Whitney

Add Whitney Houston to the list of names that includes Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Vincent Van Gogh and how many others? Hugely successful, talented artists, who seemed to have crumbled under the pressure of fame, eventually costing them the ultimate price.  And although the final verdict of what the cause of Whitney’s demise is not yet in, I think it’s pretty safe to assume that sins of the past at least played a role.

But this blog isn’t actually a tribute to Whitney, but rather to a couple of other well-known artists.

While recapping her incredible career the night after her passing NBC news anchor Lester Holt mentioned that Houston’s first seven songs had reached number one, a fete not even accomplished by Elvis or The Beatles.

Elvis and The Beatles. Think about it.

 It was 1956 when Elvis burst onto the scene, 1964 when the Beatles crossed the pond to lead the British invasion, and here we are 56 and 48 years later respectively comparing other artist’s fetes to probably the two most iconic figures in music history. Will they always be the benchmark for which everyone else is compared?

More than once I’ve read or seen in an interview where former teen idol and Partridge Family star David Cassidy, reminiscing about his heyday, mentions that his fan club at that time was the largest in the world. Larger than Elvis or the Beatles, he states. And that was good enough to play off and make an entire long lasting career for the little guy. How many others have done the same. I can’t think of a more fitting way to say you’re the greatest of all time, then to be compared to.

And in a bit of irony, on the night after Whitney Houston’s death, the 54^th Annual Grammy awards were held. Many tributes were paid to her, and to conclude the show the final performance was given by, but of course, Paul McCartney.

The benchmark rolls on.

50? Get my Dentures

so I’m listening to sports talk radio today, the day after the Super Bowl, and they’re dissecting the game and then they announce that they’re waiting for Eli Manning, who is expected to call in. While the hosts are killing time until then they begin to talk about the halftime show and Madonna, and they immediately begin to grill her. After hammering her on the lip syncing (which may be a good thing after enduring to the Black Eyed Peas performance during last year’s game) they turn to her age. She’s old, they surmise, she looks old, and she almost fell on those steps. Why didn’t they have a ramp instead of steps, especially for someone her age!  And they continued . . .

Madonna is 53, hardly someone ready for the retirement home, a nursing facility or social security.

 I’m no fan of the Material Girl, but I think I see a bit of discrimination here. I don’t remember The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, facing any age questions when he played the Super Bowl, and he was 59. Tom Petty was 57, Paul McCartney and Who members Roger Daltry & Peter Townsend were in their sixties, yet there was no criticism that they were too old too be hip or cool that I can recall. Why is this?

“I'm sure there is some gender double standard, but that's always the case,” says my good friend Chris. “Think about the "wardrobe malfunction": Who actually ripped the clothes off Janet Jackson's breast? Justin Timberlake. Who got the majority of the blame? Janet Jackson. Whose album sales and singles rocketed after ‘nipplegate?’ Justin Timberlake. Whose career, which to that point had consistently delivered top 10 hit songs, crumbled to the point she could barely make the Top 40 anymore? Janet Jackson.

“To be fair, Madonna has always relied on her looks and sex appeal, so it probably is more noticeable that a 50-year-old Madonna doesn't move like a 30-year-old Madonna, something you wouldn't notice with someone like Springsteen.”

I think it was Glenn Close who once said that an actresses career was pretty well over when Hollywood deemed her unf%^&*able. I could not find that quote on a web search but she did say “It is very difficult for girls. They're told to look one way, but to act another.” Amen Glenn. The same criteria does not need to be met for, say, Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford, Robert DeNiro, Tom Hanks, and so on.

Maybe at 50+ myself I’m a little more sensitive to this. We have come a long way in our battle against discrimination, whether it be religious or race. I would hope that we would add age to it as well.

And in a “a-ha, you deserved that” moment Eli never did make the call, leaving the hosts hanging to fill time. I don't know, maybe at only 31 Eli is still too young to know how to use a phone.

End of rant. Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

Disc Jockey News Article: February 2012

FEBRUARY, 2012

The Way I See It: You Must Like Me

Michael J. Lenstra

Sally Field has had a run that would be envious of most any actor or actress. A career that is going into its sixth decade, complete with Emmy, Oscar and Golden Globe wins.¹ Yet avid movie fans everywhere will probably remember her best for her 1985 acceptance speech for her second Academy Award, when she excitedly exclaimed that now famous phrase “You like me, you really like me.” And although it is not exactly what she said, she has probably been remembered and vilified more for that moment than anything she’s ever done on film.

However in that one legendary quote I feel she said more than any of her predecessors, many of who gave much longer speeches, simply by what she did not say. You see, she did not thank the academy for recognizing her for her hard work and years of training and studying. She did not feel it was worth mentioning the gratitude they had for her long hours of preparation for her roles. She felt that she was honored because, well, in the end, the academy really, really liked her.

And more often than not “being liked” may be the determining factor in many of the decisions that we make, especially in the sales and service field. How many times do we purchase, or have our clients purchase from us, based on comfort and likeability? The way I see it, when all sales pitches are finished, when we’ve stopped comparing X’s and O’s, when price is no longer a factor, we generally go with the person that we fill most confident and comfortable with – and that we trust.

"People don't care what you know - until they know you care."


In his book, The 29% Solution, co-author and founder of the Business Networkers International Ivan Misner wrote “people don’t care what you know, until they know you care.”² Maybe then, instead of refining the same sales pitch for each and every customer, we would better serve ourselves if we listened to what that customer wanted first. When I began my DJ business years ago I would fret over the bookings that I was NOT getting. I felt that if some of these potential customers would just take a chance on me I was certain that they would be more than happy with the product and service that I provided them. Call after call I would explain that I had a comprehensive music library, name brand equipment and could beat most anyone’s price. Yet, unless there was some kind of a friend or family connection, my pleas for their business went unanswered.

I realized that I needed to take a new approach. I started to take more time explain my services and what a difference I could make at their event and, more importantly, I began to ask questions and listened to what each individual client wanted. I made potential customers feel more at ease with me and more confident in me. It was only then that my business began to take off.

While it’s a good thing to have the latest technology and important to be well educated in your field, in the end I feel it's my ‘likeability’ probably more so than my gear, music library or even my experience that plays a greater role  on a client’s decision to include me as part of their event more than anything else. And, unlike the music and equipment that I utilize, that is not a tool that I can buy in a store or on line. It’s a constant tweaking and evaluation of oneself.

And hopefully, if I do that well, it’s my calendar that will scream, “You like me. You really LIKE me!”

sources:

1. Internet Movie Database

The 29% Solution







Mike Lenstra is the owner of Alexxus Entertainment and a full time DJ/Entertainer in Dubuque, IA. He can be reached at mikelenstra@discjockeynews.com

New Logo

We have unveiled a new logo for 2012. Our original one was put together in 1994 and looked like this:

We modified that one a bit when we left the CD age to look like this:

I can't say I was ever too fond of logo #2, and I have no one to blame except myself since the original concept was mine, so my website developer, Dave Dunnam of Photographs & Memories, and I came up with this:

A little flashier and not "something that you would see on the back of a pick-ups tailgate," as one person described my previous version.

You'll still see a bit of the old one yet this year since, in an effort to be 'green,' I'll try to use up the rest of our business cards, brochures and envelopes before going back to the Dubuque Advertiser and having more printed with the new logo. The latest one is already on our website though.

Until next time,
~ Mike ~