In a highly personal, extremely arguable, and admittedly naïve (but maybe not THAT naïve) evaluation of what would win…what would resonate—I think the following characteristics would be effective:

*A Zero Dirt approach. Make the other candidate look asinine by taking a “that’s your opinion, here’s mine” non combative approach. Refreshing. Praise the competition when worthy.

*Keep religion out of it. Spirituality and beliefs, great. Using them as a tactic sucks.

*Build the Military to its highest technological form. STRENGTH is a deterrent…and our strength is technology.

*Stop invading and meddling in Countries where the public hates us. It ALWAYS backfires.

*If someone does DIRECTLY & CLEARLY hassle us or our RELIABLE allies---kick the shit out of them…but selectively...and with an exit plan. War for oil ain’t working last time I checked oil prices.

*Talking to the enemy. At least give talk a shot. Get in the talk ring and spar there instead of in the media.

*Homeland Security is pretty dammed important. Always has been. Seems too radical now because it’s been so lax pre 9/11.

*Education rules! It’s one of the few things that can be a tool toward the masses rejecting empty consumerism and junk culture. Weaning people off electronic junk food. Rejecting idiocy and embracing personal growth.

*Better fix our cities. It’s a shame how, here in DC after a storm, the “nice streets” are cleaned up WAY before the ‘poor streets’.

*Stay out of religious wars. In fact, send all the fanatics (from all sides) to Greenland and let ‘em fight it out there.

*Facilitating a change in thinking. Not preaching it…facilitating it.

*Let Iran have nuclear power. It’s inevitable that every nation will. A pre-emptive strike will be very effective in creating a very bad situation…then again if they used those weapons, it would be VERY bad for them. Stop meddling...but if they DO create a problem, THEN bomb the hell out of them.

*AIR POWER. Stay off the ground.

*Aggressively export our art. Music, popular (non junk) culture, literature, etc…It’s our most endearing product.

*Get back in the technology game instead of living in the 1950’s when it was correctly assumed that ours is the best. Some of our once great products stink.

*Stay away from technological denial. We don’t “own” technical advances.

*A GREAT inspirational speaker is critical to the job’s success. PARTICULARLY in today's visual world. Too pretty hurts too. We want REAL not cute.

*Be wary of “Star Power”. It may sell perfume, but it doesn’t sell leaders. Most "stars" are SO far from mainstream thinking and the mainstream KNOWS that. They may create mainstream movies and songs, but they usually create more of an eye roll than traction.

*Listen to Old Time Radio shows. In those shows, foreigners are always portrayed as evil or dumb. And the USA is always tough and macho. Gotta lose that 1948 thinking.

*Gun Control. CONTROL is the key word. Guns ain’t going away…just make sure cops have bigger ones.

*Abortion. Let the Woman decide. If their religion prohibits it…fine. Keep religion out of things. Again, religion is fine…just keep it personal.

*Lose the America Love it or Leave It. Doesn’t resonate—sort of like “Home of the Best Rock”. Try America Fix it or Leave it. Recognition of problems instead of blind patriotism will actually increase the love instead of the denial that there are problems angle….

*If you don’t want to be here and contribute to our melting pot...don't come. Drives me nuts when Middle Easterners go to, say, The Netherlands, and "demand" that the Dutch conform to their wishes.

*Put bureaucracy buzzers in every Government office. I had to fill out some forms to fly into Canada. The US form required was completely unbelievable. Page after page of complexity. The Canadian form was one page…and they even said “Thank you” at the end of it. And that’s just a form---

*Place a high value on intellect. Potatoe was a dead giveaway

*Be very suspicious of old money rich guys running. A lot of baggage there. “Hey…I’m LOADED…I think I’ll run for President!” Same thing with the “cute” factor.

*The last thing we need is a “whiny” politician.

*Israel—Hey, they’re an staunch ally that lives a pretty similar lifestyle…

*The USA is a wonderful and crazy place…not shortage of problems, but still pretty cool. SELLING that ain’t gonna happen with parades and bumper stickers though…there’s new ways to sell this idea to the mainstream. Starts by admitting and addressing weaknesses.

*Bask in our freedom but don’t slam it down throats of Countries that don’t want it...or in no-win situations. We have enough problems HERE to focus on.

*Deport any candidate using “This message is approved by” slogan.

*Speak in plain talk. In the 70’s, every other word from politicians was “detente”. 90% had no idea what that meant. Ever listen to candidates talk economics? It’s ancient Greek to the average citizen.

*The Patriot Act and similar reasonable intelligence acts are GOOD. If you are a normal citizen, the last thing anyone will want to do is spy on YOU. It's a reality of the era that bad guys are infiltrating.

*Don’t use a goofy campaign song.

*Attack unpopular idiocy. Guy burns flag and city commends him for speaking his mind type stuff.

*People don’t like MEAN candidates. Pat Buchanan was MEAN. Somewhere between the ultra liberal paranoid liberate the spotted moose crowd and the ultra conservative Jesus will kill you if you are Gay crowd lives a very reasonable mainstream.

*Illegal aliens. That’s a tricky one.

...another tricky one is that many Middle Eastern countries are run by billionaires (Bin Laden's half brother just bought the first Business SST Jet). With that kind of oil wealth floating around--why are the people so repressed? I certainly don't have an answer.

*Be in sync with 2008--warts and all.

On to a few lighter thoughts---

Boy bands re forming. I guess they’re now “Man Bands”…and then there’s the Spice Girls. Should be sickly funny to watch all the drama that unfolds around those tours.
Should be pretty amusing.

Holiday Music channels are on XM. Sure seems early to me—but I’m the last person you want to ask about the Holidays. One channel that I can’t wait for is SPECIAL X-MAS. Completely whacked Christmas songs. Dan Turner has been hiding away for weeks plowing through the sickest Holiday songs ever recorded.

* HOLLY - XM 103 (Began 11/1)
Contemporary Holiday Hits mixed with selected traditional favorites. (Mannheim Steamroller, Bruce Springsteen, Amy Grant, Carpenters)

BEGIN Mon. (11/19):
* HOLIDAY TRADITIONS - XM 104
Traditional Holiday recordings from the 40s through the 60s. (Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, Ray Conniff, Nat “King” Cole)

* MUSIC CITY HOLIDAY - XM 105
Contemporary and traditional Holiday hits from Country's biggest superstars. (Faith Hill, Alabama, George Strait, Kenny Rogers)

* A CLASSICAL CHRISTMAS - XM 106
Carols you know sung by the greatest classical musicians of all-time. (Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Luciano Pavarotti, Boston Pops, Leontyne Price)

* SPECIAL X-MAS - XM 107
The soundtrack to your dysfunctional family holiday with comedy, parodies and seasonal insanity

*RADIO HANUKKAH - XM 108
Dec. 4th - 12th
An eight day channel focusing on Hanukkah music and Jewish culture

…and DEFINITELY check out “Baseball Confidential”---Amazing shows. Like Artist Confidential