A triangle of smooth innovation

2 min read

(a Brian Lamb-centric solve-for-x based on my triangle of institutional innovation)

Sustaining = Michael McDonald, setting the boundaries and processes of smoothitude, encouraging other musicians to adopt "smooth" practices. Keeper of the fire.

Disruptive = Gene Balboa, bringing in radical "hollywood" ideas based on big money. Originally hails from Philadelphia and offfered "fame, fortune, ffffff...agina" to Hall & Oates.

User = Kenny Loggins, famed for building on and adapting the smooth template to develop "sweet rocking" music. Knows karate.

"What a fool believes" - Loggins' sweet rocking pipes inspire McDonald, drowning in a sea of sadness, to work with him to produce the song that cements his place in the Doobies.

"Sweet Freedom" - McDonald, in order to save Loggins and smooth music, proves his relevence and records a Balboa inspired Hollywood Soundtrack Hit.

"I'm alright" - McDonald's failure to respect Loggins' grief-stricken sweet rocking, and a chance encounter with Balboa and Steve Perry, persuade Loggins to assert his independence via the medium of hard-rocking beats and primal screams.

"This is it" - Developed by Loggins and McDonald in response to trash-talking from Hall & Oates during a back-alley song writing contest, this tune represents optimum innovation. As to how it ends... you don't wanna know.