Thursday, July 1, 2021  

So, let's talk about music. Musicians, nowadays, always tell you to watch their videos before listening to their songs. What kind of sense does that make? I remember talking to one artist who put up their band's video and asked me if I watched it. I said, well, no, I didn't, but I heard the song. See, what I did was, I turned the video on and went to another page. I’ll admit it, I got a little distracted. So, this artist said, so you didn't even watch the video? Again, I said, no, I don't care about the video. I'm more interested in hearing the song.  

Let’s get real here. It’s the record labels who decide what musical route the artist will eventually take. They love your rawness and realness in the beginning, but as soon as you're signed on you’re under their control. What really made you unique, now have you floundering like a fish... trying this new thing and that new thing, until you’re a former version of yourself. A great song has longevity, a music video sullies that vision. But, as long as you have a music video that goes along with the song, that's all that matters. I mean, most albums need a video to cover up the fact that the song is absolute crap! I mean, I think that's the problem because you have this idea of an artist who sounds really good raw and, then, when you watch the video everything is all cleaned up and polished.  Now, who’s the poseur? Honestly, a concert will tell me more about what a band is supposed to sound like., than a video. 

I know you guys are probably tired of hearing this story, but when I listen to AC/DC’s, “It's A Long Way to the Top,” it changed my life!  Now, when I first heard that song in 1976, sitting on my porch, I didn't realize that they made a video for it. And honestly, I didn't care. It's the song that affected me. It was more about the song and less about the music video. I’m from the old school of live performances. I was influenced by Don Kirshner's Rock Concerts, The Midnight Special, and TV shows that showcased bands playing live. I suspect I’ve lost a few, hell, maybe more than a few friends because of what I know to be true. Listen, if you’re going to be in the music industry, you have to stick to your guns as Waylon did, but you ain’t no Waylon. There ya’ go!