This is how the music industry and the Democratic party lost control of the national consciousness. Both remain in the past, when today's world is all about the present.

Twenty years ago it mattered what Eminem had to say. Ditto Springsteen back in the last century. But they no longer impact the culture. They're both edifices, locked into an old paradigm. You know, the release schedule! We put on an album, market it to high heaven and then go on the road. And then repeat.

But this does not happen fast. This happens over YEARS!

In a world where today's headline doesn't even make it into tomorrow's paper.

That's how fast the cycle spins.

Taylor Swift? What's the message here, what is she selling other than herself? She's a billionaire, great. She's been hurt by men, fine. But where is the leading, where is the nougat? This is what rock stars used to embrace and no longer do, embody and sell the message, which has got nothing to do with dancing and stage effects.

Ditto BTS. So the K-pop act has an army. Big deal. Their main effort is to defend the objects of their desire, young Korean men who Frank Zappa would label dancing fools, puppets controlled by a master. This is the antithesis to what the modern music business was built upon.

In a much longer cycle.

Everything's been slowed down for the money. We've got to figure out a way to make the most money. That's the number one concern.

Meanwhile, you've got Elon Musk spewing willy-nilly, constantly on X/Twitter, and he's completely unrestrained, like the rock stars of yore.

Did Musk ask the government if it was legal to give away a million a day in his constitutional sweepstakes? OF COURSE NOT! He's already given away money, meanwhile the lawmakers and the enforcers aren't sure if it's legal and aren't sure what to do and...

Yes, move fast and break things. Those damn techies.

But that's why they became heroes to the youth to begin with, that's why they usurped the power from the musicians and other entertainers. They acted like they owned the world, like there were no limits.

Like rock stars used to.

We all need something to believe in.

Quaint boomers may believe in the Beatles, but Paul McCartney hasn't released a hit record, something worth listening to day and night, for decades.

Mick Jagger is better known today for his lifestyle than his pronouncements.

And Eddie Vedder may have something to say, it's just that the number of people listening is not very large. Pearl Jam's hits are in the distant past. Sure, they do great road business, kudos, but as far as affecting popular culture? Not much.

So what you've got here is rich and powerful men, they're essentially all men, all of them smart, some of them educated, who have thrown off the reins and are doing what they feel is right, to a great degree acting on instinct. Do you know how exciting, what a beacon this is to younger men?

Let's see... They've been hearing for decades that they're the problem. They don't know how to behave. They're too rough, they need to be on Adderall, the girls get all the compliments. And if you dare say something negative about a girl or a minority, other than Jews, you're excoriated, you're done. One strike and you're out. Talk about feeling boxed in.

That's one thing that has never been acknowledged post #MeToo. It hasn't changed male conversation, it's just that they know not to say it in mixed company. Men are the enemy.

Whew, you don't agree with that!

Well, that's why Trump may win the election.

And there's a good chance Musk will put him over the top.

Musk is spewing his thoughts 24/7. Are all of them right? OF COURSE NOT! But Musk is showing that you don't always have to be right, you don't have to employ a filter to survive. He's who young men want to be like they wanted to be rock stars in the past. Today their aspiration is to be Elon Musk, not a musician. Who'd want to be a musician? It's nearly impossible to make it, you've got to deal with so many censors, whereas on X/Twitter you can go directly to the people. As for money... Isn't that what Robinhood and meme stocks is all about?

People are more excited about the stock market than the music market.

Because we are not minting new rock stars. Oh, we're minting successful acts, that can sell tickets, but they're not rock stars.

Meanwhile, the Democrats are living in the pre-internet era. Instead of Biden being available 24/7, they hid him, and when we finally got to see him...they told us to deny what was on our TVs. You're supposed to believe in these people?

And these young men don't think Harris's ascension was fair. It's fine with me, anything to get rid of Biden, but I get their point. Isn't their vote supposed to count? The Democrats make themselves vulnerable to all the criticism the right has endured over the past two decades.

And everything Kamala says seems filtered, rehearsed. She's the anti-Musk. She's not letting her freak flag fly, god forbid she make a mistake. And sure, the mainstream media is unfair to her vis a vis Trump, who's lying and committing faux pas 24/7, but the election won't be decided by the mainstream media. The ratings for cable news are anemic, even Fox. Ditto on every newspaper but the "New York Times," and the Gray Lady's reach is nothing compared to every social media platform. Want to reach the people? You go direct to them online.

It seems like the Democrats completely missed this memo.

Online is rough and tumble, you've got to defend yourself. Do I approve of this? That's irrelevant, that's the world we live in.

We're looking for leaders. Harris isn't one. And Trump isn't one either. But Musk most certainly is.

We do have one equivalent on Harris's side, Mark Cuban, and he's making inroads, but until very recently, he didn't even consider himself a Democrat. Cuban bites back, Harris smiles and says nothing.

If Trump wins it won't be about him, but hatred of the left. Which has allowed itself to be defined as elite, woke...the list goes on and on. Such that if you're oppressed, if you're having trouble making ends meet, who you gonna blame?

THE DEMOCRATS!

Biden a man of the people? Maybe in the last century, not today. He doesn't know how to communicate today.

Everybody's upset. Everybody doesn't like the way the country is going. But rather than own this, Harris and the Democrats keep telling us how good things actually are, not knowing we live in a world of perception, not facts. If I feel broke, you're not going to convince me otherwise by doing the math.

And Biden and the damn Democrats can't even keep Musk from talking with Putin? You know this wouldn't happen under Trump. Because he punishes his enemies.

Which is exactly why the Democrats don't want him elected, but people admire those with balls, metaphorical balls, women can have them too.

God, if I was Kamala Harris I would lean into my days as a prosecutor. That's what resonates with so many. You're out there fighting crime, preserving order, so I can raise my family in peace. Oh, don't quote crime statistics, you're missing the point, it's how people FEEL, which may have nothing to do with the truth.

But Harris is so afraid of offending the minorities she put into prison that she's running away from her days as D.A. How does this evidence power?

Who knows, Harris could still win. But the reason the Democrats can't gain power and hold it is they refuse to look into the mirror, refuse to question themselves, continue to run with an old playbook. I mean how big is the difference in society between the twenty first and the twentieth centuries? HUGE! Hell, you didn't even have smartphones back then.

Do you think the bros, the young men, want to put down their smartphones? Disconnect? This is the only way they can feel good, by conversing online. Their idea of escape is video games, where the music is secondary, not primary.

Meanwhile, Tesla's numbers went up, Musk has more power with X/Twitter than essentially every other news outlet. And he's got an agenda and he's proud of it, he's not pussyfooting. He's got his enemies, he's got his wants and desires.

Like the rock stars of yore.

Not the wimps, the brands of today.

Yell at me all you want, that does not mean I'm not right. How many e-mails have you gotten from the Trump bros? How much time have you spent on TikTok, Instagram Reels and X/Twitter? If not a lot, you live in a bubble, you don't know what you're talking about.

But you don't believe that, because you went to a good college, have a good job and know better.

OH YEAH?

--
Visit the archive: lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1

If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, Unsubscribe

To change your email address this link