James Dolan, Media Mogul, Sings The Blues
As CEO of Cablevision and executive chairman of Madison Square Garden, James L. Dolan has had his fair share of spats with members of the news media, his most recent being an advertising boycott over an unflattering joke that cost The Village Voice $1 million. But when asked by reporters about his frequent quarrels, Dolan rarely gives interviews as heated as the arguments themselves. Instead, he channels his frustrations into lyrics and sings them over a bluesy country beat.
The New York Times ran a story yesterday profiling Dolan’s unorthodox method of responding to media criticism. According to reporter Laura M. Holson, country ditties are Dolan’s preferred means of venting his irritations, and not one of his adversaries – The Daily News, former New York governor Eliot Spitzer, even a yappy dog he didn’t especially like – are safe from his twangy attacks.
And now, 10 years after assembling his band JD & The Straight Shots with Madison Square Garden employees, Dolan is taking his lyrical retaliation on the road as the opening act for the Eagles and the Dixie Chicks on tour. The set may only be 45 minutes, but it’s jam packed with the feelings that Dolan can only seem to express through song.
His tunes range the gamut of emotions he feels about how he has been portrayed in the media and how the media functions in general – in “Rise With The Tide,” Dolan responds to an article that described him as “a member of the lucky sperm club” for being the heir to his father’s fortune, while in “Daily News Blues,” he takes on the manipulative nature of tabloids. In an especially biting jam titled “Fall From Grace,” he bashes Spitzer, a longtime political rival, for his call girl scandal.
In (somewhat) related news, The Daily Beast just released a list of reality stars who attempted singing careers. He may not be as widely recognized as The Situation or Tila Tequila, but with three self-released albums under his belt and lyrics like “caught with your socks on in a hotel room” regarding Spitzer’s tryst with Ashley Dupré, Dolan has better chance than any of them of becoming a musical sensation.
