Mailbag

Re: MTV Documentary
Bob, thanks for your comments on my contributions in my time at MTV. It, of course, was a very exciting period of pop culture and I was fortunate to have been given a great opportunity coming from my time at Arista.
I did have a terrific eclectic team at a time when the record industry needed a national platform to help present their priorities. it really worked when the artists and videos matched up with how MTV saw the evolving musical landscape.
Rick, John, Patti, and Amy to name a few, were in many ways the arbiters of the taste and soul of what was going on in music and culture and many times were were able to really help influence some significant breakthroughs at this most exciting time. As the Head of Music programming, I got the credit and the blame for what we did or didn't do for people.
The truth is, Judy and Doug created the tapestry of MTV in the late 80s and early 90s and I am proud to have been a part of it, helping to drive the music and and building an audience that found us the destination for what was new and happening and of course having a great time!
None of realized the importance or power we had at a time of such iconic label executives and visionaries who needed the national radio station that played a mix of everything in a way the US media market never had.
I imagine we all miss those times....
-Abbey Konowitch
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Re: The MTV Documentary
MTV Music Television = Les Garland
Thomas Meris
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From: chip rachlin
Subject: Re: The MTV Documentary
Bob,
In '81/'82 I was working for Bill Graham when he promoted the Rolling Stones tours in the US and Europe. I remember when the Stones played in New Orleans we gave a ton of tickets and passes to Les Garland for some contest winners. We didn't really know (or care) what MTV was, but it was Les making the request so he got all the AA passes and tickets he needed.
When the European leg was over in the summer of '82 and I was out of work, my old friend Michael Klenfner told me to call Garland about a gig at MTV. "What's MTV I asked?" To make a long story short, I put on my best corduroy jacket and had a meeting with Les in his corner office at 1133 Sixth Avenue. After another job interview with Pittman, Garland called and said I got the job, but I better get a couple of suits as the corduroy jacket wasn't going to cut it.
My life changed that day. Working with Les was demanding but ALWAYS fun and never boring. We could be up all night, til the sun came up and Les would be in the office shaved, smiling and looking like a movie star in his Armani suit.
Those years at MTV we truly had an "All Star" team with Sykes, Sparrow, Judy McGrath, Tom Freston, Rick Krim, Doug Herzog, Brian Diamond and David Cohn among others.
It all changed when MTV went public, but those first few years MTV everything rock & roll was supposed to be.
Can't wait to see the doc.
Chip Rachlin
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Re: The MTV Documentary
Irving said he wanted MCA to be the first label to sign the MTV agreement, so we were. Viacom didn’t know one fucking thing about the music business; couldn’t tell a synch license from a master use license AND thought the record companies should pay their public performance fees! They came up with two concepts that won the day; 1) paying an annual fee, and 2) getting “exclusivity” for 30 days on major videos and non-exclusivity on everything else. Wiped out all the competition overnight. MTV promised to increase payments as their penetration grew and, of course,
offered less when the first deal was up.
The only fun moment in the negotiation came when we all gathered at Irving’s estate after some random awards show. Grubman was there, representing everyone. Must have been 50 people in the room when Grubman screams,”Kingie, why are you here”? Everyone turns to see Don King auditing the negotiations. He says, “You guys make boxing look easy”.
Lance Grode
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RE: MTV
Bob
Your piece on the MTV documentary brought back a long forgotten memory. In the early 80's I produced an album with Joe "King" Carrasco called Wild Party. The album didn't sell much but it did have one significant event attached to it. Joe and I wrote a song called "It's A Party Christmas" which became the 1982 MTV official Christmas Party song and we were invited to do the official video performance. If you watch the whole 3 minutes till the end you can see me with my then 4 year old daughter on my shoulders enjoying the experience. It was all done in good fun and it was.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7_ESWBKZaU
Richard Gottehrer
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Re: The MTV Documentary
People love to rewrite history! People love the smell of their own farts! The MTV Documentary producers are rewriting history! I had a front row seat and was the promo weasel bringing Cyndi Lauper,Culture Club,Michael Jackson etc to Les and company! The Michael Jackson/Yetnikoff MTV scenario did not go down as described-I lived it!! Its water under the bridge-history-noone cares anymore since a bunch of corporate veals fucked up the wet dream! Next…..
Harvey Leeds
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RE: The MTV Documentary
Bob, I have a feeling I will have enjoyed your review more than the documentary itself. I can already tell if it's only 90 minutes, that's like 90 seconds to someone like me who, from 1982 until 1992 was glued....perhaps not 24/7, but as close to it as possible. Before we got a VCR, I would wait at the top of the hour to see who was coming up & sit there with my cassette recorder to grab the songs I couldn't find at Record Bar or Peaches....that stigma didn't last long as we got a VCR a year or so in & the import/12" section at all the local chains blew up. Those two things went hand in hand, a week absorbing the videos & a weekend surfing all the bins at the stores.
Because of MTV, I can, with some amount of certainty, go on record to say I was the first kid on my block to have the first two Duran Duran LPs (US pressings on the original Harvest label!) before anyone else did. My dad used to have a LP listening night with a buddy of his the first Monday of every month & my first time attending, I brought the Duran Duran records. Talk about bridging a generation gap.
As you might imagine, in 2020, I still support the bands I found thru MTV. Thank you so much for the review, I know I will like it, but want it to go on for so much longer. Each year of the 80's could easily yield an hour each unto itself.
Kevin Andrusia
Orlando, FL
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Re: The MTV Documentary
After Polygram/Mercury in Amsterdam made Abracadabra a hit with no help from Capitol, we found ourselves returning to America in 1982 with a number one hit and whirlwind tour. We had no time to get into a video studio to cut an MTV video for the new fledgling TV format so Capitol commissions one of the “up-and-coming” MTV directors and throws together a seamy, cheesy magic act-themed video with a couple still shots of us in there, casts a pretty blonde playing with a rat of all things, and voile’, instant MTV video! It’s hard to watch even to this day. But in typical Hollywood BS tradition, I think it won an MTV award!
Kenny Lee Lewis
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Subject: from Holly Knight....I had more songs in the doc than any one artists
Hi Bob,
The birth of MTV was also a professional birth for me. We were the perfect match. I was there in every sense of the word from the very beginning…at least my songs were. When I saw the doc, it occurred to me that I have more songs in it than any one artist. When I watch it at a screening months ago, I didn’t feel old. In fact I felt younger …almost like I was there all over again and it made me smile. I miss those days. Remember Love Is A Battlefield, Better Good To Me, Obsession, The Warrior, Never, Ragdoll, The Best..those are just a few that I wrote - MTV was the best thing that ever happened to me. It was the last decade of reckless abandon, excess. and well yeah in a weird way, even innocence…before consequences hammered down on pop culture…you know AIDS, war, economy..little things like that.
The first time I saw Benatar do her cover of “You Better Run”, I knew that I wanted in, that I was going to write something for her. It was time for women to show their angst and fire and men had dominated
that territory for far too long. So I did, not only getting “in” but dominating the airwaves …at least for a good run, until MTV changed ten years in and lost the meaning of the “M” , which actually stood for music.
That's when I stopped watching it.
And then grunge and hardcore alt rock came and went, (which I also liked) and then - along came professional karaoke, i.e. American Idol and “The Voice” and in many ways fucked everything up. ..
Originality … original songs, everything got thrown to the wayside and got replace by “performance”.... So what happened? Rock died. And all that progress that we(women) made in the rock arena regressed
and went back into hiding. And I feel bad for Lzzy Hale and Nita Strauss and all the beautiful bad ass women rockers of today because they have no platform now, at least not like when MTV was around and could really make you a star.
And women were empowered back then. They could be really sexy without having to go commando and appear naked or slutty in their videos like they feel the need to do today. As if that’s the only way they can get attention. During the MTV days, pure TALENT was sexy and not only that but empowering, and in my opinion trumps everything else…more than image. I’m not saying that image isn’t important, of course it is, but it really shouldn’t be the number one attraction. And artists like Halsey are already brilliant enough that they don't need to always put their nipples out there to get attention. Sometimes I watch her and other young artist and all I want do is give them a warm bowl of soup and a blanket.
Along with the notion of image…what the hell happened to the song. The art of the song. Melody and lyrics that speak. MTV was chock full of amazing songs that still hold up today. There is a reason that 80s music is more popular than ever now. I can’t tell you how much licensing I get for hit shows like GLOW, Schitts Creek, Stranger Things… And even the new generation is starving for what is now referred to as classic rock.
I”m still here…lots of great songwriters from that era are still here. But the business making of music is vastly changed. And your right…MTV was the best thing to happen in music history.
Tell you what, since maybe you would’ve told the story differently, you might enjoy my memoirs when they come out…because MTV is a big part of the story, part of an era that I rocked out in. Even with my own band DEVICE. I feel very lucky to have been an insider and influencer. It was EPIC !!!
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Re: Re-Tom Seaver
Bob - Beside going to games, my favorite memory of him was when, in my early 20’s after college, I got a call from one of my parents’ friends inviting me to substitute into their regular doubles squash game. No mention of who was in the regular game. So I showed up on time, ducked through the little door and found that my partner was Tom. He was a big dude and as he and I started warming up, I discovered that his hand eye coordination was such that he hit the ball harder than anyone I’d played with before (I had played squash (poorly) in college in a D1 program) - Tom hit the ball so hard it actually sounded different than everyone else’s shot, and you had to adjust early in order to try to see it coming in. What an exceptional, enthusiastic, competitive, warm, friendly guy I met that day. Made me confident that he was, in life, exactly the man we saw on the field and on TV interviews. I kept calling him “Mr. Seaver” and he kept correcting me “Mike, it’s Tom, we’re on the same team!” Truly one of the greats.
Wishing him and his family peace.
Michael Battey
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Subject: Tom Seaver and college days and dating
Hi Bob,
My good friend, Susi Spies, sent me your blog on Tom Seaver. I really enjoyed reading it. When I was a student at USC, I knew Tom. We went out on some dates in a platonic way. Sometimes he would come over to the sorority house and we would just play cards. He was always a warm and kind gentleman—a term not commonly used to describe a college fraternity boy.
I still have a couple of photographs from a Sigma Chi pajama party that we attended! Fun to look back on those days! Later on, when he became well known and successful, I was very happy for him. He deserved it. Sincerely, Suzie Samuelson Cox
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Re: Re-Tom Seaver
I grew up in Fresno, and although a few years younger, was well aware Tom Seaver's exploits.
I recently asked an old friend if he had any memories about Tom.
Yes, his older brother once got a hit off of Tom in Babe Ruth League.
In retrospect, he considered it one of his greatest athletic accomplishments.
Sounds right.
Stay safe.
Michael Wright
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Re-Tom Seaver
People probably don't realize Tom Seaver was a huge classic country music fan. I had no idea until I was promoting George Jones' national tour in February 2000 and we had a stop at the Luther Burbank Center in Santa Rosa.
We were all sitting in the catering room before the show when the venue manager walks over to me and asks if it would be OK to let a local couple who owned a winery come in with a couple of gift bottles and meet George, who of course by this time was a teetotaller. I said "Sure, of course. George doesn't drink but the crew sure does."
Imagine my shock when in walked Tom Seaver and his wife Nancy, whose winery was not too far away. I quickly briefed George and his wife Nancy, who shot a look back at me as if to say, "We know who Tom Seaver is!"
Tom, George and the two Nancys were like kids let loose in the cookie jar, talking with George and the band about life on the road, his favorite Jones songs.... you name it. We posted a picture in Pollstar (I have it in storage somewhere) of the meeting of Geoge Jones and Tom Seaver, two unlikely comrades who both happened to be rednecks, at least when it came to enjoying classic country music. Then it dawned on me: Tom grew up in Fresno, the capital of "Cali-Bama." Of course he was a Jones fan! He likely grew up with Jones, Haggard, and Buck Owens in his record collection.
Brian Martin
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Re: Re-Tom Seaver
I’m just reading your Tom Seaver mailbag and I noticed everyone who wrote you was a guy.
So I thought I’d write you on behalf of the millions of ladies who grew up with and loved the Mets.
My mom was from Boston and a die hard Red Sox fan for life. In the 30’s and 40’s, she and her friends would go to Fenway a couple of hours before the games to get all the players autographs, except Ted Williams, who she said would not ever sign one. He was a nasty guy.
When she moved to New York with my dad, it was out of the question that we’d be Yankee fans, so I grew up a die hard Met fan.
I can remember being 7 & 8 & 9 and every year, before every game we’d go to, we’d take a big bed sheet, lay it out on the kitchen floor , take our magic markers and make a big banner to take to the game.
One of the great things the Mets did was encourage everyone to make banners when coming to the game. We all wanted our banners to be one of the ones that stood out and would get on TV. A lot of banners made it fun to watch the games regardless of how hapless they were.
After every game, at Shea they’d play “Meet the Mets”. The last line was “there’s no place left to go but up.” We’d all laugh after that line.
No team ever embraced how bad they were like the Mets and some of the best parts about going to the park were the entertainment created at the park to have fun despite how bad they were. They were always loveable and we knew we’d have to be patient and endure how bad they were for a long time, coz at least NY got a national League team back!
No one cared that much about the Giants but the Dodgers stuck a dagger in our hearts when they betrayed Brooklyn and moved to LA (Until we learned decades later that it was Robert Moses who forced the Dodgers out).
Anyway, with Tom Seaver, the owners built a great team & cast of characters around him and we all got to rush home from school and share the collective euphoria of the Mets WINNING!!! They were winning AND they were still lovable!
That’s what made it extra cruel when they traded Seaver. Till that moment, they built their whole brand on being loveable.
It took me a long time to forgive them for trading Seaver. Some things just should never happen.
Annie Roboff
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Subject: Re: Rick Beato On Ramble On
Hi Bob, Andy Karp here. Hope you and your family are well, in the middle of this insanity.
Let me tell you this about Rick... He’s the shit. I’ve known him for about two decades, and we worked together on a couple of Needtobreathe records back in the day.
Rick is a die hard music freak like many of us in this space are. He’s conservatory trained, can play most instruments that have strings, and a few others too. He has exceptional knowledge of music theory, can write... And above all is a great guy.
People should hire him more often,
to work on their records. Like I’ve said many times... veteran producers are always one song away from being the hot guy again.
Stay healthy and thanks for supporting talented people.
Best,
Andy Karp.
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From: Steve Lukather
Subject: Re: Rick Beato On Ramble On
Rick Beato is a gift for guitar players and all musicians ! Great player and a sweet guy.
I LOVE all his videos. Inspired and right on and he really CARES about the music he dissects.
Impressive and I have recommended his videos many times.
If you play guitar , dig this guy!
PS The sound is Jimmy's hands! No magic guitar or amp. He is the magic as was all of Zep!
Luke
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From: Jesse Lundy
Subject: Re: Rick Beato On Ramble On
If you love Zep and want to have your mind blown, just give this 4 minutes of “session fragments” (which includes Ramble On) a listen
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXIwu0w87XQ
I’ve seen Zep fans tear up hearing how great this is
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From: Craig Anderton
Subject: Re: Rick Beato On Ramble On
"Sounds. That used to be a big part of making records, getting sounds."
That's because people used to ask "what if?" instead of "how do I"?
Not a diss on Beato, I like his stuff, and you can learn by reverse-engineering a sound. But I have a different mindset. I don't ask "how do I make an acoustic guitar sound like Jimmy Page," but instead, "what if I split the guitar into four different bands, and process each one separately?"
You go down blind alleys sometimes, but you also find sounds no one else has found. Quick example: There's a process called convolution reverb, which essentially creates a sonic mold of a space by sampling it. Pour your sound into the mold of Abbey Road, and it sounds like you were recording at Abbey Road, Pour the sound into a cathedral, and it sounds like you were recording in a cathedral. Convolution creates a realistic room sound, warts and all.
But several months ago I thought...what if I synthesized an imaginary room? One with perfect walls and reflections, an infinitely high ceiling, etc. It took a lot of experimentation, but the end result is that while traditional convolution sounds like a photograph, my "rooms" sound like the audio equivalent of CGI - smooth, even, and "perfect" in a way no physical space can replicate. It's the last piece of the puzzle in creating the kind of imaginary sound quality I want in my productions.
I now sell the synthesized impulses, so that people who hear my reverb sound and ask "how do I" can pay the bucks and get the sound. But if they'd asked "what if," they might have come up with those sounds themselves.
Craig
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From: Lez Zeppelin
Subject: Re: Rick Beato On Ramble On
Hey Bob:
First off, “It’s been a long time since we rock and rolled!” Hope this finds you well. Or, at least as well as one can be in the middle of an apocalypse. Your Lef-Letters have been a source of wonderful connection in this disconnected dystopia and they continue to spark and often start my day. It will not surprise you that I had to respond to this particular missive, as this business of finding the Holy Grail — the essence and sound of Jimmy Page’s guitar playing — is something that has been my chief occupation for the last sixteen years.
When I first dared to dive into the swirling, magickal world of Pagean (not to be confused with Pagan) studies, I don’t think I fully understood the ear-training, patience, practice and whole lotta stubbornness it would require. As you know Lez Zeppelin has always had as its directive, “she-incarnation” rather than imitation. Our quest is the passion, power and spontaneity of Led’s live performances. The first step, certainly, is to gather the correct guitars, amplifiers, Echoplexes and pedals - of which there are very few, incidentally. Then comes the business of coaxing and caressing these tools into submission. Not easy, for sure. But, add the impossibility of turning a 200W Plexi amplifier to “11” in today’s venues (or is it more accurate to say “yesterday’s” venues?) without getting yelled at by the sound engineer and you’ll likely need to improvise a bit to find your way to that wild, somewhat noisy beast of a sound.
The studio, however, is a different story. Several years ago, we attempted the utterly insane — to recreate Led Zeppelin’s first album from start to finish and to record it in the most authentic way, as Zeppelin did in 1969 — that is, by using all of the same vintage gear they used. Luckily, our producer had access to what we needed and what he didn’t have he rounded up from his collector friends. To harness Jimmy’s sound, we employed a ’59 Tele (actually, I used a ’49!), a ’61 Danelectro and a Gibson J200, which was Jimmy’s acoustic of choice at that time. The amps included vintage Supros, Hi-Watts, Oranges and Vox AC30s — in various combinations. We learned quickly that no two Supros of the same year and model will sound the same, so you have to experiment with a bunch of them. Likewise with the effects. Page didn’t use many stomp boxes on this record or on any record or stage, really. So, we had a Vox Wah, which we often left on just for tone; a Roger Mayer Fuzz and Tonebenders; again all of which varied from pedal to pedal.
These were virtually priceless weapons of sonic delight, as authentic as it gets. Yet, this was not quite enough. There was the small issue of how to actually play the parts. And, let me tell you, Bob, you think you know them. But, you don’t. And, the more you listen, the more nuances you hear. “Why the hell have I never noticed that before?” you mumble to yourself as some barely audible rhythmic hits hiding under the main track pop out and introduce themselves to your left ear. How important could it be? Well, without it, the song does not remain the same…
All I can tell you, Bob, is that this exercise in obsessiveness, as nutso as it sounds, was one of the craziest and most wonderful musical journeys I’ve ever taken. When you dig that deeply into an artist’s alchemy in order to seek those elements of inspiration, it teaches you to hear and play music in a much more profound way. You realize that the smallest subtleties make huge differences. A single upstroke instead of a downstroke will make a riff sound right or wrong. Finding an exact lead tone by pairing the right guitar through the right amp will give you that crisp Pagey edge that has for so long eluded you. That is, until you realize with horror how little distortion there is on that “authentic” sound. Try playing a guitar solo that runs by at 200 miles a minute using that!
Of course, the real beauty and magick of Led Zeppelin’s first album is in the band’s execution. Led Zeppelin “I” was, for all intents and purposes recorded live in the studio. And, quickly. The four of them simply played together as only they could do in order to harness lightening-in-a-bottle. Those were the basic tracks. Then, they decorated them, but really, not even that much. So, no matter how closely you nail the sound and the strum, it is that “fifth element,” the firefly in the room, that that brings it all to life.
You are right when you say that Jimmy had the inspiration. So, how do we get closer to it? I’m still not exactly sure, but I’m gonna keep trying!
Wholelottalove, Bob!
-Steph Paynes
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From: Rob Evans
Subject: Re: What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits
Fall of 1975 and I had graduated from Indiana University with a math teaching degree and got my first teaching job. Decided to upgrade my 1968 VW bug with a new car. Test drove a few but the car that won me over - during the test drive "Black Water" played on the stereo and it was the cleanest. purest sound I'd ever heard on a car stereo. Immediately bought that 1974 Cutlass Supreme and drove it for the next 7 years. Yep - made the purchase based entirely on the sound of the Doobie Brothers playing on the stereo and never regretted it!!
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Subject: Re: Jimmy Buffett & Mac McAnally-This Week's Podcast
That’s awesome! Sidebar... Mac is the person who had a copy of the original Take 6 (Alliance at the time) demo done in Huntsville Alabama. He got it into the hands of Jim Ed Norman who at the time was VP of WB Nashville. Jim Ed came to the our showcase without an invite, thinking we might be this group. He signed us the next day!!
Claude McKnight
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From: j maher
Subject: Jimmy and Mac
Loved the chat with Jimmy and Mac. Mac is so right about Jimmy, I'll tell you a quick story to illustrate what i mean
Late 80's, through the 90's I worked on mega sailing yachts, one of which was 108' "Gleam" for a guy named Tommy Taylor. He knew Jimmy, they both had places in St Barths, Seaplanes, and yachts. As you can imagine, Buffett songs were playing ALL THE FUCKING TIME! Every time people came for a sail....can you play "son of a son of a sailor"? Made us want to puke...
Fast forward to the mid to late oughts, the boat is now named "Avalon" owned by Tommy's son, Jason, and we're invited every spring to sail in a mega-yacht regatta in St. Barths called the St. Barths Bucket. One year at the Friday night dock party, in front of many 100; plus super yachts, an impromptu show pops up. Maybe there's 100 people, mostly yacht crew letting off steam after a hard days sailing. And whaddya know, it's Jimmy! And Mac, and most of the band.
And did they put on a show. It wasn't long before everybody was singing along (me included) and it was plain to see, that this guy absolutely loved what he was doing. He was singing "Cheeseburger in paradise" like it was the first time he'd ever sung it. I was blown away.
Been a Buffett fan ever since.
Later that night, we're strolling down the waterfront passing by a local hang-out, and we here some singing One of our crew says who's butchering the Buffett song? We go in, and it's Jimmy and a local guy, and they are lit, and they are just butchering the songs, but they, ( and the rest of us!) are having so much fun!
It;s no wonder he has such a loyal following.
More podcasts, please... they're great!
All the best
Jay
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Subject: Re: Salford Sunday
Great piece, Bob.
Richard Thompson is not only an uncompromising and thoroughly original musical genius, but one of the most influential and sadly under appreciated artists of the last 50 years.
Let’s not forget that he joined Fairport when he was just 18 and the work he did with that band-especially the recordings with the equally brilliant Sandy Denny- is among the best and most important in all of late 60’s British rock.
In fact, their seminal album, “Liege and Lief” basically created British folk rock all by itself.
And despite his sometimes dour and soft spoken public persona, he’s one of the nicest, friendliest and modest musicians I’ve ever met.
Back in the early 90’s, I created and executive produced a national acoustic college radio series and Richard appeared on one of our In studio sessions to promote his superb “Rumour and Sigh” album.
After performing 4 songs solo; perfectly without a single missed note, I asked him to perform “Farewell Farewell” which Sandy sang so exquisitely on Liege and Lief.
Without a moments hesitation Richard launched into an almost 8 minute version of “Willie of Winsbury” the centuries old traditional UK folk song for which he had rewritten new lyrics for the Fairport recording.
That was almost 30 years ago but his talent and graciousness was so thoroughly amazing and affecting that I remember it as if it were last week.
I still have the recording in my iTunes library and listen frequently.
Richard Thompson is a musician’s musician and, like most of the truly great ones, one who never stops making music . And he’s also a remarkably kind and generous human being.
Stephen Dessau
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Subject: Re: Hits
This is gold, Bob. When I was about 24, I had had enough of WANTING a job at a record label, and I committed myself to making it happen. I was bartending at an oyster house in Vancouver, BC - meeting all kinds of influential people. This was the late 90's. I told myself that I'd keep my ears open for music industry talk over the bar. Sure enough, maybe months later, I overheard two guys talking shop about music. I asked - "how do I get into the record business?" One of them said, "I work at Nettwerk and he works at EMI." He told me that I "could volunteer at Nettwerk and if I proved myself, I'd get hired." I could start Monday. This was literally my dream job. Not just to work at a label - but I wanted to work at Nettwerk. I really admired the label and I still love labels.
So - starting that Monday, I showed up 3-4 times a week for the whole day, for about 3 months straight - packing CD singles into envelopes to send to MD's and PD's across the country. Doing the entry level work. Making mental notes about who these people were. I got hired doing much of the same work I had been doing as a volunteer, but I'd always had an interest in radio and in songs. My mentor at Nettwerk was Gary McDonald (Frontside) who ran the promo team at Nettwerk. He told me - don't dress like a major label guy. Don't wear expensive clothes and drive a fancy car - because the people who you want to add your track are making less than $30k a year - and those people are the ticket. Words of wisdom.
After learning to work music departments across the country, Gary left to start Frontside and I took over the promo team. After that, I wound up working for the distributor, EMI Music Canada, and I already knew them all! I already had the relationships, and the credibility - and EMI already had a plan for me. I really felt validated.
Did the song I love the most off the album get chosen as a single? Not always - but I knew when to ask for a light rotation - or a spin a day on the drive - and how to not get hooked into getting a coveted heavy rotation when most of the spins would be in the overnight. Nice try. I knew how to do the math. And I also knew when I had a stiff. And the MD needed to know that I knew it was a stiff - or I would lose my credibility. If the song I'm working is going to get into a respectable rotation - what's getting pulled? There's never room for one more. I'd say things like - "This song here has 1,100 spins to date - are you burning it to the ground or is that maybe the slot I can take?" All the while I was a promo guy but I really was a sales guy - trying to sell my songs to anyone who would play it. I loved the game and I was great at it.
Always remember that radio's number one priority is to take you to the commercial break. Can your song keep them tuned in until the next commercial break?
I miss the music industry a lot sometimes but the idea of getting back in at the level I was at - well - I've moved on. I still love discovering talent though - and would love to produce a single or an album some day. I'll plug my YouTube interviews with Canadian talent if you'll allow. youtu.be/1gUgggIkrXc
Daryl Faulkner
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Any thoughts on the massive changes going on in the music industry as it relates to the instruments that people play and the MASSIVE increase in people starting to play, write and record music and sticking with it? Despite all that’s going on in the world and the economy, there are more people turning to learning a stringed instrument (guitar and bass) then ever before, not to mention the massive increase in people learning to play. Further, the home recording gear business is also experiencing unprecedented growth. At Fender alone we’ve got nearly a million people signed up on Fender play.
Between the massive increase in new players combined with the social disruption and the resulting inspiration that will come from it, along with the established artists and players hopefully wood shedding and writing and recording inspired new stuff, I hope it means a real abundance and improved quality of new great music to come out in the years to come.
Love your stuff.
Edward Bud Cole
President - APAC
Fender Music
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From: Randy Dawson
Subject: Re: After The Gold Rush-50th Anniversary
Bob, when I went to high school in the early seventies in Peterborough Ontario there was a teacher at PVCS who saw me in the hallway one day..she was obviously close to retirement..she stopped me and said she had heard that I was into singing and playing guitar...I was only sixteen at the time..she asked if I knew about Neil's music..i said of course, i love his stuff.. she told me that she used to babysit Neil Young in Omemee which is about twenty minutes west of Peterborough. He used to ask her repeatedly if she would take him Down By The River..she always had to remind him that she was not allowed to take him without his parents' permission..That was a stunning revelation...we all wish he would move back to Canada but he is up here more often than anyone knows..my lady friend even got to drive his car in Omemee one time when he was amused that she did not know about his music...it don't get more down home than Ol' Neil..hahah...All the Best man!
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From: George Johns
Subject: Re: After The Gold Rush-50th Anniversary
I'm from Winnipeg, Bob, and had a group called the Jury back when Burton Cummings was with the Deverons, Randy Bachman was with Chad Allen and the Expressions, and Neil Young was with the Squires.
We all had records out but Neil left town because as he said, "I'll never be a big deal in Winnipeg." Well, he kinda is. :-) Geo
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From: Karen Gordon
Subject: Re: After The Gold Rush-50th Anniversary
God, I loved that album.
Such great songwriting
I played that thing to death.. sitting in my room with the smallest stereo..
Neil was also 'from' Winnipeg, my home town. At least he'd lived there and gone to school there for a while and for, me a kid from Winnipeg, who felt it was the end of the world, the idea that you could escape and be as cool as Neil was everything.
WInnipeg is also where, according to legend, Neil met Stephen Stills at a groovy campus-area folk club called The Fourth Dimension.
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From: Tom Rush
Subject: Chuck Morris
I’m listening to your podcast with Chuck Morris. You ask him “Why does Denver have such a great music scene?” And he gives a long answer about the great venues, and the radio stations, blah, blah, blah. The answer is much more simple: Denver has a great music scene because of Chuck Morris. Period. He started with a small club, Ebbet’s Field (fond memories!), and went from there. He provided places for musicians to PLAY. It’s that simple. Thank you Chuck!
Tom Rush
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From: Brent Fedrizzi
Subject: FW: Chuck Morris-This Week's Podcast
Hi Bob-hope you are doing well. Just finished listening to the Chuck Morris Podcast. Of course after sitting next to Chuck for 23 years, both Don and I were fact checking him the entire session!
Everything seems to check out….I think…and his speed of delivery is clipping right at supersonic as usual.
Have a great Labor Day Weekend.
Brent Fedrizzi
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From: Tom Gillam
Subject: Re: Chuck Morris-This Week's Podcast
Bob,
This interview is ABSOLUTELY THE BEST AND MOST ENTERTAINING I've heard from you so far...maybe ever! Chuck is so engaging, you can feel his love of music and honestly he seems the kind of guy you'd want to have dinner and drinks with and just let him talk. I could listen to him for hours! Great job Sir a home run for sure!!
Cheers
Tom Gillam
Austin TX.
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From: Steve Lukather
Subject: Re: Humble Pie 1970
Live at the Fillmore really woke me up to Peter Frampton. He is one of the most original voices on guitar, he sounds even better now but then no one had heard someone like him before or since, and he has an amazing voice and writes amazing tunes and... Is a very old friend.
Our sons are pals..
Anyway when I was a kid Marriot's voice and Frampton's lead playing .. sounding so much different than the eras other great players ...he was using modes and things other players didn't have and his tone.. What an amazing live tone with no BS.
He has not lost a step even though he is fighting a battle of his own.
I went to all the shows in LA when they played. The whole band was great - tight and the voice.. no one sounded like Steve Marriott and live he was even better.
That is a REAL live album. No fixes etc...
THIS is the some of the amazing music off the 70's that inspired me and all my pals growing up. It still sounds every bit as good today!
Humble Pie lives! Frampton lives! .. and best to all of them.
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From: Mick Brigden
Subject: Re: Humble Pie 1970
It was good to see your post today with Humble Pie 1970 in the subject line. The Pie deserve to be recognized for their musical prowess, their individuality and most of all their amazing live shows both with Peter and Clem. The early albums were earthier and spacier but Rocking The Fillmore, Smoking and Eat It delivered the live energy with more than a few well crafted songs, for example 30 Days In The Hole on Smoking, Black Coffee on Eat It and Gilded Splinters on Fillmore. Clem and Peter were very different guitar players to be sure but Clem was no slouch and brought his unique blues styling to the already formidable rhythm guitar of Steve (so unheralded but so good ) and Greg and Jerry's big fat grooves. But most of all as you say, Steve was one of the greatest rock vocalists (or even maybe soul vocalists) of all time. I have worked with many great artists and every one of them counts Steve and Humble Pie as the the bar to reach for when you go in front of an audience...Thanks Bob
Mick Brigden
Humble Pie Tour Manager 1972-1975
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From: Ian Lee
Subject: Re: Humble Pie 1970
I turn bands onto The Pie on every tour I drive. The Live 73 record is one of the greatest live albums ever. It’s Clem era and they absolutely rip.
Jerry Shirley is the most under appreciated drummers in rock history. His pocket is as perfect and unique as Bonham. Nobody has as good a between song banter as Steve Marriott. Like a southern gospel preacher.
Check the 73 Live album.
Cheers
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From: alan childs
Subject: Re: Humble Pie 1970
Bob,
Thank you Thank you thank you.You made my year !!!! I’m the guy that sat out by the side doors of the Fillmore East with my ear to the door listening to Humble Pie the first time they played there. I didn’t have enough money to get in ,and i needed train fare to get back to Brooklyn. I was already a fan from listening to Town & Country and As Safe As Yesterday Is. Beside the fact that Steve Marriott was an amazing singer, and Greg Ridley the bass player sang his ass off as well, Peter Frampton made the band a bit different from most bands coming out during those years. Also Jerry Shirley the drummer ,played in the vain of Kenny Jones from the Small Faces ,where Marriott came from. Where most British guitar players at that time were highly influenced by Eric Clapton, Peter Frampton was not. He was way more melodic and seemed to be influenced by jazz guitar players. He fused jazz style gtr with rock gtr, which gave him a very original voice. Funny you mentioned ”One Eye Trouser Snake Rumba' & "Earth & Water Song”. Those were my two favs from that first A&M record. Lets not forget “I’m Ready” was on that as well, and went onto to be an important track on the Live at the Fillmore album. I remember playing ‘Earth & Water Song” for an hour straight. My Mom came into my bedroom and asked me to please play something else. hahahahaha. So yes, Humble Pie meant a lot to me. I did see one of the Rockin The Fillmore nights and Humble Pies next gig out on Long Island. They played a club called OBI (Oak Beach Inn) My friend Chucky knew i loved Humble pie. The night of the OBI gig, Chucky told me he’d pick me up to go out to see Pie. it was about an hour away. Chucky did not own a car and was too young to drive. Low and behold, Chucky was waiting for me in the parking lot. He stole a car. At the club, after the first act finished, i made my way to the Men’s room. As i was about to enter, the door opposite opened and it was Steve Marriott. I was star struck ( 19 yrs old i was ) Steve actually invited me in for a slice of pizza. hahahaha. There i was ,a 19 yr old punk eating pizza with the whole band. It lasted for 2 or 3 mins when i was asked to leave so the band can get ready to go on. Lets fast forward 16 years . I was a working drummer in NYC. i’ve already played with John Waite,Julian lennon and too many to list now. I get a call from David Bowie’s people. I’m in shock because I had a few of Bowie’s Lps.I was a fan. They asked if I was interested in playing with him. They told me Peter Frampton was playing guitar for the tour with David. Carmine Rojas and Carlos Alomar ,both have played with David before, helped get me into the band. So imagine how i felt that very first rehearsal meeting David & Peter. WOW. On tour, I did mention to Peter that I loved Humble Pie, but I never was able to really tell him how much those albums meant to me. Thanks for mentioning “The Stealer , Free Paul Rogers and Paul Kossoff. Thank you Bob. I still listen to those lps. it’s slim pickens these days. peace, Alan Childs
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From: Michael Fagien
Subject: RE: Humble Pie 1970
Hi Bob,
I recently did a podcast with Peter. Though I gravitated towards a career in jazz, Humble Pie and Peter Frampton were formidable in my appreciation for great music. Like you said, those tracks reached me…
During the podcast, Peter and I discussed his current blues album, All Blues, which, as the title would seem to promise, features a version Miles Davis’ “All Blues.” Though neither Frampton or Humble Pie are ever used in the same sentence as jazz, Peter was eager to be interviewed by a jazz magazine for the first time. I also learned that Peter has been suffering from a debilitating autoimmune disease.
Through the years, I’ve learned that musicians’ stories are often as engaging and entertaining as their music. Aside from an affinity for blues music that Frampton sometimes showcased during his tenure in Humble Pie, it would seem unlikely that the man who later became a teen idol at the age of 26 (after famously appearing shirtless on the cover of Rolling Stone in 1976) and who is best-known as a purveyor of pop ballads like “Baby, I Love Your Way” and “I’m In You” would have any regard for jazz. But as Peter told me, “I was in a band before The Herd called The Preachers, and the leader of that band gave me a bunch of albums on a Friday and said, ‘We’re rehearsing Tuesday. I want you to learn all these.’ There was Kenny Burrell, Jimmy Smith, a very young George Benson playing with Jack McDuff, I believe, The Jack McDuff trio. Then I started listening to Joe Pass. My father introduced me to Django Reinhardt when I was 8 years old. It was a foregone conclusion that (jazz) would sink in at some point.”
When I asked Peter about his version of “All Blues,” featuring Larry Carlton, he confessed, “I guess people will say, ‘He does what on this album?’ But I’ve often said that if you told me that I could only listen to one album for the rest of my life … it would be Kind of Blue. There’s no guitar on it, but it’s one of those albums that’s just got a mood that draws you in. For me and (other) musicians, I think, there’s just so much to learn there and so much to love about every note and every chord and every phrase that’s played on that album. No one’s going berserk and shredding on that album; it’s just playing the right notes at the right time over a wonderful new chord that they’ve just changed to. That’s what just pulls me in. … I just gravitated towards that one, and I thought, “We’ve bitten off more than we can chew here.” It’s a testament to my band. We came in the studio that day — we’d all listened to it many times — and jammed on it.
When I asked Peter if he ever met or played with Miles, he replied remorsefully that he hadn’t, then added, “I would’ve loved to. Yeah, I doubt whether he ever thought of me in that way. He probably just thought of me as this guitarist standing there in satin pants.”
Michael Fagien
JAZZIZ
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From: Richard Griffiths
Subject: Re: Humble Pie 1970
Paul Kossoff is one of the most underrated guitarists EVER!
I got so lucky when I started work, booking bands, on my 19th birthday.
A manager called John Glover.came into our office and wanted us to start booking Amazing Blondel. John had run Island Artists and was one of the greats. Now ,it so happened ,I was a big AM fan ,so I booked them all over the country. This was in the days when every college in UK had gigs. I booked them 5 nights a week.
John also managed John Martyn. Another totally under appreciated talent. I started to book JM.
Then John says to me, leave Terry King Associates and start your own agency with me and my partner Rob Wynn. So I did.
He then tells me he’s got Paul Kossoff to start a new band. BackStreet Crawler. Go book them! My hero!
The first gig was a festival in Holland. I went on the bus with the band, minus Kossoff. He was flying in the next day. But he didn’t. The band went crazy and we got so drunk, they started throwing TVs out the hotel window.
The police arrived. We ended up in jail for the night! My one and only time!
Phil Carson, who ran Atlantic UK ,came and bailed us out.
BST made an album. I booked an arena tour. I picked up a new band from Australia to be the support.AC/DC.
They flew in to London ,but while they were in the air , Kossoff died of a heart attack.
The rest is history.
I will never forget the privilege I had watching Paul Kossoff play live. He was fucked up, but he was a genius.
Sorry for the rambling but I’m on vacation and the Rose at lunchtime was great!
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From: Doug Scott
Subject: Re: Today's America
"People want to participate. This is the failure of Quibi. Passivity is for old folks, or for long form when you're worn out."
This is Twitch. Participation is at its core. Streamers shouting out chat, acknowledging subs and donations, all live. And Esports pretty much lives there (per the next paragraph). I'm super interested in how it is relevant for musicians.
Full disclosure: I work at Twitch. But, that said, it's a huge opportunity for the musicians who embrace interactivity with their fans. If you aren't interested in interacting with your fans then you won't succeed on live streaming. But if you are it actually might be a profound path forward for those musicians. I think we all know that there is a core of users that provide the vast majority of most artists income. It's obviously not coming from streaming payouts (unless you are massive) and even most live revenues get siphoned off. Real longevity comes from your core fans. The ones who will stick with you forever and end up spending thousands of dollars over their lifetime of fandom. Twitch is a direct connection to them with awesome direct payment mechanisms. There are a ton of musicians that make over $100K in net payments annually from their Twitch streams. And that is with a few hundred concurrents, not thousands or tens of thousands. Almost none of them are major label artists. What they are are great at live streaming. I think that a new generation of musicians will find a way to create in new ways, no label required, and build very successful careers with live streaming being a (or the) key component of how they generate revenue. All that music fans really want is a connection to the musicians that they love.
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Subject: Re: OnlyFans
Just last week, a relative reached out, distressed that her adult daughter had joined OnlyFans.
“Have you seen the site she is using to promote provocative pics of herself?!”
“Maybe I listen to too many true crime podcasts, but I believe this is dangerous.”
“And she has a child.”
“She’s letting guys pay to see her body. And it’s dangerous.”
“It’s very upsetting and worrying. She is making herself way too vulnerable.”
I think you’re right to drawn a line between amateur porn and OnlyFans.
I consider myself to be liberal and open minded about these things, and believe adults should be able to do whatever they want, as long as they don’t hurt others, but honestly, I’m not thrilled to see a family member being part of the “giant opportunity” that is OnlyFans.
Daniel Strickland
San Francisco, CA
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Re: The Vow
Vancouver was the perfect petri dish for Raniere. A city that proudly trumpets her pop atheism, all the while trying to find community where there is unfortunately only network and cliques. Anyone who has lived there can tell you that it's not surprising that so much of NXIVM found a secondary hub in Vancouver. People like to say they don't believe in anything, but everyone worships something, and whether it's Landmark, or Lulu Lemon's in-house "dream board" practices, or a sex cult being run by an Amway reject who sprouts basic first day talk therapy, Vancouver will attach to it as a replacement for more traditional beliefs. Still, I can't understand why nobody thought a guy who touted Albany as the "new Rome of the new world" was completely full of it.
Trevor Risk
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Re: The MTV Documentary
I didn’t know Martha Quinn was an MTV DJ, but I sat next to her at a private dress rehearsal show of Styx’ Paradise Theater in Chicago. I said I didn’t watch much TV and did not have CATV on my planet. She was nice, even sitting next to an idiot.
Jeffrey Wehrmeister
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