Watch it all, but pay attention to the absolute hysteria at 3:44. Has anything in music been the same since? The clip is from “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever.” Thought of as the greatest performance of the night, Michael performed “Bille Jean,” showcasing a new direction in his dancing and debuting the now signature Jackson move – the moonwalk – to the...
Elton and Eminem and Timbaland and …
Springsteen played Bonnaroo. McCartney played Coachella. Elton recorded a track with Timbaland. Somewhere, somehow the lines are becoming blurred. Speaking of McCartney, let’s not forget that Rockband – Beatles Edition comes out on 9/9/09. Can a Rolling Stones/Miley Cyrus duet be far behind? As they head down the rock icon/megastar road, artists are having a harder time attracting new...
A Phish-y lesson …
Last night I trekked down to the Comcast Center to see Phish. Admittedly, I’m only a passing Phish phan, but the ticket was offered, seemed like phun, and off (oph?) I went. In my own defense, I’m far more fascinated by what’s going on backstage and not on stage. Phish, in all their earthy-crunchy, hippy-dippy, love all approach, are also seemingly shrewd business pholks...
Let Us Learn in Order to Do … and the reverse!
Growing up, I was a nice, Jewish boy. Hebrew School three days per week, youth group activities on the weekend, and a Bar Mitzvah that pulled out every stop. I had, no exaggeration, memorized the Erev Shabbat service and could recite the prayers and passages verbatim — in Hebrew and English. In fact, I even knew the page numbers for each section of the service. Some might call me a geek...
How to Decide
A lot of folks rely on they. The mighty they seem to know everything about everything but manage to remain nameless. They say you should pee on a jellyfish sting to stop the pain and reduce swelling. They say that latinos tend to vote Democrat, but Adam Lambert lost Idol ‘cuz the Midwest found him too flamboyant. In marketing, they is a powerful force. Not only do they shape public opinion...
Gilbert O’Sullivanomics
The other day I watched a couple Berklee students perform an impressive cover of “Alone Again (Naturally)” by Gilbert O’Sullivan. Gilbert is essentially a 3-hit wonder (that’s 2 more than most!) from the early ’70s. “Alone Again (Naturally)” was a monster hit that got covered by everyone from Nina Simone to Sarah Vaughn to Donny Osmond. The mind shudders...
Brilliant at the Basics…
A few years ago, I worked with a program director named Buzz Knight. Buzz and I never really saw eye to eye on much, but I was always impressed with the results his team managed to generate. He was quite fond of catchphrases, and most of ’em bordered on silly, but one stuck with me: be brilliant at the basics. This message has been dispensed in various forms, but lately it’s reminding...
Do you (really) know what you’re talking about?
I spent nearly 2 weeks writing this post. At every turn, I questioned the wiseness, propriety, and basic common sense in putting forth these thoughts. But the more I read, DM’ed toward, or otherwise got pointed to, I notice that so many “experts” simply are not. Despite their experience (which is at best occasionally applicable), few people are either blogging their own ideas...
A Withdrawal from the Favor Bank?
The other day, I made a slightly expensive purchase. For the princely sum of $202.74 (including a supposed “convenience” charge), I now have a seat to see Elton John and Billy Joel at Gillette Stadium on July 18th. For those keeping score at home, July 18th is a mere twelve days before my birthday. But I digress… In daze of old, when I worked in radio, concert tickets were...
Find it here, but listen to it … there!?
Back in ye olde days, I had a pretty sweet system. Bose speakers, Denon receiver and cd player, and the oh-so-pricey gold Monster Cables connecting everything together. I was a sophomore in high school, and I saved up (Jewish) confirmation gift money, went to Tweeter’s “Scratch ‘n’ Dent” sale, and lugged it all home on the T — from Harvard Square to Oak Grove...