You're right Bob. The dream dies hard. I offer The Call and Tommy Ferrier. My sister-in-law is Tommy's sibling. Every penny Tommy (and the band) made always went back into producing the next album. He'd make 200k on one album and plow it ALL back into his music. Tommy, now in his seventies (outlived Been), still would like to get on stage and rock. It really is a great high. Anyway, short of that, Tommy is now a maintenance man at an apartment complex and happy. He just got married in Hawaii last month. Interestingly, Tommy and his sister were both adopted and Tommy's biological mother was a concert pianist. Perhaps there is something in the genes.
Matthew Grandi
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Being out of the industry has kept me out of much of the loop, so it was a nice surprise to get your newsletter about John Waite’s doc. I met The Baby’s at their first gig (Manhattan Theater Club) in NYC. I was involved (aka dating) Bob Kulick at the time, working for Aucoin Management and having the time of my 20 something life…The Baby’s put on an amazing performance, (we saw so many others break out in that venue, The Cars, Cheap Trick, etc) but when women started tossing diapers and pacifiers on stage, I knew it wasn’t just about the music…but the music was pretty f..king awesome…
Decades later I would be involved with the sale of Chas Sandford’s catalog, which contained the iconic “Missing You”,
and I personally felt the twinges of pain I knew Chas felt as he signed those papers and received his check…I remember there being tears…on all sides, it was like selling his “baby”. I also have the memory of an ex-lover leaving that tune on my answering machine after an ugly breakup.
Anyone who’s been in the trenches of a music addiction knows the beauty of the high but very few have ever experienced the ugliness at the other end, the come down, the crash. The last time I saw John was when he performed at a club in Redondo Beach, I hadn’t seen him since that gig at Manhattan Theater Club. And you’re right, I had no idea who he was, until he started singing.
Can’t wait to see this!
Best,
Sher Bach
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At the height of "Missing You,"I set up an instore autograph session with John at Tower 4th & Bwy, when such events were still out of the ordinary. Hundreds of autograph seekers, mostly female, swooned. His guitarist Earl Slick sat at the table with him. John was a nice guy that day. Gentle, shy, and relaxed. Paul Lanning
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Really looking forward to this, Bob.
When I first got to NYC in the mid ‘90s and had a day job in the restaurant business, I met John at a famous restaurant in midtown. He was sitting by himself at a bar table.
I recognized him immediately and told him I was a keyboard player.
“This must be fate,” he said. “I’m looking for a keyboard player.”
He gave me his address. And I dropped off my latest album for him to listen to.
I didn’t get the gig… probably because my album was jazz! But it sure was fun to try. All those years after its release, “Missing You” was still stuck in my head like an ice pick.
Now that’s the power of a hit song.
Jon Regen
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I read this one twice - because it was so good. I'm probably the only person I know who actually saw The Babys live… My first job was at the Dr Pepper music Festival in Central Park. 1979. I was underage hawking soda in the audience… 15. It was July in New York, and the band was wearing black leather head to toe. All we could think of was "holy smokes.... These English guys are *gonna die"*. I went looking for photos from that show and I can't find any… But I found this. And this is amazing:
RADIO COMMERCIAL - DR. PEPPER (THE BABYS):
bit.ly/3gEWPyU With Gratitude,
Matt Peyton
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Bob, always enjoyed Head First, Change and Midnight Rendezvous. Solid and credible pop rock songs. No need to overthink or over analyze the Babys or John Waite. Much like Eddie Money and the Tubes, John’s songs elicit a favorable response from my friends that listen to my Spotify playlist.
Bar Andrew:
spoti.fi/3zbgnkV Andrew Paciocco
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Hey Bob - Thanks for letting us know about this. I'm going to have to watch it.
I can relate.
In the late eighties I was the drummer in a band called Hearts & Minds and we were signed to A&M. To give a sense of the company we were in, about the time we were signed, Soundgarden and Blues Traveler had just been signed to A&M too.
This is it, I thought. I'm going to be a rock star. I had the long hair, the snake skin boots, the tight jeans. Lots of rock star jewelry.
We toured a bit. Signed autographs!! People actually asked for our autographs!! WTF!!! We opened for some known artists. We had some big shots at A&M tell us we had a hit. I got endorsements! We made a video. We made a record at John Mellencamp's studio.
Next thing you know, in the middle of the tour, we get a call. We've been dropped. Polygram had bought A&M and the roster was trimmed. We were casualties. BAM! Just like that.
I tell you what though...I still wouldn't trade the experience for anything. At the time, you still were at a pretty high level to get a record made and released by a big label. No regrets. A treasured experience. Getting dropped from another label with another band was not as cherished of a memory however! Doooh!!!
I still play, but now I'm taking advantage of the online space to do so. Yes, it's unbelievably different now. But I've adapted. Accepting the reality of now---that's allowed me to keep going, and still live in a house, have a family, and all that good stuff.
Anyway, I'm gonna cue up the Waite movie. Looking forward to it.
Best,
Mark Feldman
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I saw John live about 5 or 6 years ago at my hometowns local "Summer Concert Series" in the park.
They built a stage and now we get 8 to 10 free concerts every summer.
This town, mind you, is in the Midwest, about 45k people. No one WANTS to play our town. So we get these "has beens" and legacy bands with one original member. The ones that fit our budget. Oh we have had some "big" names...Brett Michael's was HUGELY popular! They brought him back for 2 or 3 years! Night Ranger one year, Dennis DeYoung, Wang Chung, etc...you get the picture.
So when I saw John Waite on the announcement list, I was stoked! Finally a legend! Ok I am a HUGE Babies fan! Apparently not many more around here are...it was not well attended...maybe 150-200. Brett Michael's drew thousands, for context.
John and his stripped down band (drummer, bass player and one other guitar player besides John) SLAYED IT! When I first saw the band, no keys, no horn section, I thought, "Man, he ain't gonna play The Babies hits! Boy was I wrong! He did them ALL! He also did his solo hits and Bad English hits! Played them all old school rock n roll like! He was in great voice and seemed genuinely happy to be playing for an audience! It was the highlight of my summer!
I can't wait to check out this documentary! Thanks for the heads up!
Long Live Rock n Roll!
Mark McMain
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