This was sent to me.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: David F [mailto:scopist65@xxxxxxxxx] ;
Sent: Thursday, May 25, 2017 7:07 PM
To: 'Miriam Vieni' <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: I saw this column and thought of you
-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Lefsetz [mailto:bob@xxxxxxxxxxx] ;
Sent: Thursday, May 25, 2017 4:06 PM
To: scopist65@xxxxxxxxx
Subject: Paul Simon And Stephen Colbert Are 'Feelin' Groovy'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI2PXkXZPfk
Maybe you've got to be 75 not to give a fuck.
That's right, Paul Simon was 34 back when SNL launched, when he made fun of
himself, when he was still a soft rock superstar as opposed to a world
musician, before he infected a younger generation via MTV and Chevy Chase in
the eighties.
The seventies were a weird era, we had sixties hangover, we knew we'd been
though something that would never return, we were looking inward instead of
outward, testing our own personal limits, and that's what SNL was about, not an
institution without impact, but a clubhouse for a generation, whose sensibility
said we're not part of the mainstream and we can make fun of not only them, but
ourselves and our culture.
Not that Mr. Simon has been able to have an impact recently, times have changed
too much, his records get reviewed but his audience only wants to hear the
oldies and the younger generation is impenetrable so it's like he's in the
rearview mirror, he's even toyed with retirement, and then he goes on Colbert
and blows away all the youngsters a third his age.
You see a baby boomer has a viewpoint. Scratch under the surface, get rid of
the BMW and the fancy meals, all the lifestyle stuff, and a boomer remembers
what once was, when we were all on the same page, against the war, when if you
weren't questioning everything, you weren't conscious.
Very different from today's generation. First and foremost it's split. Many are
left and many are right. And a whole bunch of them feel unheard, like they
don't even matter, as their parents and the press keep shitting on them,
deploring the ethos of the millennials. And their best and the brightest are
mercenary fucks like Zuckerberg and Spiegel, if you think Facebook and Snapchat
are equivalent to the Fillmore East, the gigs of yore, you never went. There
were no cameras, no selfies, it was about the music, like-minded people coming
together to celebrate the elixir of life.
But it hasn't been that way for a very long time.
And then Paul Simon goes on Colbert and captures the zeitgeist.
This is not Chris Stapleton and Kevin Bacon imitating ZZ Top on Fallon, that's
just supposed to be funny, this clip has a VIEWPOINT!
First and foremost you're stunned that Simon can actually play, he starts
picking and your heart melts, this is the sound that had you addicted to the
radio, going to the show way back when.
And when Paul starts crapping on "59th Street Bridge Song"...it's the
antithesis of today, where everybody's boasting, trumpeting their
accomplishments, worried if they don't claim every bit of their CV and more
they'll be left out in the scrum of life. Hell, ever read anybody's bio today?
You'd think they're President! Oops! A blowhard self-promoter IS President!
And now my inbox is gonna go wild. That's what you don't realize if you're not
in the game, the gotcha people who breathe down your throat anytime you take a
left wing position. Hell, the media missed it, because the reporters are
faceless and don't engage, but play on the internet and you see the real
America.
But you cannot be afraid.
And Stephen Colbert is not afraid. Which is why his show just won the season
war, beat Fallon. Because it's not about appealing to everybody, but SOMEBODY!
Just by playing you're gonna alienate so many people, by having a viewpoint,
ignore them, those aligned with you will be titillated and will double-down.
"Hello lamppost, nice to see ya
We might get bombed by North Korea
We're gettin' close to World War III
So run for the shelters
Feelin' groovy"
This is the sixties ethos, this is the essence of the SNL of yore, you take
something innocuous and with a bit of creativity and insight you turn it into
something cutting and poignant, it resonates with the audience, your
intelligence shines through, and in the internet era nothing is more powerful,
take that fashion and makeup!
"The Arctic’s meltin'
The seas are boilin'
These aren't the first pants that I'm soilin'
We won't survive the century
We're all doomed
I'm feelin' groovy"
Simon is not afraid to participate, he doesn't put all the weight on Colbert,
he's willing to do the heavy lifting, unlike today's wankers. Furthermore, who
doesn't like some toilet humor, especially boomers who were scared shitless the
first time around, who hid under their desks to prevent the carnage of a
nuclear war.
"Kellyanne Conway makes no sense
And even if Trump goes we're stuck with Mike Pence But he might win the big one
in 2020 Nevertheless, all is groovy"
Name names, take your shot, don't play nice, have a viewpoint, how come Colbert
and Simon know this and the younger generation does not?
But comedians are more powerful than musicians today, not only do they sell
tickets they speak truth, about our society, Netflix is all over them, the
specials are abundant, from edgy people like Chappelle and Norm Macdonald and
soon Chris Rock. TV is willing to take a risk, musicians?
And whether consciously or unconsciously, Paul Simon is acting positively in
the now. It's not about sitting at home concocting perfect albums for three
years that are ultimately ignored, but being in the game, taking chances,
creating all the time, taking a shot at going viral.
And so far, this clip has not.
But the truth is it's not like the old days, there's a delay, the word doesn't
spread so fast, it takes time to percolate.
This clip made me smile and feel good, made me feel that I am not alone and I'm
a member of a team which may be losing today but could win tomorrow.
WHAT ELSE CAN YOU ASK FOR?
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