The Intentional Investor #22: Eric Markowitz
February 5, 2025·17 comments·In Brief
DISCLOSURES
This commentary is being provided to you as general information only and should not be taken as investment advice. The opinions expressed in these materials represent the personal views of the author(s). It is not investment research or a research recommendation, as it does not constitute substantive research or analysis. Any action that you take as a result of information contained in this document is ultimately your responsibility. Epsilon Theory will not accept liability for any loss or damage, including without limitation to any loss of profit, which may arise directly or indirectly from use of or reliance on such information. Consult your investment advisor before making any investment decisions. It must be noted, that no one can accurately predict the future of the market with certainty or guarantee future investment performance. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.
Statements in this communication are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and other views expressed herein are as of the date of this publication. Actual future results or occurrences may differ significantly from those anticipated in any forward-looking statements, and there is no guarantee that any predictions will come to pass. The views expressed herein are subject to change at any time, due to numerous market and other factors. Epsilon Theory disclaims any obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or views expressed herein. This information is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of any offer to buy any securities. This commentary has been prepared without regard to the individual financial circumstances and objectives of persons who receive it. Epsilon Theory recommends that investors independently evaluate particular investments and strategies, and encourages investors to seek the advice of a financial advisor. The appropriateness of a particular investment or strategy will depend on an investor's individual circumstances and objectives.
Comments
while I celebrate all 3 Kings, I do have a slight personal bias for Freddie. You called me out. His technique just wrecked my brain as a kid and I got obsessed. Albert is next, probably for the more directly obvious influences he had, at least in guitar player terms (and, his tone and style is just so broadly accessible and imitable). BB will always have a massive soft spot as a performer especially for me too. He worked a room with his voice on top of peppering in the guitar brilliance like nobody’s business.
(excited to hear your stories still, don’t worry, we’ll wait)
and while we wait, probably will have to throw on this for old time’s sake: https://youtu.be/4-apz26BfHY?si=6BVBZ7usJbHm0taX
I am assuming that Freddie is your favorite of the “Three Kings of the Blues”?
I love them all for sure but for some reason have always gravitated towards Albert. When I was growing up my dad absolutely LOVED John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers so there was a fair amount of Brit-blues pumping through the speakers as well and so obviously Clapton was a presence but was never as important of a figure for me as Mayall or even Duane Allman. Not sure why…
Also, I am not ignoring your prompt. I am just trying to figure out which of the many many many stories about myself doing some stoopid shit I would like to divulge
Ya mean Mt. Rushmore is not lit up at night?
Oh yeah, Freddie King is a legend!
I never heard that! But I can believe it, lol.
there’s a story, somewhere in a box of old VHS tapes here too, where Clapton is talking about playing a gig with Texas guitar god Freddie King. Clapton loved Freddie, and invited him to sit in on a song, but Freddie didn’t have one of his guitars with him. Clapton offered him one of the extras he was touring with. Freddie picks it up, realizes how light the string gauges were (because ol’ slowhand actually had a beautifully light touch, which was part of his magic), and is baffled. Freddie, probably because of a lack of money to regularly change strings, and also because of his monster level “chicken-pickin” attack with his thumb and finger pick on his right hand (think: banjo player playing electric guitar blues), picks up the guitar by its light little strings, pulls on them, and snaps a bunch of them straight off in the palm of his hands. “I can’t play this, they’re too light!” he tells Clapton. Clapton is mortified, but also amazed. He’d later get to pick up one of Freddie’s guitars and realize “he played with… telephone wires on that thing. They were so thick. No wonder he couldn’t play my guitar, he couldn’t even feel the string between the callouses on his fingers and the fretboard!” I don’t know why I still think of that story all of the time, but I do. Has something to do with knowing how you relate to your instrument, but also, King was just the baddest of the bad all-round and this is proof.
Love the whole riff here @rechraum. And, I fully support doing things not as destined to “fail” - but as destined to succeed on terms you set in advance. Pick up your own ruler to measure it, you know. Which, you nailed with this:
The more people we share stories with, and make it feel like everybody has an interesting story to tell, the better the world gets. Nobody needs a billion followers or infinite ad revenue to make a dent in that future, just a rock to through at it, for fun.
(extra shoutout to @mpardieck and his efforts in uncovering these too, it matters)
Didn’t Clapton get the nickname Slowhand from taking soooooo damn long to change a broken guitar string at a particular show back in the 60s? Talk about boring!
whaaaaa?!?! that’s incredible. Oh man, the stuff you wish you could take a time machine to to witness. So cool, what a story!
A. Denny’s, and moons over my-hammy, forever. B. That picture had better be framed in your house somewhere. And C. it’s always OK to tell rockstars some of their work is boring! Love this Tanya.
Continue the discussion at the Epsilon Theory Forum...