I Had Lunch Next to Lou Reed. And You're No Lou Reed. [BoB]

In today's BoB, I remember Lou Reed and recall a brief interaction with Reed some 23 years ago at Farm Aid in Indianapolis.

Lou Reed was recognized as a singer, songwriter, guitarist and punk poet of rock-and-roll who influenced generations of musicians. He definitely marched to the beat of his own drum. And like his music or not, he was a game changer. He was relevant.

Let’s face it, it’s doubtful that you and I will be recognized in the history books as writers that influenced a generation. However, you might want to take a page out of Lou Reed’s playbook and be yourself. Stand for something.

And if you want to connect to audiences, be it via a magazine story, blog, novel, website, print advertisement, etc., be real. Write what you know. Know what you write.

It’s okay to be an expert. But if you’re not an expert, don’t pretend.

"One chord is fine. Two chords are pushing it. Three chords and you're into jazz." (Nod to Lou Reed)

[BoB Kicker]: Farm Aid, Indianapolis, April 1990 - I owned Front Row Video (IMAG for concerts) at the time. Remembering my late Grandfather, a successful but hard-working (family) farmer from Marshall, IL, I decided to participate in Farm Aid by contributing a giant screen package for backstage for the artists to watch the nationally televised event. I was fortunate to work with the late Dick Clark (Dick Clark Productions produced the event for years) and his executive producer Ron Weed, now retired. After load in and set up, I broke for lunch and sat alone. I was immediately behind the massive stage, in a mundane, draped off area. Minutes later, Lou Reed, Dennis Weaver (“Chester” in Gunsmoke and “McCloud”) and Arlo Guthrie sat down around the group of tables I had inhabited. Not together mind you. Like me, they had simply wandered off on their own to eat. “Don’t I know you?” was quickly followed by a look of “Nope!” However, they quickly noticed one another, and a rather humorous and lively conversation ensued. Talk about a walk on the wild side. Here’s a list of some of the participating artists… Bonnie Raitt, John Mellencamp, John Hiatt, Carl Perkins, Arlo Guthrie, Gorky Park, Garth Brooks, John Denver, Bill Monroe, Alan Jackson, Asleep at the Wheel, Jackson Browne, Bruce Hornsby, Poco, Elton John, Lou Reed, Don Henley, Taj Mahal, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Neil Young, Willie Nelson, Guns N' Roses. You may remember this particular Farm Aid… Elton John dedicated Candle in the Wind to Ryan White, the young Indiana boy who had contracted AIDS through a blood transfusion. Ryan died the following day.

Way back in 1997, Jorn Barger coined the term "blog" as a shortened form of "web log." After 16 years, I finally decided it was time for something new and coined the term "BoB," short for "web observation." BoBs consist of a short observation about marketing—ALL MARKETING...inbound, outbound, digital, traditional...ALL of it. And, a famous quote that helps to “stamp” the observation into the reader’s mind. Add a relevant link and appropriate graphic…maybe even a well-known “BoB” graphic and that’s all there is to it.