8 entries
The Music Business
How artists, labels, managers, publishers, promoters, and money actually behave.
Music, power, politics, and the stories behind the stories.
Directly from Miles
Miles on the Record
This is the main personal section: what I think now, what I remember, what I got right, what I got wrong, and what everyone else has conveniently forgotten. It is written, dictated, supplied, or approved by me—not a generic “voice of” approximation.
Expect music-business war stories, political arguments, historical corrections, useful provocations, and the occasional sentence that makes an old enemy sit up much straighter.
Editorial Collections
0 entries
The Police & Sting
The strategy, risks, personalities, touring, and decisions behind a global breakthrough.
3 entries
Punk, New Wave & Breaking Rules
When having no respectable option became a competitive advantage.
0 entries
Arab Music & Global Sound
Crossing markets, languages, and cultural assumptions without flattening the music.
97 entries
Entertainment, Film & Media
Records were only the beginning; attention itself became a business.
180 entries
Politics, Power & the Middle East
Independent commentary from someone who distrusts slogans, tribes, and simple answers.
22 entries
Intelligence & the Copeland Files
OSS, SOE, the early CIA, espionage culture, propaganda, and family stories from inside the mythology.
53 entries
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
Success, failure, reinvention, and the education hidden inside an expensive mistake.
All Miles on the Record
206May 5, 2022
The Chamberlain dream.
Tulsi Gabbord was just on Fox once again showing she is another Nevil Chamberlain. Nevil did in fact deliver "Peace in our time" - only problem was…
Apr 19, 2022
From Democracy to Totalitarianism
The "progress" of Putin from his appointment by Yeltsin, Bush peering into his soul, the Russians singing his praises like a pop star to ever more…
Apr 19, 2022
What might have been
If Putin had managed to conquer Ukraine in a few days as he seems to have intended, he might have gotten away with it. A quick fait accompli as…
Apr 18, 2022
Damned if you do damned if you dontl
Today of Fox News Kevin McCarthy was again trying to attack the Biden administration for not sending arms before the Russian invasion apparently…
Apr 12, 2022
Comedy
On my brief look at what Hannity was saying on Fox I was surprised to see he is still pushing the idea that President Biden is not all there and the…
Apr 12, 2022
Fake F-16s
As Putin claims the Russian forces are doing well, NOT killing civilians and what Ukrainians they do kill are Nazis - Bucha is fake news and photos…
Apr 5, 2022
No fly zone now
After seeing the true nature of the Russian assault on Ukraine it is time for the USA and NATO to institute a no fly zone and state that interfering…
Apr 4, 2022
Real interests
It is in the long term interests of the US to have alliances with Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Australia in the East and with Europe, NATO, Russia…
Apr 4, 2022
Conspiracy
Conspiracy theories are all the rage these days. Trump still claims the election was stolen and a not insignificant chunk of the public believe him…
Apr 1, 2022
Info Wars
Russian mothers will at some point be told of their dead soldiers but most live far from Moscow so not of serious concern to Putin. BUT the word of…
Mar 29, 2022
Putin
Putin made his move into Ukraine without any way to get out without loosing huge face. A very stupid strategy to be sure but that is what he did. So…
Mar 28, 2022
update
Traveling to Europe for the past 10 days I got back to the US thinking something in the news would change. What I found was the Fox pundits, Hannity…
Mar 16, 2022
Trump again?
It seems one can never escape from positive references to Donald Trump even when it comes to Ukraine. Fox "News"uses the war as a way to tout "what…
Mar 15, 2022
Squriming
In spite of the tragic events we see every hour on out TV screens inflicted by the Putin war on Ukraine, - taking a dispassionate view (if possible?)…
Mar 13, 2022
Off Ramp
It is disturbing to still hear ideas of an off ramp for Putin. How does one give an off ramp to a war criminal? The only off ramp is for a new leader…
Mar 12, 2022
Oil vs. Renewable energy
There is a US midterm election coming up so Fox "News" devotes its narrative to attacking the Democratic President, Vice President and any other…
Mar 12, 2022
Leaders
Republican talking points are stating that the Polls show that Biden is not perceived to be doing well on anything THEREFORE he should change course…
Mar 10, 2022
Realities and off ramps
There is so much talk on every side about what to do amid horrible scenes we witness on TV. Some use the war as an excuse to criticize opponents…
Mar 9, 2022
Thinking
One thing about the Ukraine War is it makes us think about ideas we have accepted as fact in the past. For instance, why does anyone believe that…
Mar 7, 2022
Moldova
A little known Russian breakaway region of Moldova borders Moldova and Ukraine and if the Odessa area is taken by Russia the Transnistria region of…
Mar 7, 2022
Iran
Iran has a great opportunity to eliminate the sanctions and sell its oil at the new high price. In spite of the over the top fear of Iran that has…
Mar 7, 2022
Lessons of army design
The NATO forces, the Ukrainian army as well as the Russian army have been designed for defensive purposes. There is a big difference between design…
Mar 6, 2022
Side note
As a side note to the Russian invasion of Ukraine is the degree of surprise US military planners have seen at the sorry state of the Russian…
Mar 6, 2022
More know your history
From the 1100s, to the 1800s the main political dividing line in Europe was between England and France. By the end of the 1800s that dividing line…
Admirers, skeptics, former allies, competitors, critics, and lifelong enemies are all welcome. An audience that agrees with everything is either not listening or trying to get a deal.
Read the stories, check the facts, challenge the conclusions, and argue intelligently. History becomes much tidier after the people who made it have stopped talking. I have not.