u/SwissMiss915

I know that handwriting analyses are surmised from a number of determining factors. For example, does this 'C' look like that 'C' is just one determining factor. Typos, grammatical errors, and unique or orthodox language all play a role in determining document authorship ("And hence"... etc). I would love to read one of the many complete reports from those who found Patsy to be the most likely author of the note. If they have not been released, can anyone say why? Obviously, Patsy cannot be prosecuted anymore, so it seems moot to continue to suppress these.

I was reading how Chuck Berry managed to evade being exploited by labels to a great degree, and actually held onto his songwriting and publishing, even from a lot of his earliest recordings. He also successfully sued The Beach Boys over "Surfin' USA", and made all the income of the Beach Boys song (which would have been millions alone) for just one song. Chuck lived and died a very rich man.

I've read at length how Big Mama Thornton was swindled by Don Robey at Peacock, and I know the stories of early bluesman being ripped off by their labels are infinite. But other than BB, who is an outlier, did any of the legacy names we know and love from the 50's, 60's, or 70's live well from non exploitative contracts? ? At the time of their deaths, Howlin Wolf, Muddy, and even Gatemouth (who toured into the early 2000's) lived in very modest homes. It just made me wonder.

I was trying to think of some Punk/Alternative bands who signed major label deals and flopped gloriously.  Only 3 'failures' were covered in the book "Sell Out" (which is a great read).  Please know, this is not a debate of whether or not these are great records that should have been bigger.  I am simply wondering who I am forgetting who had a decent underground following, left for a major, and failed miserably.  These are the ones I could come up with off the top of my head.  I am always up for discovering a new record I didn't previously know about. 

Samiam "Clumsy" (Atlantic) - I think this record is a masterpiece but it failed miserably on Atlantic, selling barely 14,000 copies the first year of its release.  

Jawbox "For Your Own Special Sweetheart" (Atlantic) - Most fans still love this record but by any major label metric, it was a flop.  

Shudder to Think "Pony Express Record" (Epic) - One of only two bands to ever leave Dischord for a major. Time has been very kind to this record, but it did not sell initially. You're allowed to love it.  

Jawbreaker "Dear You" (Warner Bros) -  This story has been told to death.  I can't remember the initial sales but it was abysmal.  

Schleprock "Dirty Little Secret" (Warner Bros) - One of many signed during the wave of Green Day's success.  Decent record but went absolutely nowhere.  

Suicide Machines "Destruction by Definition" (Hollywood / Disney) - This was Hollywood Records attempt to 'create' their own Rancid.  I get that the band does have some fans and apparently still tours, but when your debut record is on a major label owned by Disney, it wasn't hard to see this for what it was.  

Girls Against Boys "Freak*on*ica" (DGC) - I celebrate this bands entire catalog.  This record did not sell. 

Thursday "War All The Time" (Island / Def Jam) - Island paid a fortune to procure the band from Victory and Tony Brummel got rich.  I don't know the numbers and I like this record but it sold significantly less than Full Collapse (Victory) which said it all, really.

Against Me "New Wave" (Sire/Warner Bros) - I don't mind this record but the production is lifeless.  No energy, no spirit, no distinction. After a lengthy and sizeable bidding war, Craig Aaronson (A&R at Warner Bros), who previously signed Jimmy Eat World, Taking Back Sunday, and My Chemical Romance, paid Against Me the largest advance ever paid to an independent band (reportedly a deal worth $3M over 3 records).  As far as dollars spent to return on investment, this would surely be considered the biggest financial (and commercial) flop in "punk" history.  I will NEVER forget Tom Gabel (pre LJG...) doing an interview justifying the major label move and saying "What's wrong with wanting to be as big as U2?"  Whoops.  

I think there's probably many, many more.  Who am I forgetting?

I realize once Ed had 5150 that the band wrote there, but only 1984 (in the Dave years). I am also aware that most music would be written first and Dave separately would add lyrics. But surely the band did rehearse as a 4 piece to some degree to work out songs. Was there any specific home base of rehearsal for the final 4 Roth albums? Once the band was on Warner Bros, was the basement of Dave's dad's on Bradford no longer the rehearsal space? Is much known about where the band wrote and worked out songs collectively during 1980 up to 5150 being built?

Edward Snowden was trying to go to Ecuador. The U.S.'s seizure of his passport actually stranded him in Russia, where he remains. Although Ecuador does not maintain a formalized extradition treaty with the US, they have routinely extradited numerous criminals to the U.S. in a variety of stand alone situations.

Is it fair to say that Edward Snowden is actually lucky that the U.S. stranded him in Russia, as Ecuador has a better shot of extradition, and that U.S. actually made a mistake not letting him leave Russia and continue to Ecuador? Once again, I want to repeat this: I am aware that the US and Ecuador do not have an extradition agreement, but as they have done in countless other situations, doesn't it seem like if the U.S. wanted Edward Snowden as bad as they've ever wanted anyone, their chances of extracting him from Ecuador are far greater than Russia ?

I am aware of the high profile dispute with Sharon/Bob Daisley over Daisleys Randy recordings. 2 questions:

1). Outside of Bob Daisley, does any party, be it individual, label, or otherwise possess any other Randy recordings (live, studio, rehearsal, etc.) that also cannot come to an accord with Sharon, such as the Rhoads estate or anyone else?

2. IF Sharon and Bob and any and all other parties set aside all differences, what exactly does Bob and anyone else have that would be of interest? If one were to make a hypothetical track listing of such a release, what would it include?

Lastly, I'm aware that Bob was around for many years post-Randy. Only seeking clarity on Randy period here.

Every time I visit Waffle House and observe a kitchen in peril, I look at the hood and think to myself "wow, if only all those tickets were hanging there, this would make the cooks lives a lot easier." There may have been a time when short order cooking was an art form and skilled personnel were easier to come by. That time has passed. The call out system should be eradicated and they should just hang tickets. A deaf person could succeed as a Waffle House cook with a ticket system. Even if they called them first to get meats started early, if they hung the ticket, the restaurant would be much more efficient.

If I'm going 70MPH the AC blows cold, cold air. No issues. But in town, the AC is weak. If the system is low on freon, wouldn't the temp be weak all the time? Compressor is fairly new, and I'm to assume, not the issue.

Is there anyone whom he does consider close and possibly even support ?

I'm sure a wide variety of reasons exist for why a single album from a bands catalog is left off Spotify, but I am curious what they may be. Sometimes, even the most obscure 80's hair bands where the albums were complete flops will be readily available, yet certain Elvis albums and other legacy acts, one particular album can be excluded. And I don't mean Garth Brooks, who has no albums up on Spotify. I mean random excluded albums.

With the success of Poison, Warrant, Cinderella, etc., obviously, a major label feeding frenzy took hold and a wave of lesser deserving Sunset Strip hair bands got deals. I am curious who some of the less explainable signings would be. Tuff has to be in the mix of that conversation. But surely there are others. What would some bands be that even in 1989, people couldn't believe they got a record deal?

David Foster Wallace was a freelance reporter on arts, life, and culture, and also the author of several books, notably "Infinite Jest". As a young teenage tennis maven, he idolized Tracy Austin.  But when she released her autobiography,  "Beyond Center Court: My Story" in 1992, Foster Wallace found great fault in the book, and voiced his displeasure in a public review.  I've always found this essay hilarious, and wondered if Tracy ever knew of its existence. 

Here is a link to it I found:

 https://gwern.net/doc/psychology/willpower/1994-wallace-howtracyaustinbrokemyheart.pdf

I can't find any areas of leakage, roof or otherwise, and it's not standing water. But if the car sits in the driveway for 2-3 days of heavy rain, the floorboard, and anything sitting in it (clothes, newspaper) will be visibly damp. Whats the deal ?

I realize John Mark Karr is a creapo and a liar and was never at JBR's house. But sometimes in a cold case, these types of frenzies can energize a case and indirectly bring about the release of new information. Is there anything we learned because of the John Mark Karr fiasco that we didn't previously know?

There have been several threads lately suggesting a struggling restaurant industry. Restaurant closures generate headlines, and those stories tend to attract attention, but I don't think they provide an accurate picture of what's actually happening.

The company I work for supplies food and operating essentials to a large majority of restaurants across the metro area. Because of that, I can see purchasing trends in great detail. I can tell you how much beef X restaurant bought this month compared to the same month four years ago. I can tell you how many straws, napkins, or boxes of Splenda Y restaurant purchased over that same period.  Individual numbers fluctuate, of course, but the broader trend is clear.

The reality may surprise some people: diners are not spending less money at restaurants, food trucks, drive-thrus, and other food-service establishments. In fact, more money is being spent dining out in Birmingham today than at any point during my 11 years in the business. According to my boss, who has nearly two decades in the industry, the same is true for him. I am selling more beef, more paper goods, and more restaurant supplies than ever before. What is changing isn't the total amount being spent.  It's where that money is being spent.  While certain restaurants may be struggling, it is for their own internal reasons. 

The restaurant industry is constantly evolving, and consumer habits are always shifting.  What you are seeing is nothing new. Maybe an unfair example, but McDonald's dining room on a Saturday morning was once a circus.  Today, McDonald's dining room on a Saturday morning would be a great place to read a thick paperback in total peace.  Also today, applying any number of industry metrics, McDonalds gross sales, average unit volume, same store sales, etc. are all higher than they were back when McDonalds dining room was a circus.  We actually don't supply McDonalds, but the numbers are public in the industry trades.  There was a time when McDonalds only needed one drive thru window.  Then they needed two.  Now, they have two lanes.  Chick Fil A's across the nation are being outfitted with three and four lanes, whereas as recent as 5 years ago, they only had one. 

So what is actually happening, and why do so many people falsely claim that the restaurant industry is struggling? The restaurant industry itself is not in trouble. Restaurants with weak concepts, operational or performance issues, inconsistent execution, poor management, and/or bad pricing are in trouble. That has always been true. Even before COVID, restaurants that were poorly conceived or poorly operated routinely closed. It's also important to remember that a restaurant you personally love can fail for reasons completely unrelated to the quality of its food. Likewise, a restaurant you dislike can thrive despite your opinion of it. I work with tiny neighborhood delis that do modest volume but operate efficiently and profitably. I know busy restaurants with lines out the door that barely make money.

You might think Full Moon BBQ, Applebee's, and Cheesecake Factory all suck. Fair enough. Don't go.  But these spaces thrive because they offer an exemplary product, expedient service, fair portioning, and a price point that corresponds to all of the above. They are the best at what they do for their demographic.  Full Moon BBQ, founded in Birmingham in 1981, has 16 locations.  Despite a volatile economy over the course of the last 4.5 decades including multiple economic recessions, 4 stock market crashes, the Global Financial Crises, Mad Cow Disease, El Nino, Y2K, Bird Flu, Covid 19, and even the disastrous Porcine Diarrhea Epidemic, they have closed a whopping one location in 45 years, and it was for external factors completely unrelated to the stores sales.  You could put a Full Moon BBQ across the street from a Jim n Nicks and I assure you, only Jim n Nicks would be nervous, and I would bet my life on this.  Again, bad restaurants eventually get dealt out.  

A taco truck I call on buys more pork than any restaurant in my rolodex, and they technically have the smallest kitchen of any restaurant I call on.  They thrive because they offer an exemplary product, expedient service, fair portioning, and a price point that corresponds to all of the above. They are the best at what they do for their demographic and they are lined around the building.

The same principle applies at the higher end of the market. Restaurants such as Helen, Bayonet, or Chez Fon Fon remain busy and difficult to get into (at least based on my attempts to land a Resy). They continue to attract customers, old and new, because they deliver a quality experience consistently. They focus on execution, maintain standards, and build credibility over time. At no point in our lifetime have bad restaurants survived indefinitely simply because the restaurant industry was healthy. Eventually, bad concepts and badly run businesses get dealt out.

Many of Birmingham's new and trendier 'nice' restaurants that are seeing declining sales are not suffering because diners have stopped spending money at restaurants. They're losing business because customers have decided the value proposition isn't there. Diners move on. They replace one restaurant with another that offers a better experience at a similar price point. The money hasn't disappeared, the customer has simply redirected it elsewhere. You'll continue to see weak concepts close. You'll continue to see strong concepts thrive.

As you saw in the media recently, a dozen or more Pihakis Group restaurants closed.  Because it was so many concepts and closures, trickling lawsuits, etc., this made for longstanding dramatic headlines that give the (false) impression that this represents the restaurant industry at large. Trust me, this entire situation is a complete outlier and should not be used as a metric for any current trend in the restaurant business. PRG shuttered because fundamentally, PRG was a sham, a house of cards built upon ego and arrogance, not talent and precedence. If PRG had been a marine vessel, it would be called the Titan Submersible. Fundamentally, it was doomed.  None of the Pihakis closures were forced upon by the health of the restaurant industry at large because the health of the restaurant industry at large is in great shape. The people who gradually stopped going to Rodney Scotts didn't stop eating out — they took their money to a better restaurant.  

10 years ago, Door Dash, and the concept of Door Dash, barely existed.  Today, Door Dash is a $75B company with an annual gross revenue of $13B.  Billion, with a 'B'.   Not only are people paying $15.33 for a Mega Meal from Milo's, they are paying someone $10 to bring it to their front door.  That isn't evidence of a declining restaurant industry. If anything, it's evidence of the opposite.

At virtually every level of dining, I can point to examples that demonstrate a healthy industry:

Go to Gianmarco's most any evening and tell me the restaurant business is in trouble.

Go take a look at the green space at Taco Mama Vestavia and tell me the restaurant business is in trouble.

Try getting a table at Big Bad Breakfast, Dimitri's BBQ, or Salem's Diner in Homewood this weekend and tell me the restaurant business is in trouble. Those three restaurants are within walking distance of one another, and all three stay busy because they understand their customers and consistently meet expectations. 

Visit almost any Chick-fil-A at nearly any hour and tell me the restaurant business is in trouble.

It takes longer to get a sandwich at The Garage today than at any point in the 32 year existence of the place, and that is with more people on staff at any given time than ever in history. Great concepts are nearly invincible.

My mentor imbedded a very important lesson in me that he said very few restauranteurs comprehend, and only the ones who do, survive:   "Sales are never the reason a restaurant closes.  Never.  If sales are down, it is always for deeper reasons."
 
None of this is meant to suggest that running a successful restaurant isn't hard work. Operating a restaurant requires tremendous effort, discipline, and attention to detail. So does moving furniture, pouring concrete, teaching yoga, or driving a semi.  The fact is, more people are buying food from good restaurants today than at any point in our lifetime.

The restaurant business is not in trouble.  Bad restaurants are in trouble.