The Battle rages on....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/28/AR2007122800693.html

Have you been reading the news lately, the labels are SCREWED. Do they read the papers? Guy Hands runs EMI and is taking the Venture Capitalist approach: tear the company down to its core then sell to the highest bidder. Did Terra Firma buy EMI for the label or the assets? Sony is hemorhaging; as is Warner. Universal, the biggest of them all, has decided it wants to wage a war with the company that may hold the key to its future, Apple. And Apple, the company that is NOW making MONEY off music has its stock at record highs.

And now the infamous RIAA (Major Labels) is taking its fight to personal use. Really? Isn't this a bit like shooting yourself in the foot. Business 101. Ever heard of the product life cycle? Well, the CD is in decline and it AIN'T COMING BACK!! The sooner that the labels realize this, the sooner they can save themselves. Digital music has yet to be tamed by anyone, startups are born every day that are designed to sell music, so make it available. People are getting it for free right now, so why don't we try to make a little money off them. Remember, Limewire and Napster ASKED for licenses and were turned down. The labels COULD be making money of P2P but THEY'RE NOT!!!

Steve Jobs is not all powerful, he just understands the biggest rule in business: THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT!! Guess what major labels, the people that are stealing music and filling their iPods and hard drives with as much music as they can get, are your CUSTOMERS. You don't go to war with your customers. The continued barrage of lawsuits has deterred downloading, but it has deterred the wrong type of downloading. Getting music off the Internet is seen as something that is illegal. Instead of embracing digital distribution wholeheartedly the labels simply sat there watching their futures slip away.

Digital IS the new model. Whether you like it or not, it is here to stay. So instead of fighting it, and letting the technology companies make ALL the money, adapt. Change. Evolve. But the labels are having a hard time with this. Now don't get me wrong, I know it isn't an easy answer. And CEOs must answer to shareholders, artists, and critics, and they don't want to completely destroy the recording industry by trying to save it, but apocolypse is upon us. How long do you give Warner? They are still a public company and the stock is plummeting. Would you invest in Warner? The smart money will wait and ride out the storm. Most of the big whigs have made their money and don't really care that much. Do they care as much as the entry level guy that just got a pink slip for Christmas? Honestly.

As the old saying goes: "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." Have the majors heard this. Apple sure has. They know that their customers want state of the art, where quality is paramount, useability is king, and simplicity is the answer. Why can't I pay an extra three bucks with my Comcast bill for unlimited downloading? I would. Then I could have what I really want...unlimited access to music. People say, "just use Rhapsody or Napster," but there is no freedom. I want to OWN the music, have a collection, put it on my iPod AND my MacBook, and take it wherever the hell I want to . Remember the vinyl collections your parents own? I want my kids to inherit my collection some day, and I want it to be MASSIVE. I want to discover music, but I have been screwed too many times: spending $20 on a CD with one good song. So I don't do it anymore. Instead, I steal. I don't have an unlimited source of funding, and when I do have some extra cash, there is nothing I love more than going to see some good music, I want to support artists, not assholes.

So the attack on personal use, it won't fly. The bills in Congress trying to "protect the rights of creators" they WON'T FLY. You must take CHANCES, be willing to fail, and realize that sometimes you have to throw the baby out with the bath water (did I get that right?). To everyone that has a good CD, let me borrow it, I would LOVE to import it into iTunes, because then I HAVE IT!! I can put it on my iPod and take it with me EVERYWHERE. It is now a part of my life. I want music to be a part my life as it always has and always will. So let the music go where it will and CAPITALIZE!!

Great Email

I quote Bob Lefsetz quite a bit, because--above all else--he is knows A LOT about the music industry. Most of the time, I agree with him, he gives my mind ammo with which to think, but the real reason I read his stuff, is the inspiration that he puts into his writing. The following email is a look at the Led Zeppelin concert last night in London. Think about what he is saying here, because I feel like much of what he says is true. Are you in it for the money? Is that the reason why you want to be in the record biz? Or, are you in it for the music?

If you're in it for the music, think about your actions. Will you make a record from the heart? Or, will you change lyrics to make them more "commercial"? Sure, the industry is competitive, and you will need an entry point, but remember how it has been done for years. You start small, build the base. Never selling out on the music, but using it as a message about yourself. Truly great musicians are have a mystique: they make you think, wonder, love, inspire. I wonder what he is doing right now?

To those that are graduating this weekend, remember why you were here. Listen when you hear a good song, and be in it for the music. The industry is being transformed, and we are the new creators. If you aren't a musician, be one. If not with an instrument, with a sound board, or a contract, or a license; and always respect the music. We talk a lot about "the industry," so remember what the industry is... .

Music...The universal language, it touches the soul, it lifts the spirit, it says what you are thinking, it entertains, it thrills, it grooves, it KNOWS us. So please, respect it!!

Much love to everyone involved with DMCS this semester. Graduates: GOOD LUCK, keep DMCS updated and we will keep you updated, lets build the network. I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday and I'll see ya in '08.

Adam


Adam M. Beasley
Digital Millennium Copyright Society
amb4z@mtsu.edu
www.digitalmillennium.org
www.adambeas.blogspot.com

From: bob@lefsetz.com
Subject: Led Zeppelin At The O2
Date: December 10, 2007 9:02:06 PM CST
To: amb4z@mtsu.edu


I'm trying to figure out why this Led Zeppelin reunion is creepy.

I'm not saying it wasn't a good time, that I wouldn't want to have been there and experience it. But it just doesn't sit right with me. Maybe because I don't buy this hogwash that it's a one-off.

All my sources tell me there's going to be a tour. No one will CONFIRM a tour, but it's a well-known fact that they're going to go on the road. As for Ashley Capps and Bonnaroo...when he contacted me to correct that e-mail I printed, saying it was false, I replied that I would if he guaranteed in writing that Zeppelin absolutely wouldn't play Bonnaroo. I got no response.

Hell, the band's entitled to make a living. If they want to go on the road and people want to pay, I understand it. But it just doesn't feel good. It's kind of like going to the museum.

That's one of the reasons I didn't go see the Police. I remember first hearing "Walking On The Moon", decades ago. That experience is frozen in time. I'm not sure I want to relive it, certainly not with the people in attendance, those now decades older or those too young to be into it the first time around, maybe not even born.

As for Genesis... You wanted to shake the stink from your shoulders. Talk to anybody that went. Genesis used to mean something, even after Peter Gabriel left. I saw them at the Forum, they weren't just a hits act, they carried on the tradition. Now, Phil Collins is leading cheers, he's playing the role of rock star on stage.

Maybe that's the problem... Robert and Jimmy, John Paul Jones and Bonzo...THESE WERE THE GUYS! Who raped and pillaged, who we wanted to be, or fuck, or both. Now they're old men. I was next to a besuited Jimmy Page one evening and I didn't even bother to say hello, I didn't want to mess with my memories.

It's no crime to get old. It's more of badge of honor than o/d'ing at a young age. But to go out and play the role of a young man, that's what's truly weird.

We revere retired baseball players, but we don't want to see them take the field and play nine innings. We don't want our memories fucked with.

And it's not like there's any new music. And, even if there were, would anybody want to hear it?

I guess the show seems to be nostalgia, trying to bring us back to the way things used to be. But those days are through. But they live on in my memory. Inviolate, unchanged. Just like the records. That's one of the great things about music, every time I play the Zeppelin catalog, the songs remain the same.

If it's truly a one-off, then I take it all back. It's about honoring Ahmet. But, unlike Pink Floyd, I don't hear the band members protesting, saying that they're definitely not hitting the road again. I see them collecting e-mail addresses, saying we'll see. "We'll see" in rock and roll means it's gonna happen. Unless the band members get into an awful fight. Like Van Halen back in '96, at the VMAs. Still, the band eventually got together. And as much as I enjoyed it, the show was ultimately meaningless. It brought you back, but it didn't stand for anything. Hell, I don't even imagine there were groupies backstage. And, if there were, I bet David Lee Roth didn't want to fuck most of them.

But Van Halen was about fun. Led Zeppelin was something different. Led Zeppelin was about testing limits. Not playing by the rules. And if they go on the road now, they're just like every other classic rock band trying to make an extra buck.

I guess what I truly lament is the passing of the years, from the days when music was a dividing line, between us and them, to now, when those in charge, who were on the right side then, are now all about the bucks.

In the seventies you listened to the record to know which way the wind blew. Music was the ultimate art form. Hipper than movies, TV paled in comparison. And the profits on records were greater than those on films. Music built the Warner empire.

If Ahmet had known this, he would have waited a few years to sell Atlantic, he would have gotten more money for the company. And believe me, Ahmet liked money, just ask all those who were screwed on royalties. But Ahmet didn't know it was going to continue. He'd had Cream, never mind all the earlier R&B greats. What could come next?

Led Zeppelin. Decades of triumphant acts.

But Ahmet was primarily about the music. He took some money off the table and continued to play. Today's executives want to take ALL the money off the table, and they want the acts to be subservient to them.

You couldn't tell Led Zeppelin what to do. You can tell ANY ACT ON A MAJOR LABEL WHAT TO DO TODAY! So, when everybody in the business is in London tonight rejoicing, my head is spinning. Are these the same guys fucking the business up? Who feel they've got no option but to rape and pillage themselves?

It's only about the money now. Except if you're young. That's why the youngsters have glommed on to Zeppelin. They SENSE that this was something different, a band that played by its own rules, that wasn't afraid to test limits. I only hope that some of the band's fans will be inspired and create or steward equally challenging quality music to the public.

The people who are gonna change the world musically were not in London this evening. They can't afford the buy-in. They're not connected enough to get a ticket. Music has gone from being inclusive to exclusive. Instead of love your brother, we all belong, it's I'm richer than you, FUCK YOU! The best seats aren't even ever sold. And acts and promoters complain that scalpers are making all the money...the fan doesn't count. The fan will pony up the bucks, right?

Wrong.

Used to be the ONLY problem was getting a ticket. NOTHING was overpriced. You went to the gig constantly, it was a way of life, it was a religion. You listened to FM radio to know what to buy, you bought it and went to the show. FREQUENTLY! You had to buy the record before the band hit your town, you wanted to be familiar with the new material, which they were going to play! Don't see them this tour and you might NEVER hear it live, because they'll be on to NEW STUFF!

Now tours are the greatest hits, all the time. Give the public what it wants. But musicians used to LEAD the public, which doesn't really know what it wants. But labels are only interested in the easy sell. And acts are afraid of pissing off their fans. But Neil Young and Bob Dylan can still tour BECAUSE they piss off their fans, you don't know what you're going to get. Therefore, only fans go, and the fans respect them for following their muse.

I don't want to rain on the parade. Anybody who hears music and enjoys it gets a pat on the back from me. Even if I don't like the act to begin with. Music is the grease that makes life worth living.

But the reason I got into music was because of the notes, the performance, the music itself. The trappings came after. Now the trappings are primary.

I guess I do want a return to the old days. When music was religion.

I know it's a religion to some, but it used to be for everybody.

Except the man. The parents. The establishment. They just didn't get it. And that's why we didn't do endorsements, didn't do commercials, because we didn't want to be associated with THOSE PEOPLE! It was AGAINST OUR PRINCIPLES!

But now we've got no principles. Just a guiding light. And that light is money.

And what I smell in this O2 show is money. Not the amount raised for charity, but the vast quantity Zeppelin is going to make on the road. The cost for all the Americans who flew over there. Whereas it used to be you didn't even have to leave town to be a fan. Like that guy in Harry Chapin's "Taxi", you could be stoned in your automobile, grooving to the radio, feeling completely connected with the tunes that emanated from it.

But now you can't listen to terrestrial radio. You don't even know where to start musically. Like that old Stealer's Wheel song said, we've got clowns to the left of us and jokers to the right. Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.

And I hope you are stuck here with me. You love the old tunes, but you want music that meaningful again. And it's got to be at least as good as the old stuff. Sure, Sarah McLachlan is tasty, but she's not even in the same LEAGUE as Joni Mitchell. We all love Dave Grohl, but if you mention Foo Fighters and Led Zeppelin in the same sentence, I'm laughing.

What was in the water then? Can those days return, or did we live through the Renaissance, no different from the one that took place in Italy centuries ago. Artists have painted since, but there was only one time when it all came together, when art ruled.

I don't want to watch Michelangelo paint. And if he came back, he'd be hundreds of years old, what he produced would probably be shit. Hell, his legend would inhibit him, he'd probably be UNABLE to paint.

If somehow we could return to the seventies, when each new album was eagerly anticipated and digested, when we were surprised by "Physical Graffiti" and the fact that "Presence" came so soon thereafter, that would be great.

But we can't.

To try to bring back alive that which is already gone... It's impossible. You can try something new, like Plant did with Alison Krauss, but you can't breathe new life into something dead. Led Zeppelin is dead. And one of the reasons it's so revered is that the band didn't carry on after Bonham died, which utterly stunned us. There's no time for carrying on now. Give it a rest. Sell the DVD. Allow those in attendance their badge of honor and their memories. Please don't tarnish the image, the legend. We've whored out rock and roll too much already. It's as if Jesus sold Cadillacs.

What would Jesus do? Well, he's NEVER come back. Maybe that's why people still revere him so!



--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists?p=unsubscribe&uid=d21e63afa2e3cc94cfad66946e9f872c

Music is now free

The following report was compiled by Richard Greenfield with Pali Research, an investment direction initiative that puts together these types of things. Take a look. You may need to register to view the file, but it is worth a glance. The price of recorded music is $0, if you don't realize this, you are living in the nineties.

I recently had a conversation with a music publisher in Nashville. When I asked her about the state of the publishing industry and what her company plans to do to stay relevant, she said, "I just hope someone comes out with a new CD-like media that will force people to pay for music again." WOW. I'm sorry, but it looks like you won't survive in this industry very long. The countdown has begun. Take a look:

http://paliresearch.com/files/2007/11/wmg-11-1-07-cc.pdf

Articles of interest from the Telegraph

[The following is a reply to an email, for links to the articles go to the bottom of the post]

Paul,

Very cool articles, thanks a lot. I must take issue with some of what was said by the writer of the Radiohead article, particularly that recorded music can be subsidized through touring. While this may be the case with bands that write their own music, the larger industry cannot be sustained without recorded music income. Take Nashville for instance, the majority of the large country acts have committed to a system where songwriters, not artists, write the music; and while licensing the songs can provide good income for these writers, mechanical royalties have long been the draw that gets professional writers writing. It seems like a tough pill to swallow. Especially when you think about acts that don't perform live. Bands that put together masterworks in the studio that are absolutely incredible but are impossible performances live. Where will these artists make money? A little food for thought.

I personally like the idea of a company that manages artists, records, owns all copyrights, and shares in touring income. I just feel like this is a job for a management company. A company that works for the artist. A company that is employed by the artist. A partnership that can create a brand that can be monetized, just at a much cheaper level. The one thing to take from the article is the quote by 18-year-old James: "They are unwilling to fork out what is generally considered to be an unreasonably high price for albums. However, they will buy an album if the band means a lot to them." This is the catch, making the band mean a lot to them. This means getting the artist in the trenches with the fan. Making the fan think he/she belongs to a club. Once you build this relationship people will pay, but the relationship comes first. So where do you start? Well, they need to hear your music. They need to know you. They need confidence that what they are about to buy isn't a one hit piece of shit. You must build confidence i.e. Dave Matthews. Only when the music becomes more about talent than profit can the true talent be weeded from the crap. When the fan feels like he can give to the artist. To belong to the club. Talent first. Music first. The money will come, you just have to know when to charge. Read this article on Nettwerk:

ARTICLE

This is the model of the future. Notice there are no labels involved. The future function of the record label is a marketing plan. This can be outsourced. You don't need the label anymore. Money comes from (c) ownership.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, released an album earlier this year. They are a strictly do-it-yourself success story. They released their album and saw sales of just under 64,000 units in the first week. By industry standard this wouldn't be a good release. However, they recorded the whole album for $15,000 and due to the ownership of the (c) are making $6-7 PER SALE. They showed a profit in the first week. These are the stories that need to be circulating. There are larger questions that still need answers, but hey, its a start.

Paul, thanks again for the article and the interest. It is refreshing to see people opening their brains and actually using them for SOLUTIONS. In a recording industry department where most people don't know that these opinions are out there, it a fucking breath of fresh air. Thanks again for your involvement with DMCS and your commitment to getting the debate going. You are needed and appreciated. Thanks again, and we will talk soon.

Cheers,

Adam

---

On Oct 7, 2007, at 12:52 AM, Paul wrote:

I found these articles from the UK's Telegraph newspaper, and thought you might be interested to read them.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2007/10/07/cnemi107.xml

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2007/10/07/ccmusic107.xml



--Paul K.

Broadband and Sherlock Holmes

Check out this great article on broadband, Japan, and our failing telecom corporations. It highlights some of the growing concerns over the sedated pace with which fiber-optic connectivity is coating the country. While Japan's broadband access allows high-definition streaming and almost countrywide broadband access, U.S. users are limited to low bandwidth, low broadband saturation, and broken promises made by the phone and cable companies. The American people were promised a nationwide fiber-optic network, which has yet to come to fruition. As this remains the case, the US falls further and further behind the speed of, not only burgeoning Asian markets, but also many developing countries worldwide. Though I don't have the exact figures, I know that our country isn't even in the top 50 when it comes to broadband speeds.

So what does this mean for us? Well, as more and more of our investments go overseas, and the growth markets in Asian countries remain prosperous, it is likely that many future innovations in the entertainment and technology industries will be adopted for these markets. As the American growth curve continues to plateau, our country will begin losing out more and more of the inventive energies that are going into these rapidly changing industries.

Our hope is that these corporations, the government, or someone, will open their eyes to this coming reality see it as the global crisis that it may well become and take action to reconcile these gross misappropriations before our country falls behind permanently.

---

As for reality, I am preparing myself for a reading of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Silver Blaze, my first crack at the canon of Sherlock Holmes since my childhood. I am reading this as part of literature course on detective fiction, which to my horror, is almost completely made up of logical reasoning!!! AAAAHHHHHH!!!!! No rest for the weary, hopefully a prosperous Holmes report to come...until then...

The Haze II

How difficult is sometimes is to discover your own thoughts. I have lately been in a somewhat mellancholy mood and am having trouble realizing the cause. I suspect that my LSAT preparation is overloading my brain with, not only information, but emotion, expectation, and anxiety. I wish I could take this f#@!ing thing today and be done with it, but alas, I still have four weeks to keep my mind sharp--although this is becoming more and more of a struggle.

I also suspect my mood to be the product of a large combination of starting school, DMCS preperation, sleeplessness, a screaming baby, learning the best techniques for coaching 10-year-old swimmers, et. al. This is a trying month but one that will undoubtedly prove one of the most rewarding, however our generation is increasingly focused on instant gratification and in my situation this aspect is almost completely absent.

As for the haze, it has been lifted by one recent activity that was alluded to in my earlier post, I now wear glasses. As you can see from this picture I am now completely enthralled in nerd-dom. For those of you suspecting this for some time, your suspicions have proven themselves as I am now a card-carrying member of the four eyed miltia. I guess I could have just gotten contacts (or is it contacs? I am really not sure) but I guess I feel like distancing myself a little from the dirty hippie image--while trying to stay funky. Who knows? All just part of haze...perhaps things will be a little clearer in my next post...until then...

The Haze

Today I ventured into somewhat obscure territory in my primary attempt at the MTSU Raider Express. The experience made me feel in someway--subdued. I got on the bus and found my way to a seat somewhat behind the crowd. At moments like these, this is usually my position. I like to have the eye on them as opposed to vice versa. The cool breeze from the air conditioning was crisp and refreshing. As I got my bearings noticed that the bus has about 5 people in it--including the driver--and no one is saying a single word. Our only entertainment was the random crackle of the driver's radio:::other buses with messages for other buses. No one on the bus spoke for the entire fifteen-minute journey.

Now at this point, you may be beginning to wonder why I did nothing to break the awkward silence. But if you are, I have but one answer..it was just the mood.

---

I waited with much anticipation today for a call from Sanders Eye Clinic. Yesterday I went and finally took the you-know-your-getting-a-little-older plunge and went to get some glasses. I have needed glasses for years but have always dreaded the experience and tried to avoid it. This was the first eye exam I have had in quite some time and I was a bit anxious about the whole thing. However, when it came time to compare my new prescription sight to my old shitty sight, WOW I was FUCKING BLIND, MAN.

My new glasses--that's right I will be wearing glasses (pictures to come)--have made me very optimistic about the next weeks. [Perhaps because they make me look intelligent?](fragment: consider revising) We will definitely be exploring this subject later.

As for what has been going on in the news...there's the South Carolina Dumb Ass...the Alberto Gonzales thing...a couple of iPhone Hacker things....

it is late...

and I am beginning to succumb to...

the haze.

Welcome Back

Well today marked the first day back in the groove of the fall semester. It almost feels like fall except for the fact that the temperature cannot make it under 100 degrees. Fortunately for me, I am from Mississippi where it is actually hotter!!! I do enjoy walking to class only to wring out my shirt after I get there.

For those of you not familiar with MTSU, we have somewhat of a parking problem. This is one of the reason why I truly detest the first day of school...every single person feels the need to go to class on the first day. I know by the end of the week a quarter of these people will have withdrawn and I won't have to shuffle past them to get the good parking spots, so I won't have to walk as far to class, so I won't be as drenched in sweat, so I won't become irritable, so I can enjoy myself and my studies. Whew. Can you feel the tension?

Speaking of tension. OK so it took me quite a while to find a parking spot today--the first day back no less--which made me somewhat late for my 8:00 class this morning. As I open the door to walk in my teacher--who I have never laid eyes on before--starts chewing me out as an example for the whole class. Wow!! That really made my day. Why would you decide to start off someone’s semester off by lambasting them in front of a large group of people? I am usually not self-conscious but it was not the way I would have liked to start off my fall. What if I had been a transfer student that was experiencing his first class at MTSU, would that be the way to great them? I know, I am whining, and on that note I am done.

Next time I won't be bitching..until then...

We Want the Funk

Check out Aakyah showing off her singing skills!!

Illegal Substance tax

There is an article in the Tennessean this morning about a fellow that got busted for bringing in marijuana rice krispie treats to distribute at Bonnaroo. The man has since been charged over $11,000 in taxes for his possession of the drug, an estimate that was obtained by weighing the entire "treat." The actual amount of pot that was used is far less than the total amount and has since given the man an unfair debt to be expected to pay. Unfortunately this is not the first misuse of this law, which requires drug users to pay taxes on their illegal substances.

The law expects drug users to show up anonymously to pay their drug tax to the Tennessee Department of Revenue. Are they serious? Do they honestly think that drug users are going to pay an extra tax to make sure the DOR doesn’t charge them excessively? Come on people!! This law is ill thought out and utterly useless. What are the courts for? Did you know that people charged with possession of controlled substances are charged these high taxes REGARDLESS of whether they are even found guilty by the courts? To put it lightly, this is a realm of the courts not of the DOR.

I would be surprised if this law has contributed to one single person choosing not to do drugs b/c of a high tax. Drugs are illegal...right. Prosecuting users is the job of the courts and should be maintained by the courts. If a judge thinks that a person charged with possession should be required to pay a high fee, they have the authority to require that fee. Bringing the Dept. of Revenue into this only makes it far more difficult for people that have gotten caught. Drug users are people too. I know there is an overlying prejudice against these people, but no one deserves this kind of treatment. This is just a way the Tennessee government can make a little extra mullah. Does it deter drug use? NO.

And another thing.... one of the main motivations for selling drugs in the first place is a financial need. So charging excessive taxes not only doesn't deter drug dealing, but it might even encourage it. If a drug dealer has no other source of income and is faced with a $10,000 fine, will he quit selling drugs? Probably not. He might even feel the need to start pushing more and more weight until he has paid off his fines. Possibly making it a higher possibility he will catch his second or third or fourth drug charge and wind up in prison.

This is just another example of the "man's" backward war on drugs. Drug deterrence can only be accomplished through education and giving people alternatives to drug use, which is much more common in the lower class anyway. So why not add more people to the lower class through criminalization and excessive fines, that is sure to relieve the problem. So now a person is faced with overwhelming financial odds with $20 in his pocket. Wow, that quick fix suddenly got a little more attractive.

Until next time....Cheers

The First One/the Cracker

I once wrote a song called "First One". I named it that because it was the first song I ever wrote. Although this fact remained, I still feel it is some of the best work I have ever done. Perhaps because I was so new to the "process." The song is about a boy and a girl--simple enough. The girl is the complete opposite of the boy in most respects and feels like a relationship might damage her "purity". It is a somewhat biographical tale of a boy learning how to survive in a different role.

The First One. The fall semester at MTSU starts Monday and I am somewhat anxious to get things underway. LSAT Studies have dominated the last two weeks of my life and I need a little variety. With school of course comes work and friends. I love going to school in the summer---you don't learn anything.

For those of you that don't know my family, and me I call my daughter, "the Cracker". I am really not sure how this developed. A Keller Williams song may have inspired it, but I really believe it came from the vernacular of the house where we used to live. Brookes, Aakyah, and I lived with a good friend of ours, Cindy, a hairdresser with a knack for clutter, chaos, and good music. Anyway, she used to call everyone "Cracker-Ass-Crackers" and the name seemed to fit Aakyah (my three-year-old)...

...The Cracker has got a new favorite song. She has gotten into the new TV commercial featuring Parliament's "Tear the Roof off the Sucker (Give up the Funk)." Brookes and I made a film of getting down George Clinton-style earlier and I hope to have it posted to YouTube before the end of the weekend.

"We gonna tear this mother out!!"