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SUPPORT ME ON PATREON\n\nWATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE\n\nThere are so many things in the music world that make sense. The everlasting popularity of stars like Sinatra or Elvis or the Beatles or Led Zeppelin or Prince or Nirvana or Mariah Carey or Cher etc. etc. Or the more underground and under the radar appeal of bands like Sparks \u2013 hugely influential and wildly eclectic, but only deliberately mainstream when they wanted to be.\n\nThen there are things that make a whole lot less sense. Why were Nickelback and Kid Rock so popular for so long? Why would someone as prolific and loved as Billy Joel just stop releasing new music? I\u2019m not saying these things don\u2019t have logical explanations. I\u2019m saying so what \u2013 there should be different answers.\n\nThe same goes for this week\u2019s artist, Matthew Sweet. It makes no sense to me that he was never a superstar. Successful? Yes, for a few years in the 1990s. Respected and still has millions of fans? Absolutely. But he\u2019s not like Sparks. He doesn\u2019t do obscure or eclectic niche music (not that that\u2019s not also awesome). He does singer/songwriter power pop based in mostly classic rock sounds. His lyrics and especially his melodies and arrangements are super catchy-hooky. He has substance, broad appeal AND his own uniquely personal take. He has a very accessible voice. He\u2019s personable and versatile and hasn\u2019t stopped releasing new music since his formative years in early-mid 1980s Lincoln, Nebraska & Athens, Georgia. So what\u2019s up, America? What\u2019s your problem?\n\nOkay so two things. First, pretty much all of those descriptors could also be about me, so I\u2019m taking this very personally \U0001f60a. Second, I think I know what America\u2019s problem is. And yes, I\u2019m singling out America here because this is a pervasive issue. I even hit on this in my recent Bee Gees episode. The issue is that America \u2013 or more likely its marketing/business/money structure, has a short attention span and little tolerance for artists who don\u2019t totally blow it out all the time. America\u2019s PR machine wants bigness. It grows what\u2019s already growing, and cuts off what\u2019s chugging or waning, to the point where it atrophies more quickly than it should. And fans who\u2019d probably really dig what the artist is doing don\u2019t hear about it, and rarely have time or the presence of mind to search for it. So it dies on the vine.\n\nI\u2019m counting myself in this. I can\u2019t tell you how many times I\u2019ve lost track of a once popular band, only to find out by accident they\u2019ve been touring and pumping out new music non-stop. It would have been nice to freakin\u2019 KNOW ABOUT THIS, but the American PR/money machine has no interest in capturing even a few moments of attention.\n\n...\n\nI can\u2019t underestimate the influence Matthew Sweet has had on my work. He showed me how you can write personal, often not very happy, lyrics and place them in a catchy power pop context. I did a virtual concert in 2020 where I mixed his stuff with mine, and you can hear the connection immediately:\n\nMatthew Sweet & Me: Perfect Together \u2013 Virtual Concert - https://youtu.be/ggwJw9u9aE0\n\nDo you know anything about Matthew Sweet? Why do you think he\u2019s not a superstar? Do you agree with my assessment of America\u2019s attention problem? Are there favorite artists of yours you never understood why they weren\u2019t more popular? Discuss dammit!\n\n\n--- \n\nThis episode is sponsored by \n\xb7 Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app\n\nSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/musicisnotagenre/support\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices