Author Archives: Bob Lefsetz
Lefsetz: Trump
The more the intelligentsia tells me Donald Trump is unelectable, the more I want to vote for him… Nobody knows anything. Especially the smart and educated. We continually laud the graduates of Ivy League institutions, those with money and fame can … Continue reading
Lefsetz: Farewell to an Icon
It’s a sign of the times… First came David Bowie, then came Glenn Frey, and then the Grim Reaper moved on to Dan Hicks, and Paul Kantner and Signe Anderson … on the same damn day! Rock’s killing itself. And that’s … Continue reading
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Lefsetz: The Steve Jobs Rules
DESIGN COUNTS Would Tesla have sold a fraction of Model S’s if it looked like the electric cars of yore? No, it looks like a Ferrari, and therefore early adopters, who want to look cool, purchased it. Few knew it … Continue reading
Lefsetz: The Long, Slow, Impending Death of Rolling Stone
Yes, I still subscribe to Rolling Stone… I have since 1969. And I still haven’t gotten over the lack of a fold, never mind moving to New York and ultimately going slick. But this binding issue is the last straw. So … Continue reading
Lefsetz: Say You Want a Revolution
Do you feel left out? Do you feel like you’re working hard but getting nowhere, treading water in the game of life? Do you think the government is telling you how to live while providing little in return? Then you might … Continue reading
Lefsetz: The Definitive Account of Why Donald Trump Matters
Television makes stars… Didn’t we learn this during the MTV era, when suddenly Duran Duran came out of nowhere and started selling prodigious amounts of product? Some consider “Off The Wall” to be superior to “Thriller,” but the latter far … Continue reading
Lefsetz: Nobody Under 30 Cares About The Oscars Anymore
Could it be that no one wants to hear what actors have to say (which generally speaking is nothing)? We’re at the threshold of the death of Baby Boomer constructs, and art too. The belief was that when classic rockers … Continue reading
Lefsetz: The Bernie Sanders Revolution is Unfolding
This is exactly what happened in 1964… Elvis was king. And then the Beatles wiped him off the map. We had a decade of rock and roll. It had been whittled down to a formula. Sure, Bobby Darin had talent, … Continue reading
Lefsetz: Football’s for Losers Like Coldplay
Why are we so concerned about kids in Flint, but give NFL players a pass? Why are we up in arms about Michigan’s governor, but cry hosannas when a billionaire moves his football team to Los Angeles and Roger Goodell … Continue reading
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Lefsetz: Hell Freezes Over
I now like “Heard It In A Love Song.” I’m still shaking. I haven’t driven in snow that bad since the 1970s. Vail Pass is closed and I’m wondering whether to bother trying to make it to Telluride tomorrow, since … Continue reading
Lefsetz: Individuality is Everything
The Doors could never replace Jim Morrison and Apple can’t replace Steve Jobs… They teach us to get along, tell us institutions are king, but the truth is America succeeds because it’s the land of rugged individuals with a vision … Continue reading
Lefsetz: We Don’t Need Your Stinkin’ Rams
I just don’t care… I never go to the movies and I’ll never see the Los Angeles Rams play live. That despite media telling me I need to pay attention. The truth is I’m on my own subliminal trip to … Continue reading
Lefsetz: Aretha Franklin’s Carole King Tribute a Nod to a Bygone Time
It brings tears to your eyes… What kind of crazy fucked up world do we live in where the two musical highlights of the year were provided by septuagenarians? That’s right, Taylor Swift and Adele did not reach Mt. Everest … Continue reading
Lefsetz: Trump is Toast
Nate Silver told me Donald Trump can’t win… You remember Brother Nate, who called the last election which Mitt Romney thought he was gonna win and Karl Rove couldn’t believe he lost. Silver got it exactly right in the New … Continue reading
Lefsetz: Adele Flexes Muscles @ End of an Era
This is not a victory for the rank and file… The artists railing against streaming applaud Adele’s success after keeping “25” from Spotify, et al. They just don’t know it’s the last gasp of a dying paradigm and the birth … Continue reading
Lefsetz: Screw You, Adele
How the hell can we solve the world’s problems if the music business itself can’t do what’s right for the populace? Sixteen years after Napster, after living through P2P, track sales and now streaming, blind greed continues to reign in … Continue reading
Lefsetz: University of Missouri Fiasco
What kind of crazy, fucked-up world do we live in where the charge is led by football players? One in which money talks. That’s why the President resigned. The college was gonna lose a cool million if its football team … Continue reading
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Lefsetz: The Impending Demise of Facebook & Social Media
People stopped sharing… “34% of Facebook users updated their status, and 37% shared their own photos, down from 50% and 59%, respectively, in the same period a year earlier.” The Wall Street Journal Or as Michael Wolf put it in … Continue reading
Lefsetz: Where It All Went Terribly Wrong
The switch flipped back in 1980 – maybe the beginning of 1981… It coincided with the election of Ronald Reagan, but what really happened back then, what started in the late 1970s, was a focus on money. Baby Boomers didn’t … Continue reading
Lefsetz: Playing to Win (or Lose) by New Rules
“The Crowding-Out Effect of Gargantuan Movies” This has already happened in music, it’s just that nobody wants to admit it. A few superstar acts are making all the dough. The rest are blaming the Internet and Spotify for decimating their … Continue reading
