Attitude...the definition of that word that I grew up with was "a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or somebody, typically one that is reflected in a person's behavior". It wasn't a good thing or a bad thing it was just one of those words that described someones feelings about a subject. Somewhere along the way of the last 50 years in my world attitude took on a new persona.
During the 1960's as pot started to become more popular as a recreational drug most of the attitude amongst my friends and fellow musicians was a fairly mellow one and it reflected in the music that was being made at that time. Smokin a joint before a set or a session was not at all uncommon and despite the fact that pot made me feel self conscious and shy on stage, I liked the way music sounded when I was high. Make no mistake I liked to rock out and put all of my energy and thought into the music but if I had to choose between harsh and ahead of the beat playing or right on the beat or slightly behind I would choose the latter. For most of that decade I think many of my fellow musicians also felt that way or at least most of the music made in the 60's tended to be of a mellower variety. Even the LSD influenced jam music of that time was dreamily drifting and meditative.
As the decade drew to a close I started to see more of the harder drugs being introduced around the scene. After Woodstock with it's positive vibe despite the harsh environment it took place in and for reasons I still don't understand, cocaine, meth and heroin gained a foothold in popular culture.  It seemed to me that even though I on occasion used the harder drugs that were all around me, I still preferred pot for my drug of choice. As the 70's moved on along with the great music that was being created at the time there was the slow but steady influence of "ATTITUDE". Instead of getting on stage and playing your music with as much enthusiasm as you felt, I witnessed the new 'struttin your stuff' style of presentation which to me was epitomized by The Rolling Stones. From being the 'bad boys' of rock with great blues based rockin songs and a subtle but noticeable style as what differentiated the "mods" from the "rockers" where they were the "rockers" and The Beatles were the "mods" to what appeared to me  as Mick Jaeger prancing around like a banty rooster and the rest of the band trying to look as deranged as the neighborhood junkie. What were they trying to say I asked myself? And then of course Keith Moon had to destroy his drum kit on stage and the race was on to show the most attitude as possible for virtually all of the new generation of rock stars. Now it is important to mention that these bands and others were creating great music but why did it have to be accompanied by such over the top theatrics?
Of course there is no need in going down the list of outrageous behavior bands as by the mid 70's even such mellow music bands as Fleetwood Mac were going over the top and I would say under the influence. So instead zoom ahead to 1981 and the launch of MTV. All music all day long. It was great and I loved it. You could grab some snack food and a beer or a joint and sit and watch and listen to the music of the day in living color on your tube. VH1 came next and now there was MTV for the more rocking music and VH1 for the mellower set. But in order to keep the audience tuned in because you could just put on FM radio and close your eyes for the visuals, the music TV channels had to encourage the artists that wanted to be on their channels to have more ATTITUDE in their performance. Smashing guitars, tights and make up on guys, sexual ambiguity, grand drama on stage had rock and roll turned nearly into a contest for the most outrageous onstage behavior possible and lots and lots of ATTITUDE.
So now there are the Baby Boomers with their relatively mellow demands of their favorites on stage and then come the Gen X&Y'ers with at least more than cum by yah to rouse the spirit still letting the music be the constant source of enjoyment but after that there came the heavy, heavy doses of attitude, attitude, attitude.
Now every artist has to have made attitude as the prerequisite of their performance style and can be entertaining when it is for a reason. Hip Hop when it began really needed big time attitude as their environment was forged by the fire of dis-empowerment and neglect. Like the folk movement that gave birth to the anti war protests, Hip Hop was letting the powers that be know that there was a fire burning down deep in the ghetto. But what did the grunge movement really have to say about their condition and or life style. Comfortably middle class and educated they were mad about something but what was it? Same thing with punk of an earlier generation. Was the message that they were presenting an image or a statement? Even Hip Hop has now become more of a fashion presentation than a political statement. Cristal and Bentleys, chin out 'tude and glamorizing thug life. 99% of their audience are just trying to achieve a middle class life and their role models extol wretched excess. It is no wonder that there is little conscience involved in the wholesale piracy of music via the internet. If I was a youngster today and all I saw was no respect for moderation and hard work, television "stars" that have done little more than project major attitude and conceit and a music industry that has no place for artist development. I would find it hard to understand why I should support it.
Even in sports where attitude is a part of an athletes tool box there is almost a ritual for how attitude should be portrayed. Celebrations have become automatic and with little spontaneity increasingly predictable.
How does this fit into everyday life for most of us? When attending an event whether sports or entertainment there is little originality left. If all you are going to get is the gnarly face down or de rigueur chest bump why spend all that money to go out. Live entertainment and sports should be about spontaneity and surprise and I see little of that today. Lots more fortitude and a lot less attitude would go a long way. What do you think?

When the Lovin" Spoonful first started making music in 1965, the music scene was populated by just a few styles or "genres". There was Pop, R&B, Country, Jazz and Blues. The Pop scene was made up of an old guard where the artist basically was under the control of the record company/producer and had little input into how the product was conceived and created other than singing on the tape once the music bed was in place. There were certainly exceptions to that rule but mostly that was how Pop records were made in the '50's and early '60's. Once the Four Seasons and The Beach Boys made themselves frequent contributors to the the record charts and soon to be followed by the Beatles and the British Invasion, the old guard was put on notice that indeed the times they were a changin'. By 1965 and the Spoonful's first recordings it was becoming common for the artist to write their own songs and play on the recordings and this was exactly what the four of us wanted. John was already writing songs and recording them with Eric Jacobsen our soon to be producer and Joe and I had recently cut some demos with our band the Kingsmen, Zally was touring with a couple of friends that would go on to form The Mamas and Papas so the itch was in all of our blood to get down to it. One of the other characteristics of bands in that time was most of the Pop music they made was rock and roll but not thrash and burn. The songs had melody and usually the words were love songs of one sort or another. The Spoonful early on adopted the phrase "Good Time Music" as our motto. We went on to get our first 7 single releases in the top 10 on the record charts. As the decade wore on though the mood of the public was changing. The Vietnam conflict had revealed itself to be highly unpopular and while the Woodstock festival was deemed the perfect example of how large gatherings of young folks under trying conditions could prove to be an uplifting affair some of the subsequent festivals did not work out as well.
 To my eyes while the music scene was fueled by mostly beer, pot and mild hallucinogens, the type of records being made and enjoyed by the audiences were still being driven by substance over style. By that I mean most of the bands and individual performers just got up and played their songs and did not engage in much in the way of over the top behavior. Once however the drug usage turned  to harder drugs and the probing eye of the TV camera coupled with the pressure to rise to the top of the heap in a rapidly growing pyramid of rock stars and concert impresarios the need to separate from the throng became the touchstone for up and coming musicians. By the 1980's and MTV…IMHO, the Pop music scene had morphed into to a complete victory of style over substance. This is not to say that there was no quality music out there. Quite the contrary some of the best of my generation was created during that period. What had happened was that style had become the principle ingredient in the rock star's recipe. 
I doubt very much that the Lovin' Spoonful would get a record contract today. Not only has the nature of the music scene changed but the incessant demands of the audience to stylistically outdo your competition just would not give us a door to get our foot into. 
John Sebastian and his pal from the Even Dozen Jug Band days David Grisman put out a sweet and beautifully recorded album called "Satisfied" 7 years ago and while it was a highly acclaimed collection of folk and jug band classics as well as re-recording some of their own songs hardly a notice was heard from the mainstream arbiters of "what is hip today" I would like to see a return to days of "Good Time Music" where the music is more of the focus than the style of it's presentation. What do you think?

I know it has been a long time since the last post but excuses are like burps, everyone comes up with one now and then. Well it is only 4 months until my book gets released and man what a trip it has been. Jack David and the crew at ECW Press has been superb in shepherding this book along. I could not ask for a better relationship. Tony Moss as usual has been the rock steady influence that has made the tough times doable. Now I am creating or remaking my personal web site into a vehicle to spread the word that my book is on the near horizon and not being Mr. I.T. guy makes it more than a little difficult for me. So the point of this blog is to ask the readers to chime in with any suggestions or ideas that will make the site anymore enjoyable or informational (is that a word?). I don't mind at all criticism and love praise so don't hold back no matter what the point is.  I have many pictures that would illustrate parts of the book and some of them will make it in. Those that don't will appear in the snapshot page so be sure and check in for new ones. Also one of the purposes of this blog originally was to present ideas or reflections on current and future events and I hope that I will be able to present them clearly. So feel free to comment away. One of the best things about the computer age is how it puts one in a position to reach out to friends and strangers alike. Let me hear from you. Even just hello will be greatly appreciated and remembered. I will soon return to a topical blog and be sure and watch for it on your computer screen soon. All good!

It has been pretty cold for North Florida this year. I know that everyone north of Goose Creek thinks I don't know what cold is. Well I just came back from two trips to the upper plains and it was single digit cold there. If you have a car it's not too bad but if you have to walk or ride on a two wheel vehicle you better be prepared. But it got me to thinking: Does it get cold in heaven? If it does why? Does God have to make ice? Do the angels not get up if they can't go ice skating at least once a year? Or maybe it is always 76 degrees and partly sunny in heaven. I would be very interested in your thoughts. Oh also my book is getting closer to being finished.

A friction zone does not mean anything other than the interaction of two or more entities. Whether they are material or ethereal, fiction or fact, I am looking for the exchange of ideas about subjects far and wide. I hope to grow this web site as time goes on and am asking for as much feedback as is possible. No need for harsh language although it won't be ignored. This page wants to be a hypocrisy free zone, so if you can't walk the walk don't talk the talk. I can't agree with everyone and won't. I love motor sports, sailing, college football (especially the Florida Gators) and basketball, all kinds of music and even some aspects of politics. Mother Earth and her environment are in need of all of our love and the cosmos is too!. I am going to try and pick a subject each week or more often should I become inspired but I'm a lazybones too. Welcome to Flashpoint and the Friction Zone!