With the author's permission, this is an excerpt from today's Bob Lefsetz
column:

"Show me an upright respected man
And I'll have him licking my boots when I put money in his hand
It rots your heart, it gets to your soul
Before you know where you are you're a slave to the green gold"

During the second or third number of "Greendale", a billboard flashed onto
the giant screen behind the band. It said "Support Our War". And on top, it
said CLEAR CHANNEL!

Clear Channel promoted tonight's concert. BUT NEIL YOUNG DIDN'T GIVE A FUCK!

That's what changed in the business. Maybe it started in the Van Halen era.
When you could eliminate the brown M&M's just for the hell of it. It became
music, it was no longer a MISSION!

Today's acts are meaningless. They're corporate tools who'll do whatever
they're told.

Think about it. They do those fakokta radio shows. They fly all over the
country at Christmas on THEIR dime to kiss the ass of fuckhole radio programmers
because they're AFRAID stations won't play their records.

I always thought the artist LED!

But no more. The artist IS led. Like a dog. Around the world. And then
put to sleep prematurely when he ages a bit, or stops bringing in the revenue.

And then there is the AFRAID posse. People like Sheryl Crow. Madonna.
Courtney Love. They're so fearful of appearing old that they get plastic
surgery.
If THEY'RE not authentic, how in the hell can their MUSIC BE! And if their
music ISN'T, how in the hell do they expect anybody to BELIEVE!

That's the crisis. There's no artistry left in the rock world.

Except for very few. Most notably Neil Young.