he’s talking about taking a train into LA’s union station

and how when he does he always goes to this newsstand and asks for a new yorker.

but one day the lady at the newsstand really rubs him the wrong way when she tells him she’s all out of new yorkers.

after that he vows to go to “an inferior newsstand” to avoid dealing with her ever again.

because he was a concert pianist, the new yorker would review his concerts and sometimes give him bad reviews.

it got me thinking how hard it is to write a good bad music review. you dont want to utterly destroy the performer, but you want to be colorful and entertaining. but ultimately you are judging the most subjective thing there is: art.

when i was at the record store in the mid 80s there were two bands that were bubbling under. fishbone and the red hot chili peppers.

both were good and funky and creative and fun and funny and all the things youd want if you were 18 like i was.

and if you had asked me: one of these bands is going to get huge and be a world wide sensation through the year 2018, which one would it be?

i would have said Fishbone, no question. Because as good as the Chili Peppers is, 18 year old me woulda said, ultimately they are derivative of PFunk mixed with a little more rock, but still white dudes doing fast funk.

and i would have been wrong. and their biggest tune, “under the bridge”, would have proven me a fool because it isnt funk and it isnt fast.

which is why i would add, it’s tough to make a good bad music review… that stands up to the test of time.