1 00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:12,120 Speaker 1: Welcome, Welcome, Welcome back to the Bob Left Sets podcast. 2 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:16,280 Speaker 1: My guest today is What a Ry concert promoter Chuck Morris. 3 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:20,160 Speaker 1: This week is titled as Chairman Emarritus of the Age 4 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:24,720 Speaker 1: presents in both Denver and the Pacific Northwest, and he's 5 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:29,880 Speaker 1: head of the new music business program at Colorado State University. Chuck, 6 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:32,200 Speaker 1: good to have you. Now, this is great, Bob, thank 7 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:34,720 Speaker 1: you so much for inviting me. Okay, let's just start 8 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:40,720 Speaker 1: with general topics. Live shows, when are they coming back? Um, Hey, 9 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:43,600 Speaker 1: you know as well as I, we need a vaccine. 10 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:46,840 Speaker 1: You know, we we figured out our beautiful new uh 11 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:52,199 Speaker 1: Mission ballroom which seats walt all standing thirty fifty. If 12 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:54,480 Speaker 1: we're socially distant, we may be able to sell seven 13 00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:57,480 Speaker 1: under tickets and the band can't make a penny. We're 14 00:00:57,520 --> 00:01:00,240 Speaker 1: not in business. It's gonna need a vaccine. If I 15 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:03,680 Speaker 1: had a guess, and it's strictly a guess, my guest 16 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:07,880 Speaker 1: is a vaccine will go We'll start being given out. 17 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:10,679 Speaker 1: And this is such a guess. You never know. I 18 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:14,680 Speaker 1: think by next April to June of next year will 19 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:18,399 Speaker 1: begin to have shows. That's my guests. Okay, just a 20 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:21,319 Speaker 1: couple of questions. If we don't have a vaccine, no shows. 21 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: I don't see how big acts, even midsize acts can 22 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: play in our kind of halls. I mean, you know, 23 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:33,560 Speaker 1: we have the Bluebird five hundred, the Odds in seventeen hundred, 24 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:37,760 Speaker 1: the Gothic a thousand. We have big shows at the 25 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:41,160 Speaker 1: stadiums of PEPSI, we have the our mission ballroom is 26 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:45,640 Speaker 1: thirty d We have the first bank, which is you 27 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 1: can't put enough people in for the band to make 28 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 1: a penny. I think the tiny acts will play the 29 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:54,680 Speaker 1: tiny rooms for fifty people and probably be happy. I mean, 30 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:56,400 Speaker 1: if I was a baby act and who just wanted 31 00:01:56,440 --> 00:01:59,080 Speaker 1: to play, it's in my advantage to do that. But 32 00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 1: the big acts, I don't see how they can do it. 33 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:05,480 Speaker 1: I just don't see it. I mean, do you, Uh No, 34 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:10,079 Speaker 1: I don't either. But going back before March, before the shutdown, 35 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:13,680 Speaker 1: how would you compare the business as opposed to the 36 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:18,480 Speaker 1: seventies when you really got ranking and going. Our business 37 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:23,959 Speaker 1: today up till this tragedy has been mind blowing. When 38 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:27,600 Speaker 1: I first started, my first club was Tlagi's Nightclub and 39 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:33,200 Speaker 1: Boulder UM. I never dreamed that I would outlive all 40 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:36,359 Speaker 1: my rich friends who are working for record companies and 41 00:02:36,639 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 1: morning guys in radio and entertainment editors of newspapers, and 42 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 1: we outlived them all. You know, the Internet, all the 43 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:50,840 Speaker 1: other stuff that's going on. Uh, you can replace anything 44 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:54,560 Speaker 1: except live music. And I was always you know, I 45 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:56,840 Speaker 1: owned clubs for first eight years, and then I started 46 00:02:56,840 --> 00:02:59,400 Speaker 1: working with Faye as his number two guy, and built 47 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 1: my own cup and you with Greg Pearl of b 48 00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:04,320 Speaker 1: g P Chuck Morris and went on blah blah blah, 49 00:03:04,520 --> 00:03:07,440 Speaker 1: the Sects, the clear Channel to live Nation, and then 50 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:10,200 Speaker 1: I joined my old friend Phil and Sews. I never 51 00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 1: dreamed that live entertainment would get so big and a 52 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:18,200 Speaker 1: big chunk of the rest of the business would be 53 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:21,440 Speaker 1: replaced by other things and making it less well, make 54 00:03:21,639 --> 00:03:25,400 Speaker 1: making it less important. I mean I was always uh 55 00:03:25,720 --> 00:03:28,040 Speaker 1: jealous of my friend, not jealous. I never cared about 56 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:31,120 Speaker 1: money anyway. But you know, my rich friends worked for 57 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:34,960 Speaker 1: record companies. They were morning guys, they were newspaper editors 58 00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:38,600 Speaker 1: of music editors. They were writing for Rolling Stone and 59 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 1: making good money on articles. They were doing all this stuff. 60 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:46,240 Speaker 1: While the libins we we did well, don't get me wrong, 61 00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:49,120 Speaker 1: but I never dreamed it would be do this well, 62 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:52,160 Speaker 1: I mean our office and God bless my great partners. 63 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:54,480 Speaker 1: One of them happens to like you, which I worry 64 00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:57,680 Speaker 1: about Don Strassburg and Brent for Trees, who will be 65 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:00,840 Speaker 1: taking over my position as the number one person. I've 66 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:03,880 Speaker 1: been with them twenty seven years. Um, I have a 67 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:06,360 Speaker 1: dream to it get this big. You know it used 68 00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 1: to be in the old days. I think you'll agree 69 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:14,200 Speaker 1: with this. People would go on the road to sell 70 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:17,600 Speaker 1: albums because that's where they made all their money. Today, 71 00:04:17,839 --> 00:04:20,640 Speaker 1: you make an album as a pr thing so you 72 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:23,240 Speaker 1: can sell more tickets on the road. That's where they 73 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:28,520 Speaker 1: make all their money. Okay, so I agree with you totally. 74 00:04:28,839 --> 00:04:33,360 Speaker 1: In terms of being the promoter. How has it changed 75 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:39,920 Speaker 1: in terms of deals from then to today? The bands? Uh? Well, 76 00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:44,080 Speaker 1: first of all, I hate old promoters that liked the 77 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:48,520 Speaker 1: old days and either leave the business or complain about it. 78 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:51,680 Speaker 1: To me, it's a much better business. I don't mind 79 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:55,120 Speaker 1: the fact that there's more lawyers and accountants and people 80 00:04:55,240 --> 00:05:00,680 Speaker 1: that protect the bands, the customers, even the promoters and everybody. 81 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:02,560 Speaker 1: I'm not one of those old guys that said, oh 82 00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:05,120 Speaker 1: I wish there's the old way where we could you know, 83 00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:07,360 Speaker 1: write and an offer on a piece of paper and 84 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:11,840 Speaker 1: bullshit away with expenses. You know, every agency has their 85 00:05:11,880 --> 00:05:15,640 Speaker 1: own marketing people, their own accountants, their own everything. Tour 86 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:18,840 Speaker 1: managers are as sharpest that can get. And I think 87 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:21,000 Speaker 1: it's a better business for that. And I've learned how 88 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:24,120 Speaker 1: to change. That's why I've survived this long up until now. 89 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:27,240 Speaker 1: And now I'm I'm doing something that I've wanted for 90 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:30,560 Speaker 1: most of my life, which is as I as I 91 00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:34,640 Speaker 1: ended my career, uh started department at a major university 92 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:37,400 Speaker 1: in Colorado and teach music business, which has been my 93 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:41,080 Speaker 1: love my whole life. Well, we'll certainly get deeper into that, 94 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:44,600 Speaker 1: but going with this statement just made how have you 95 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:48,640 Speaker 1: changed over the years in terms of business. Um, I've 96 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:51,080 Speaker 1: learned how to deal with lawyers, and I've learned how 97 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:54,200 Speaker 1: to deal with accountants, and I've learned how to have 98 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:58,160 Speaker 1: people now, you know, make deals and go through them 99 00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:01,159 Speaker 1: and number by number. I've learned that you have to 100 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:05,800 Speaker 1: be straight in today's world. I mean in the old days, 101 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:09,080 Speaker 1: let's be real, in the seventies, even into the eighties, 102 00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:11,719 Speaker 1: we were all partying, we were all having it was 103 00:06:11,760 --> 00:06:14,280 Speaker 1: a great business. I had more fun than you can believe, 104 00:06:14,839 --> 00:06:18,400 Speaker 1: but I mean I got sober. I've been sober ever 105 00:06:18,440 --> 00:06:21,239 Speaker 1: since because my body was breaking down and I couldn't 106 00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:23,720 Speaker 1: stay until four o'clock in the morning and get up 107 00:06:23,760 --> 00:06:26,320 Speaker 1: and go to work, and it was breaking down, and 108 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:28,800 Speaker 1: I had I realized that business is getting so big 109 00:06:29,279 --> 00:06:31,920 Speaker 1: and how you had to be straight to deal with 110 00:06:31,960 --> 00:06:35,520 Speaker 1: what was going on was how it was changing, and 111 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:41,200 Speaker 1: I think all for the better, I really really do. Okay, So, uh, 112 00:06:41,279 --> 00:06:44,520 Speaker 1: let's talk about an act that can sell arenas or larger. 113 00:06:45,080 --> 00:06:51,760 Speaker 1: Traditionally they're taking about nine So if you're lucky, if 114 00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:55,000 Speaker 1: you're okay. So where does the promoter make their money today? 115 00:06:55,360 --> 00:06:58,040 Speaker 1: Promoter makes his money if he owns a building. You 116 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:01,800 Speaker 1: make it on food and beverage, an alcohol, and some 117 00:07:01,960 --> 00:07:04,680 Speaker 1: on ticketing if you have your own ticketing company, or 118 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:07,400 Speaker 1: you make a deal with the ticketing company on on 119 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:12,440 Speaker 1: corporate sponsorship. As far as the door is concerned, the 120 00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:17,360 Speaker 1: bands make some points percent percent of the growth of 121 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:20,440 Speaker 1: the door. You have to make it an answering income 122 00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:23,480 Speaker 1: or you're not in business anymore. In the old days, 123 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:26,720 Speaker 1: I remember the first deals I made. One of the 124 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:28,720 Speaker 1: first acts, Big Acts, one of the first acts that 125 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:31,560 Speaker 1: played for me was the Doobie Brothers in seventy one 126 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:35,000 Speaker 1: on my first club nineteen seventy actually listen to the music, 127 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:37,640 Speaker 1: was just breaking their first fifth single. I gave them 128 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:41,880 Speaker 1: twenty dollars versus fifty percent of the door for five nights. 129 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:46,560 Speaker 1: We didn't show any expenses because it didn't matter. They 130 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:49,200 Speaker 1: got half the door, so I could spend all I 131 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:51,960 Speaker 1: wanted or nothing. And we always sold great tickets in 132 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:54,120 Speaker 1: Bold of Colorado. My club's always just so well. So 133 00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:58,120 Speaker 1: they didn't care, and so there was never any settlements. 134 00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:00,960 Speaker 1: They made half the door. Yeah, they count of the tickets, 135 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:04,440 Speaker 1: took half the money and left and everybody was happy. 136 00:08:04,680 --> 00:08:08,800 Speaker 1: It was just a different ballgame. The bands, the promoters 137 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:10,560 Speaker 1: made a chunk of the door in the old days. 138 00:08:11,320 --> 00:08:15,000 Speaker 1: Today's days have changed now. Don't know if you get 139 00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:17,320 Speaker 1: Irving was the first that I love. Irving one of 140 00:08:17,360 --> 00:08:20,720 Speaker 1: my oldest dearest friends. I did this second Eagles Day 141 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:22,640 Speaker 1: when they played for me in my club too, Lodgy's, 142 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:26,520 Speaker 1: in November of n rehearsing. They played a week in 143 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:29,320 Speaker 1: Aspen and a week for me in Boulder to rehearse 144 00:08:29,360 --> 00:08:34,160 Speaker 1: to make their first album, and Irving had just joined 145 00:08:34,160 --> 00:08:36,960 Speaker 1: Elliot Robinson, David Geffen, I don't even know if he 146 00:08:37,040 --> 00:08:39,440 Speaker 1: was doing the day to day for the Eagles. And 147 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:41,960 Speaker 1: they called and they said they wanted two weeks to rehearse, 148 00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:45,079 Speaker 1: so they were gonna go in in January to make 149 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:48,240 Speaker 1: their first album. And their producer, guy named Glenn John's, 150 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:51,520 Speaker 1: was flying in from England and wanted to take notes. 151 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:54,280 Speaker 1: And it was it was the last week in November 152 00:08:54,320 --> 00:08:58,319 Speaker 1: after Thanksgiving, college town college kids with three too bar 153 00:08:58,800 --> 00:09:01,200 Speaker 1: so you could be eighteen. And I said, no one's 154 00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:04,360 Speaker 1: gonna come. There's finals and then they leave, and I 155 00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:06,839 Speaker 1: think I was talking to may rest in peace. It 156 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:09,960 Speaker 1: was Elliot Robins or David Geffen, I can't remember. I 157 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:11,839 Speaker 1: said nobody's gonna be there, and said, we don't care. 158 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:14,000 Speaker 1: We're gonna work a week and ask them that little 159 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:16,439 Speaker 1: club up there which is still around a different name, 160 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:20,400 Speaker 1: the Goldberghnes and My Club, and it was the four 161 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:24,719 Speaker 1: original guys um and we did about twelve people a 162 00:09:24,880 --> 00:09:28,839 Speaker 1: night and they were amazing. But I I watched history 163 00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:31,800 Speaker 1: because I saw Glenn John's taking notes. But they were 164 00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:34,200 Speaker 1: playing all the songs from their first album. They had 165 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:37,080 Speaker 1: never done any live days before that. I was they 166 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:40,840 Speaker 1: had they who put together by those guys. Uh, let's 167 00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:44,520 Speaker 1: just stop there. Uh So if they played for five nights, 168 00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:48,880 Speaker 1: business did not increase over those five nights. Uh it 169 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:52,120 Speaker 1: was a blizzard most of the time and finals were over. No, 170 00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:55,920 Speaker 1: they didn't, but they didn't care. They wanted to rehearse 171 00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:58,960 Speaker 1: the songs and they were playing peaceful, easy feeling and 172 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:01,679 Speaker 1: take it Easy and all those great songs they recorded 173 00:10:01,679 --> 00:10:04,319 Speaker 1: a month and a half later in London with Glenn 174 00:10:04,400 --> 00:10:10,040 Speaker 1: John's Wow. So I watched history that week. Okay, let's 175 00:10:10,080 --> 00:10:14,800 Speaker 1: talk about dates that you buy where you're losing money. 176 00:10:14,880 --> 00:10:21,240 Speaker 1: What happens then, both in the past and in today. Um. 177 00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:24,920 Speaker 1: Most promoters today have given up asking for money back. 178 00:10:25,840 --> 00:10:29,920 Speaker 1: In fact, I really never did a because I was 179 00:10:29,960 --> 00:10:32,319 Speaker 1: always embarrassed to do it. Even though I was a 180 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:35,360 Speaker 1: club owner, I was self made, I didn't I wasn't 181 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:39,440 Speaker 1: Baptist before I joined fe Line and Barry UM. But 182 00:10:39,720 --> 00:10:42,640 Speaker 1: I always felt, you know, you win some, you lose some, 183 00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:46,560 Speaker 1: and we got killed on some dates and it was 184 00:10:46,559 --> 00:10:48,720 Speaker 1: not much she could do. I will tell you the 185 00:10:48,760 --> 00:10:52,640 Speaker 1: greatest story ever. Though I had a great comic named 186 00:10:52,640 --> 00:10:56,320 Speaker 1: Dick Gregory at Ebbottsfield, my second club. I named it 187 00:10:56,320 --> 00:10:58,640 Speaker 1: because I grew up in Brooklyn, ten blocks from the 188 00:10:58,679 --> 00:11:01,079 Speaker 1: baseball park of the Brooklyn Just I was a big 189 00:11:01,080 --> 00:11:04,839 Speaker 1: brookn Dodging fan at nine years old, and I had 190 00:11:04,920 --> 00:11:08,439 Speaker 1: Dick Gregory as a stand up. He had already started 191 00:11:08,480 --> 00:11:10,640 Speaker 1: moving away from being a stand up. It was probably 192 00:11:10,679 --> 00:11:16,520 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy seventy one, maybe two at Ebbittsfield and tore 193 00:11:16,679 --> 00:11:19,880 Speaker 1: about eighty people, and I gave him twenty dollars, which 194 00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:22,760 Speaker 1: was a lot in those days. And this happened to 195 00:11:22,800 --> 00:11:26,280 Speaker 1: be the only time in my career he and he 196 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:28,680 Speaker 1: didn't have a road manager. In those days aren't usually 197 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:32,080 Speaker 1: turned on their own. And he walked in, the nicest guy, 198 00:11:32,559 --> 00:11:35,480 Speaker 1: just and he was already writing books on losing weight 199 00:11:35,559 --> 00:11:38,440 Speaker 1: and liquid diets and was moving away from being a 200 00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:40,880 Speaker 1: stand up, so he wasn't seting tickets much as a 201 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:43,839 Speaker 1: stand up anymore. And he looked at me and said, 202 00:11:44,160 --> 00:11:46,880 Speaker 1: he got killed to night, didn't you. I said, yeah, 203 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:50,720 Speaker 1: I got killed. He said, I'm gonna tell you something. 204 00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:55,440 Speaker 1: You pay me whatever you think is fair. And I 205 00:11:55,480 --> 00:11:58,720 Speaker 1: wrote out a chapter half the money never happened since 206 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:02,240 Speaker 1: only time in my career that an artist ever did that. 207 00:12:02,240 --> 00:12:05,200 Speaker 1: That was Dick Gregory. I will never forget that as 208 00:12:05,280 --> 00:12:09,360 Speaker 1: long as I live. It was the sweetest, kindest, wonderful thing. 209 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:11,960 Speaker 1: And I needed the money because we were getting murdered 210 00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:16,200 Speaker 1: and that never happened again. Okay, so when we you 211 00:12:16,240 --> 00:12:20,439 Speaker 1: know what the conventional wisdom today is no one gives 212 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:25,560 Speaker 1: money back to Live Nation because it's a public company. Uh. 213 00:12:25,679 --> 00:12:29,320 Speaker 1: Were you the outlier or were really other? You know? 214 00:12:29,360 --> 00:12:31,880 Speaker 1: The tradition was I give money back to the promoter 215 00:12:31,960 --> 00:12:34,720 Speaker 1: to keep him in business, so the next time around 216 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:37,360 Speaker 1: he has money to pay me. Was it that you 217 00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:41,520 Speaker 1: were so good and your economics were good, or was 218 00:12:41,559 --> 00:12:43,840 Speaker 1: it there were other people getting money back? What do 219 00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:46,760 Speaker 1: you think that I shouldn't say not getting back to 220 00:12:47,040 --> 00:12:49,000 Speaker 1: just that there have been some and there still are 221 00:12:49,080 --> 00:12:51,640 Speaker 1: some if you get killed. There's some artists that are 222 00:12:51,679 --> 00:12:56,040 Speaker 1: pretty a few that are very nice about it. Um. 223 00:12:56,080 --> 00:12:59,880 Speaker 1: But to be honest, most of the time they blame 224 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:03,280 Speaker 1: the promoter or the club owner that we didn't know 225 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:05,640 Speaker 1: how to sell tickets. When it's sold out, it's because 226 00:13:05,679 --> 00:13:08,640 Speaker 1: the act is hot. And when it doesn't it doesn't 227 00:13:08,679 --> 00:13:11,040 Speaker 1: sell tickets is because we do a lousy job. And 228 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:13,200 Speaker 1: that's not everybody. God bless them. There's some of the 229 00:13:13,240 --> 00:13:15,760 Speaker 1: greatest artists in the world that I consider some of 230 00:13:15,760 --> 00:13:18,120 Speaker 1: my best friends. You know, I managed the Dirt Band 231 00:13:18,160 --> 00:13:20,840 Speaker 1: for years. They always gave money back if they if 232 00:13:20,840 --> 00:13:23,440 Speaker 1: they heard a promoter. But of course they wanted to 233 00:13:23,440 --> 00:13:26,640 Speaker 1: come back, and some of them were country festivals that 234 00:13:26,720 --> 00:13:28,880 Speaker 1: they wanted to come back and play too. I mean, 235 00:13:28,920 --> 00:13:32,040 Speaker 1: there was some some reason for it, but they were 236 00:13:32,080 --> 00:13:34,640 Speaker 1: really nice guys who didn't like to see people get burned. 237 00:13:34,840 --> 00:13:37,440 Speaker 1: So there are people like that, but it's not not 238 00:13:37,520 --> 00:13:40,640 Speaker 1: a general thing that happens. You know, a band comes 239 00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:45,160 Speaker 1: out today with you know, even midsize acts with you know, 240 00:13:45,280 --> 00:13:49,400 Speaker 1: four semis and a fourteen man crew, and they have 241 00:13:49,480 --> 00:13:51,760 Speaker 1: a lot of expenses. I sound like a band manage now, 242 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:53,760 Speaker 1: which I've been my whole career, as well as promoter. 243 00:13:54,320 --> 00:13:56,439 Speaker 1: But you know, it's hard for them to give back 244 00:13:56,480 --> 00:14:00,400 Speaker 1: some money. Okay, let's say you're the promoter and you 245 00:14:00,520 --> 00:14:03,960 Speaker 1: lost money and the band wants to come back. What 246 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:10,000 Speaker 1: do you say, Um, have I asked them for money 247 00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:12,280 Speaker 1: back when I got killed the first time? No? No, No, 248 00:14:12,360 --> 00:14:15,920 Speaker 1: let's just say you did the date you lost a 249 00:14:16,040 --> 00:14:19,280 Speaker 1: real sum of money as opposed to ten dollars. Suddenly 250 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:21,720 Speaker 1: it's six months a year later, they want to come 251 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:23,920 Speaker 1: back on the road. They ask you for an offer. 252 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:25,800 Speaker 1: What do you say? You say, you give him a 253 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:28,040 Speaker 1: lobo offer. You give them what they want. You say, 254 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:31,440 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna play you at all. All of the above, 255 00:14:31,760 --> 00:14:35,080 Speaker 1: none of the above. I've lost money on bands knowing 256 00:14:35,120 --> 00:14:37,960 Speaker 1: I would. When I heard a first album from an 257 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:41,280 Speaker 1: act that I thought was phenomenal and I knew that 258 00:14:41,480 --> 00:14:45,680 Speaker 1: hadn't the record hadn't really started taking off. I would 259 00:14:45,760 --> 00:14:48,160 Speaker 1: lose money out of band, a few bucks because I 260 00:14:48,200 --> 00:14:51,440 Speaker 1: believe in the band. People forget what Bruce Springsteen what 261 00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:56,080 Speaker 1: was his third album? Fourth album before he happened? Ari 262 00:14:56,240 --> 00:15:00,360 Speaker 1: Ari Speedwagon had like three or four before you know did? 263 00:15:00,360 --> 00:15:03,160 Speaker 1: They're big hit A million acts were like that, and 264 00:15:03,240 --> 00:15:05,560 Speaker 1: I would. I would lose money a few bucks on 265 00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:09,000 Speaker 1: bands if I believe it'd be a future. Okay. But 266 00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:12,880 Speaker 1: in the old days, prior to the roll up of 267 00:15:12,920 --> 00:15:17,160 Speaker 1: the bands were loyal. They're not really loyal anymore, are they. 268 00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:22,200 Speaker 1: Some are, some aren't. It's definitely there's a lot less. 269 00:15:22,240 --> 00:15:25,240 Speaker 1: There's less loyalty these days, and there used to be. 270 00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:28,680 Speaker 1: Um we have we have people that have played for 271 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:32,360 Speaker 1: us their whole careers. God bless them. And we have 272 00:15:32,480 --> 00:15:38,160 Speaker 1: bands that do tours with other unnamed um major promoting 273 00:15:38,160 --> 00:15:42,280 Speaker 1: companies that have that have given us an exception on 274 00:15:42,320 --> 00:15:45,440 Speaker 1: their contracts. And we've done the dates in Denver thanks 275 00:15:45,480 --> 00:15:47,840 Speaker 1: to myself, thanks to Don and Brent, who are the 276 00:15:47,880 --> 00:15:50,480 Speaker 1: greatest partners in the world, who have their own relationships 277 00:15:51,040 --> 00:15:54,640 Speaker 1: plus mine. They have great ones where a band sometimes 278 00:15:54,680 --> 00:15:57,520 Speaker 1: will say, I'll do a tour for a Bold Bucks, 279 00:15:57,640 --> 00:16:00,800 Speaker 1: but we we've always worked for the gang in Denver. 280 00:16:00,880 --> 00:16:02,760 Speaker 1: We want to play for them. And once in a 281 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:06,840 Speaker 1: while a band will you know, or a promoter will 282 00:16:06,880 --> 00:16:10,120 Speaker 1: allow that band to make an exception. Sometimes they won't 283 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:14,320 Speaker 1: and they played for somebody else. It does happen. It hurts, 284 00:16:14,800 --> 00:16:17,760 Speaker 1: but it does happen. Okay, So why is Denver such 285 00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:23,280 Speaker 1: a spectacular live music market we have. That's a good question. 286 00:16:23,840 --> 00:16:25,920 Speaker 1: There have been some great people. I guess I'm one 287 00:16:25,960 --> 00:16:28,920 Speaker 1: of them. My two key guys have been one of them. 288 00:16:29,160 --> 00:16:31,800 Speaker 1: We have the greatest first of all, we have the 289 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:34,720 Speaker 1: greatest amphonthater in the world, Rent Rocks, which has been 290 00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:38,720 Speaker 1: around forever. We also have a great audience that we've 291 00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:42,400 Speaker 1: all helped develop we have some great institutions there. I'm 292 00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:45,080 Speaker 1: not the only one that has been a pretty good promoter, 293 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:48,080 Speaker 1: bringing in great acts with great buildings. And we have 294 00:16:48,400 --> 00:16:53,640 Speaker 1: a town, an unbelievable public pbst you know about Nick 295 00:16:53,720 --> 00:16:55,800 Speaker 1: and and Ea town there on what three hundred radio 296 00:16:55,840 --> 00:16:59,800 Speaker 1: stations around the country from Boulder, Colorado, which is promoted 297 00:16:59,840 --> 00:17:03,600 Speaker 1: some great music from Colorado. We have tell you Ride 298 00:17:03,600 --> 00:17:08,000 Speaker 1: Bluegrass when the greatest festivals in the world Colorado Festival. 299 00:17:08,520 --> 00:17:11,880 Speaker 1: You know, thanks to those guys. It's it's a it's 300 00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:16,960 Speaker 1: a wonderful place. We've developed a great market for shows, 301 00:17:17,320 --> 00:17:20,560 Speaker 1: for buildings, for special events, and we've had a lot 302 00:17:20,640 --> 00:17:23,960 Speaker 1: of good people. I've by this. I'll talk to Don 303 00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:26,800 Speaker 1: and he'll tell me the kind of business he's doing 304 00:17:26,840 --> 00:17:30,399 Speaker 1: with acts that can't tell anywhere near that number in 305 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:33,679 Speaker 1: another market. I'll tell you a funny story when I 306 00:17:33,760 --> 00:17:36,840 Speaker 1: decided to go back and promote. When Barry Faye decided 307 00:17:36,880 --> 00:17:39,600 Speaker 1: to retire, and I was just managing bands and working 308 00:17:39,640 --> 00:17:42,280 Speaker 1: in as a consultant at FE Line, and when Barry 309 00:17:42,359 --> 00:17:44,840 Speaker 1: decided to retire, I was always a number to promoter 310 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:48,720 Speaker 1: for years behind Barry. I decided to come back and 311 00:17:48,760 --> 00:17:51,119 Speaker 1: I made a deal with my great friend Greg pearl Off, 312 00:17:51,440 --> 00:17:54,920 Speaker 1: and we started Chuck Marris Bill Graham Presents and built 313 00:17:54,960 --> 00:17:56,760 Speaker 1: the film more because they had the brand name. I 314 00:17:56,760 --> 00:17:59,480 Speaker 1: always wanted to build a great rock club because I 315 00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:05,160 Speaker 1: had built my own before that. And uh, Greg and Sherry, 316 00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:07,760 Speaker 1: who you know, I'm sure very very well. Greg would 317 00:18:07,800 --> 00:18:11,000 Speaker 1: call me and say, there's a mistake here. I said, 318 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:14,359 Speaker 1: what are you talking about? Pro Off? He said, he 319 00:18:14,520 --> 00:18:18,720 Speaker 1: got tickets from Michael front day. You're full of it. 320 00:18:19,160 --> 00:18:21,480 Speaker 1: He does great in San Francisco, and he and and 321 00:18:21,520 --> 00:18:24,359 Speaker 1: maybe maybe a few other places and Michael. I love Michael, 322 00:18:24,400 --> 00:18:26,359 Speaker 1: and he sells a lot of tickets now. But there 323 00:18:26,359 --> 00:18:28,480 Speaker 1: were acts like that that Greig thought I was lying 324 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:31,879 Speaker 1: with my ticket counts. But we have an interesting market. 325 00:18:32,080 --> 00:18:35,320 Speaker 1: First of all, we've had KBCO Radio for forty years 326 00:18:35,640 --> 00:18:38,439 Speaker 1: that has played not as much alternative music as they 327 00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:41,119 Speaker 1: do as they used to, but always took chances on 328 00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:44,840 Speaker 1: records and bands. We just have a great, great market 329 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:48,159 Speaker 1: that we've all worked hard at and developed. You know, 330 00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:50,440 Speaker 1: Austin gets a lot of press, and I love Austin. 331 00:18:50,720 --> 00:18:53,000 Speaker 1: I managed a great band years ago called the Ugly 332 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:56,800 Speaker 1: Americans of Bob Schneider loved off still love lost the music. 333 00:18:57,080 --> 00:19:00,280 Speaker 1: They get a lot of pressed, but I tell the 334 00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:04,440 Speaker 1: Colorado music scene is really amazing. I don't think we've 335 00:19:04,480 --> 00:19:08,480 Speaker 1: gotten as much national and international presses. We probably should 336 00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:11,880 Speaker 1: have because we've we've developed we meaning all of us. 337 00:19:12,119 --> 00:19:14,320 Speaker 1: I'm only one of them, and I've been blessed that 338 00:19:14,359 --> 00:19:16,600 Speaker 1: I have two guys that are taken over. They're probably 339 00:19:16,640 --> 00:19:20,440 Speaker 1: better than me. You know, We've just wet some great 340 00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:24,560 Speaker 1: promoters in great club owners, great buildings, great radio stations, 341 00:19:24,600 --> 00:19:28,359 Speaker 1: great special events. It's just been a wonderful place to 342 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:30,560 Speaker 1: develop music. And I've been blessed that I was part 343 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:33,000 Speaker 1: of it right from the beginning. So let's assume, you know, 344 00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:35,600 Speaker 1: if they're playing the Pepsi Center, which is a small arena, 345 00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:40,560 Speaker 1: they're playing red rock. The acts are dictating the terms. 346 00:19:41,119 --> 00:19:44,080 Speaker 1: But if they're playing the Mission ball over, they're playing smaller. 347 00:19:44,320 --> 00:19:48,280 Speaker 1: Can the promoter make a greater percentage of the revenue. 348 00:19:49,320 --> 00:19:53,040 Speaker 1: That's why it's not true. They explain it to me. 349 00:19:53,520 --> 00:19:57,440 Speaker 1: They get almost as much money as they can. That's 350 00:19:57,480 --> 00:20:01,080 Speaker 1: the job of the Asians, and they take almost everything 351 00:20:01,119 --> 00:20:03,240 Speaker 1: from the door and hope you can make it on 352 00:20:03,280 --> 00:20:06,600 Speaker 1: the other end. That's just the way our our business 353 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:09,280 Speaker 1: has gotten and that's and that's not the worst thing 354 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:12,720 Speaker 1: in the world. We still do okay, okay, okay, but 355 00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:16,560 Speaker 1: I put five kids through college, so I did. Okay. Okay. 356 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:20,680 Speaker 1: Now we all know on the inside, the ticketmaster is 357 00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:22,760 Speaker 1: a front for the acts. Really, the acts are taking 358 00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:26,280 Speaker 1: all the ticket revenue, so the money for profit for 359 00:20:26,320 --> 00:20:30,119 Speaker 1: the promoter. Okay, give me your take on it. Ticket 360 00:20:30,160 --> 00:20:33,919 Speaker 1: Master takes money of the money. Yeah, they have to 361 00:20:33,960 --> 00:20:36,920 Speaker 1: make a profit. What I'm saying is, let me put 362 00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:40,639 Speaker 1: it in in a different way. The fees were a way 363 00:20:40,800 --> 00:20:44,119 Speaker 1: to keep a certain amount of money out of the 364 00:20:44,160 --> 00:20:50,960 Speaker 1: gross that the acts wanted to commission. Correct yes and no. Yes, 365 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:55,600 Speaker 1: it's true. But the only way promoters could survive was 366 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:58,359 Speaker 1: as things got moving along from the seventies and the 367 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:02,000 Speaker 1: eighties and into the nineties, the bands were taking more 368 00:21:02,040 --> 00:21:05,359 Speaker 1: and more and more of the money, and promoters, if 369 00:21:05,359 --> 00:21:07,879 Speaker 1: they wanted to survive, how to figure out other ways 370 00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:11,399 Speaker 1: to make money. Some of it was ticketing, some of 371 00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:17,439 Speaker 1: it was sponsorship, some of it, some of it was advertising, 372 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:20,600 Speaker 1: some in the in the in the arenas. Some it 373 00:21:20,680 --> 00:21:23,320 Speaker 1: was all sorts of stuff. Answering income is the only 374 00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:26,120 Speaker 1: way promoters have been able to survive, and that's where 375 00:21:26,119 --> 00:21:28,320 Speaker 1: you make your money. In the old days, I made 376 00:21:28,320 --> 00:21:32,640 Speaker 1: money at the door. We okay, but let's let's talk 377 00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:34,840 Speaker 1: about club dates. You know, when you have a hundred 378 00:21:34,880 --> 00:21:40,280 Speaker 1: dollar plus ticketed a large venue, the uh the fee 379 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:43,879 Speaker 1: is less of a percentage of the overall cost. But 380 00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:46,159 Speaker 1: I get email all the time people say, well, you 381 00:21:46,200 --> 00:21:50,320 Speaker 1: know the ticket was twenty five dollars and the fees 382 00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:53,880 Speaker 1: were twenty dollars. What do you say to that? First 383 00:21:53,880 --> 00:21:56,800 Speaker 1: of all, I've never seen that higher higher amount. Well, 384 00:21:56,800 --> 00:21:59,040 Speaker 1: I certainly have, but maybe not in your more money 385 00:21:59,119 --> 00:22:03,200 Speaker 1: for not our market. You're telling me a twenty ticket 386 00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:07,040 Speaker 1: against a twenty dollar fee. Yes, just just just for 387 00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:09,960 Speaker 1: the ticketing. Now, there's also some buildings that are owned 388 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:12,440 Speaker 1: by somebody else will have a building fee to pay 389 00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:15,879 Speaker 1: back to build a building. That might be an addit 390 00:22:16,040 --> 00:22:20,120 Speaker 1: add on, okay, well, ultimately in fees. Let me put 391 00:22:20,119 --> 00:22:22,320 Speaker 1: it in a different way. How come we can't go 392 00:22:22,359 --> 00:22:27,800 Speaker 1: into an overall one price because expenses have gone up 393 00:22:27,840 --> 00:22:31,159 Speaker 1: for everybody, and everybody is in some ways greedy to 394 00:22:31,280 --> 00:22:33,920 Speaker 1: be able to survive, to make as much money as possible, 395 00:22:34,480 --> 00:22:37,920 Speaker 1: and that's why they have managers and agents and lawyers 396 00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:42,520 Speaker 1: and accountants. Okay, let's just let's just assume the fee 397 00:22:42,600 --> 00:22:46,520 Speaker 1: is fifteen dollars if you own the building and you 398 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:48,760 Speaker 1: are the promoter, or what percentage of the fee will 399 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:53,199 Speaker 1: you get back? It all varies. It all varies on 400 00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:55,919 Speaker 1: the city, on the deal you make with a ticketing company, 401 00:22:55,920 --> 00:22:59,920 Speaker 1: on which ticketing company. Um. It all depends. And there's 402 00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:03,800 Speaker 1: promoters that don't don't charge, don't take a lot of it. 403 00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:06,679 Speaker 1: There's some promoters that keep there, and there's some bands 404 00:23:06,680 --> 00:23:10,320 Speaker 1: that keep their ticketing down. You know, God bless Dave Matthews. 405 00:23:10,359 --> 00:23:13,000 Speaker 1: He's up there, but he still keeps a reasonable ticket 406 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:17,000 Speaker 1: and you know, we've been working with him from the 407 00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:21,280 Speaker 1: very very very beginning. And uh, speaking of the beginning, 408 00:23:21,320 --> 00:23:23,880 Speaker 1: let's go back to you. You're from Brooklyn. What kind 409 00:23:23,920 --> 00:23:27,119 Speaker 1: of circumstances did you grow up in. My father was 410 00:23:27,160 --> 00:23:31,400 Speaker 1: a public school teacher. I grew up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, 411 00:23:31,440 --> 00:23:34,840 Speaker 1: or rather a lower middle class area. I was a 412 00:23:34,920 --> 00:23:39,040 Speaker 1: Brooklyn Dodger fan. Um, I love the Dodgers. Grew up 413 00:23:39,080 --> 00:23:42,399 Speaker 1: about fourteen blocks from Evants Field. My second club by 414 00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:44,960 Speaker 1: named David's Field, which, by the way, I couldn't do today. 415 00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:47,840 Speaker 1: I'd be sued by the Los Angeles Dodgers and it 416 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:50,480 Speaker 1: was Billboard Club of the Year, and I used the 417 00:23:50,520 --> 00:23:53,560 Speaker 1: same logo in nineteen seventy two. I would have been 418 00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:57,000 Speaker 1: enjoyed from doing that. But knowing cared in those days. Okay, 419 00:23:57,040 --> 00:24:00,399 Speaker 1: let's stuh okay, how many kids in the family? Have 420 00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:03,600 Speaker 1: five kids? I was actually, believe it or not a 421 00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:07,119 Speaker 1: very good student. But where were you in the hierarchy 422 00:24:07,119 --> 00:24:10,320 Speaker 1: of the five kids? Uh? No, no, I have five kids? 423 00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:14,080 Speaker 1: No no, no, no no. Then the media asked question, 424 00:24:14,720 --> 00:24:16,920 Speaker 1: in the family that you grew up in, how many 425 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:19,360 Speaker 1: kids were there too? Just my brother and I. He's 426 00:24:19,359 --> 00:24:23,320 Speaker 1: a dentist. And who was the oldest? He was four 427 00:24:23,359 --> 00:24:32,119 Speaker 1: years four years older. Usually the oldest. All the hopes 428 00:24:32,119 --> 00:24:34,280 Speaker 1: and dreams are in the oldest, and they sort of 429 00:24:34,359 --> 00:24:37,879 Speaker 1: coddle the younger. What was it like in your family? Well, 430 00:24:38,080 --> 00:24:42,000 Speaker 1: I was a really excellent student. I graduated from Forests 431 00:24:42,080 --> 00:24:44,440 Speaker 1: High School when I was sixteen because they had something, 432 00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:46,639 Speaker 1: you know, called the sp where you can skip the 433 00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:48,920 Speaker 1: eighth grade and do seven, eight and nine and two years. 434 00:24:49,280 --> 00:24:52,159 Speaker 1: And I started kindergarten when I was four because I 435 00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:54,720 Speaker 1: passed some i Q tests and started so I graduated 436 00:24:54,840 --> 00:24:58,400 Speaker 1: high school at sixteen, went to Queen's College. Actually, Paul 437 00:24:58,440 --> 00:25:00,720 Speaker 1: Simon an Arty garfen Call went to Horses I school 438 00:25:00,720 --> 00:25:02,960 Speaker 1: in Queen's College with me, although they were four years 439 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:05,240 Speaker 1: ahead of me any time, and graduated with me. And 440 00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:08,040 Speaker 1: I was real good friends with in high school and college. 441 00:25:08,359 --> 00:25:11,440 Speaker 1: But anyway, came out to Boulder, and I don't even 442 00:25:11,440 --> 00:25:13,880 Speaker 1: know what Colorado was because we didn't have any money, 443 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:16,080 Speaker 1: but they gave me a scholarship to go for a 444 00:25:16,160 --> 00:25:19,879 Speaker 1: PhD and political science. I love government. That's probably what 445 00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:23,440 Speaker 1: I've done fifty benefits for a whole bunch of politicians, 446 00:25:23,800 --> 00:25:26,199 Speaker 1: especially my boy John Hickenlooper will be arranging a new 447 00:25:26,200 --> 00:25:28,480 Speaker 1: one for a Senate campaign. But I go back with 448 00:25:28,520 --> 00:25:33,080 Speaker 1: Gary Hart and Pat Schroeder and all the liberal Democratic 449 00:25:33,359 --> 00:25:36,879 Speaker 1: politicians that I've done. I love politics. Was on my 450 00:25:36,960 --> 00:25:40,040 Speaker 1: way to a doctor at twenty two and a half, 451 00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:44,600 Speaker 1: but I I spent my youth buying albums and going 452 00:25:44,600 --> 00:25:48,040 Speaker 1: to concerts. My father is a school teacher. During the summer, 453 00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:50,520 Speaker 1: he would be a camp counselor at Lake Should talk 454 00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:53,040 Speaker 1: with New York, which is the greatest place. It's a 455 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:56,399 Speaker 1: summer resort and they have an Amphitheater there and they 456 00:25:56,400 --> 00:25:59,560 Speaker 1: have music and symphony and all sorts of stuff. I 457 00:25:59,600 --> 00:26:02,400 Speaker 1: went there. We sigment with my dad's as as a 458 00:26:02,440 --> 00:26:06,040 Speaker 1: camp counselor, and I started. I saw the Kingston Trio 459 00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:09,040 Speaker 1: when I was eleven years old, and I saw God. 460 00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:11,760 Speaker 1: I went to see again. I stuck in the front row, 461 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:14,600 Speaker 1: sat on the floor, and I fell in love with 462 00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:18,119 Speaker 1: folk music. Absolutely fell in love with folk music. I 463 00:26:18,119 --> 00:26:21,399 Speaker 1: bought every album of all the old folk eas In fact, 464 00:26:23,440 --> 00:26:28,520 Speaker 1: can you see that? Yes I can, It says born 465 00:26:28,560 --> 00:26:32,919 Speaker 1: to Folk. I finally my kid, who has tattoos, convinced me. 466 00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:35,160 Speaker 1: I said, I always wanted this, but I never had 467 00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:37,760 Speaker 1: the nerve out of way till my Jewish mother died. 468 00:26:38,040 --> 00:26:40,760 Speaker 1: But I finally got that. But I fell in love 469 00:26:40,800 --> 00:26:43,639 Speaker 1: with folk music. I saw the Kingston Trio, brought up 470 00:26:43,720 --> 00:26:47,000 Speaker 1: Tenor Martin for string guitar like Nick Reynolds of the band, 471 00:26:47,320 --> 00:26:49,919 Speaker 1: played in a couple of folk bands. Was not very good, 472 00:26:50,240 --> 00:26:53,240 Speaker 1: but I lived for music. I also, when we got 473 00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:55,920 Speaker 1: my father became an assistant principal. We made a few 474 00:26:55,920 --> 00:26:58,159 Speaker 1: extra books. So we moved to the poorer part of 475 00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:00,800 Speaker 1: our hills and I went to the far Stills west 476 00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:03,840 Speaker 1: Side Terence Club where they had shows even in those days, 477 00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:06,879 Speaker 1: and saw Bob Dylan and a whole bunch of other acts, 478 00:27:07,240 --> 00:27:10,199 Speaker 1: and just lived for music Board every album when it 479 00:27:10,280 --> 00:27:12,840 Speaker 1: came out, just but I didn't know how to get 480 00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:15,320 Speaker 1: into music becauseiness, I didn't know anybody. I knew Eddie 481 00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:19,800 Speaker 1: Simon and the Simon family, but that was it. And 482 00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:22,119 Speaker 1: after two years of doing well in graduate school at 483 00:27:22,160 --> 00:27:25,400 Speaker 1: a very young age, so wait, wait, after those two years, 484 00:27:25,400 --> 00:27:29,000 Speaker 1: what year are we in chronologically? Nineteen sixty? He was 485 00:27:31,880 --> 00:27:34,520 Speaker 1: so two years of graduate school, I was gonna quit 486 00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:37,280 Speaker 1: graduate school and try to make it in the entertainment 487 00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:40,840 Speaker 1: business because that's what I really loved. And my parents 488 00:27:40,840 --> 00:27:43,439 Speaker 1: almost they disowned me. They thought I was having a 489 00:27:43,480 --> 00:27:46,760 Speaker 1: nervous breakdown. My father was a brilliant guy, a school teacher, 490 00:27:47,280 --> 00:27:50,159 Speaker 1: you know, five et, a captain and Greek and Latin, 491 00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:53,560 Speaker 1: but it was a school teacher and they didn't understand 492 00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:56,639 Speaker 1: I quit graduate school. I was a great student and 493 00:27:56,680 --> 00:27:58,800 Speaker 1: I wanted to be in music, which my parents did 494 00:27:58,840 --> 00:28:02,320 Speaker 1: not understand. And just just before we go, you were 495 00:28:02,359 --> 00:28:07,040 Speaker 1: studying what instant at university policide constantly, I was getting 496 00:28:07,040 --> 00:28:09,320 Speaker 1: a doctorate in constitutional You are and I was a 497 00:28:09,359 --> 00:28:12,680 Speaker 1: twenty year old t a at c U. Okay, I'm 498 00:28:12,680 --> 00:28:16,600 Speaker 1: about twelve years old. Okay, And what was the dream 499 00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:20,320 Speaker 1: once you did get the pH d. I didn't have 500 00:28:20,359 --> 00:28:22,760 Speaker 1: a dream. I like politics, and I guess I didn't 501 00:28:22,760 --> 00:28:25,359 Speaker 1: have end up either being a lobbyist like my daughter 502 00:28:25,400 --> 00:28:30,159 Speaker 1: has become, or teach teacher. Okay, SI in college. Okay, 503 00:28:30,160 --> 00:28:32,800 Speaker 1: so you say I'm leaving to I'm leaving school. I 504 00:28:32,880 --> 00:28:35,199 Speaker 1: want to be in the entertainment business. And what is 505 00:28:35,240 --> 00:28:38,960 Speaker 1: the next move? The next move is I got friendly 506 00:28:39,000 --> 00:28:42,720 Speaker 1: with a guy named Herbie Cavar. Herbie Cavar owned the 507 00:28:42,760 --> 00:28:46,200 Speaker 1: most popular bar on the hill in Bold called the Sink. 508 00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:49,680 Speaker 1: The Sink was deep place to get a beer and 509 00:28:49,720 --> 00:28:53,480 Speaker 1: listen to a jukebox and have fun. It's still around. 510 00:28:53,480 --> 00:28:57,520 Speaker 1: It's been around and Bolded for forty years anyway, fifty 511 00:28:57,600 --> 00:29:00,040 Speaker 1: years maybe more. And one day I told him I 512 00:29:00,200 --> 00:29:02,160 Speaker 1: dropped out and I wanted to do something with people. 513 00:29:02,360 --> 00:29:04,320 Speaker 1: I used to have a beer with him every night 514 00:29:04,600 --> 00:29:08,000 Speaker 1: when I left New Orleans Library after I studied, and 515 00:29:09,640 --> 00:29:11,040 Speaker 1: I told him I had quit and I wanted to 516 00:29:11,080 --> 00:29:14,400 Speaker 1: do something with people, maybe music, although they didn't have 517 00:29:14,440 --> 00:29:17,240 Speaker 1: live music at the time of the sink, and he said, 518 00:29:17,320 --> 00:29:20,040 Speaker 1: you know, my manager of the sink just quit. People 519 00:29:20,120 --> 00:29:23,360 Speaker 1: love you. You're really smart. Why don't you manage to sink? 520 00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:25,960 Speaker 1: Which was the number one three too bar in the state. 521 00:29:26,440 --> 00:29:28,160 Speaker 1: It took a half hour to get in there on 522 00:29:28,200 --> 00:29:30,960 Speaker 1: a Friday afternoon and there was no cover charge, just 523 00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:33,080 Speaker 1: to show an I d that's how busy it was, 524 00:29:33,840 --> 00:29:37,440 Speaker 1: and I decided to take to try it. In fact, 525 00:29:37,560 --> 00:29:39,720 Speaker 1: I said I never took a business class. I didn't 526 00:29:39,720 --> 00:29:42,080 Speaker 1: know anything about He said, no, you'd be great. I 527 00:29:42,160 --> 00:29:46,480 Speaker 1: started managing the sink in night and started booking local 528 00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:49,280 Speaker 1: bands in the back room. Some of them became famous. 529 00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:52,040 Speaker 1: One of them was this wonderful kid guitar player named 530 00:29:52,080 --> 00:29:55,200 Speaker 1: Tommy Bolan, who was one of the greatest that ever lived. 531 00:29:55,600 --> 00:29:58,720 Speaker 1: Ran away from Sioux City, Iowa, started playing little clubs 532 00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:01,360 Speaker 1: and Boulder became best friends with him. He played the 533 00:30:01,440 --> 00:30:03,880 Speaker 1: upstairs of the sink for me. Another one with a 534 00:30:03,880 --> 00:30:06,960 Speaker 1: bunch of dropouts from SEU named Flash Cadillac and the 535 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:10,080 Speaker 1: Continental Kids, who they played in the back room for 536 00:30:10,160 --> 00:30:12,640 Speaker 1: me for a keg of beer. Second show they ever did. 537 00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:15,000 Speaker 1: They ended up being a regular on Happy Days and 538 00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:18,280 Speaker 1: then with the movie American Graffiti. They're still touring, by 539 00:30:18,280 --> 00:30:22,040 Speaker 1: the way since then, and I started booking local bands, 540 00:30:22,120 --> 00:30:24,840 Speaker 1: some of them became well known in the In the 541 00:30:24,960 --> 00:30:28,040 Speaker 1: upstairs of the sink, I also did something I knew 542 00:30:28,080 --> 00:30:31,280 Speaker 1: I was a good promoter when I did something really nuts. 543 00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:34,200 Speaker 1: The Sink jut box was the only music at that 544 00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:36,680 Speaker 1: point before I started booking, putting local bands in the 545 00:30:36,720 --> 00:30:41,240 Speaker 1: back room for free, and it was a successful jukebox. 546 00:30:41,840 --> 00:30:44,720 Speaker 1: And I came up with this crazy idea that I 547 00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:48,840 Speaker 1: was gonna make forty five's out of album cuts in 548 00:30:49,280 --> 00:30:51,840 Speaker 1: that jute box. Companies didn't give to the ju box. 549 00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:54,840 Speaker 1: To the juke boxes, there was always the top forty hits. 550 00:30:55,400 --> 00:30:57,560 Speaker 1: So I did a forty five of like the long 551 00:30:57,680 --> 00:31:00,200 Speaker 1: range of hit. I did it stuff from you know, 552 00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:04,200 Speaker 1: movies that people love, but they never were singles. And 553 00:31:04,240 --> 00:31:06,200 Speaker 1: it became the biggest two box in history of the 554 00:31:06,200 --> 00:31:08,360 Speaker 1: state if people would go in there to play those 555 00:31:08,360 --> 00:31:11,160 Speaker 1: songs that they couldn't get in any other juke box anywhere. 556 00:31:11,640 --> 00:31:13,160 Speaker 1: And I did stuff like that, and I knew I 557 00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:16,680 Speaker 1: had a natural inclintion to promote music. And after about 558 00:31:16,720 --> 00:31:20,000 Speaker 1: two and a half years, I convinced herby that we 559 00:31:20,040 --> 00:31:22,560 Speaker 1: ought to take a bankrupt club called to Logs, which 560 00:31:22,560 --> 00:31:25,000 Speaker 1: was up the street right next to Don's Fox. By 561 00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:27,560 Speaker 1: the way, it's still there, although it's now a lot 562 00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:30,920 Speaker 1: of other stores. The signs still up because it's histark 563 00:31:31,720 --> 00:31:34,880 Speaker 1: and just stopping for one second when you started to 564 00:31:34,960 --> 00:31:37,480 Speaker 1: manage the sink, that is, when you dropped out of 565 00:31:37,480 --> 00:31:39,320 Speaker 1: school or were still going to school. But I know 566 00:31:39,400 --> 00:31:42,520 Speaker 1: I dropped out of school. Okay, so you you you find, 567 00:31:42,560 --> 00:31:46,040 Speaker 1: you find two loggies. I convinced herby because I still 568 00:31:46,080 --> 00:31:49,200 Speaker 1: have no money. Because I, to be honest, I party 569 00:31:49,280 --> 00:31:52,720 Speaker 1: too much. I love cars, women and having fun. I 570 00:31:52,800 --> 00:31:56,040 Speaker 1: did very well. But those were the seventies and sixties, 571 00:31:56,040 --> 00:31:59,320 Speaker 1: like sixties and Boulder, Colorado, for God's sakes, I mean 572 00:31:59,360 --> 00:32:02,480 Speaker 1: you know. Um. In fact, I'll tell you quick story. 573 00:32:03,040 --> 00:32:06,000 Speaker 1: Tommy Bowling became one of my best friends, became one 574 00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:09,000 Speaker 1: of the greatest guitarist. Was in Deep Purple. James Gang 575 00:32:09,720 --> 00:32:14,000 Speaker 1: um odd and died too young. I had which comedian 576 00:32:14,040 --> 00:32:17,240 Speaker 1: that I had, Oh god, what's his name? He died 577 00:32:17,280 --> 00:32:19,880 Speaker 1: a while ago. But I walked. I walked in and 578 00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:22,440 Speaker 1: Tommy wanted to meet him, and we walked into the 579 00:32:22,560 --> 00:32:26,160 Speaker 1: dressing When I was doing the show, and um, he 580 00:32:26,200 --> 00:32:30,160 Speaker 1: looked at me and and said, I got a feeling 581 00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:33,720 Speaker 1: I really want to get some pot. And I got 582 00:32:33,760 --> 00:32:36,080 Speaker 1: the feeling that the guy with hair down his back, 583 00:32:36,440 --> 00:32:39,600 Speaker 1: with pink hair in bold of Colorado knows how me 584 00:32:39,760 --> 00:32:42,480 Speaker 1: to get score some pot. Which he was right. Of course, Tommy, 585 00:32:42,520 --> 00:32:45,120 Speaker 1: you know how to get pot. But it was Bob 586 00:32:45,920 --> 00:32:49,480 Speaker 1: what's his name? Great comedian, but it was a funny line. 587 00:32:49,600 --> 00:32:53,080 Speaker 1: That's another story. So so I I convinced her me 588 00:32:53,120 --> 00:32:55,320 Speaker 1: to put the money up. I owned a small piece. 589 00:32:55,440 --> 00:32:57,000 Speaker 1: I did the whole thing book Did you do? You 590 00:32:57,040 --> 00:32:58,880 Speaker 1: do you remember how much money he had to put up? 591 00:33:00,400 --> 00:33:02,600 Speaker 1: It wasn't that much. It was a rental deal. We 592 00:33:02,640 --> 00:33:05,840 Speaker 1: never owned the building. We remodeled it. We opened up 593 00:33:05,840 --> 00:33:08,240 Speaker 1: with the hottest band ever in Colorado that never made 594 00:33:08,280 --> 00:33:12,000 Speaker 1: it nationally, Tommy Boland's band, Zephyr. And in a period 595 00:33:12,040 --> 00:33:16,000 Speaker 1: of three years in blues, I had John Lee Hook 596 00:33:16,040 --> 00:33:20,440 Speaker 1: of Money Waters, Lightning Hopkins, Man Slips, Big Mama, Thornton, Uh, 597 00:33:20,600 --> 00:33:25,240 Speaker 1: Johnny Ootis, Shug be Yotis everybody um In In Folk, 598 00:33:25,360 --> 00:33:28,120 Speaker 1: I had the Dirt band who later moved there, Leo Cocky, 599 00:33:28,120 --> 00:33:31,960 Speaker 1: who I managed for years. Um Tom rushed, Tim Harden, 600 00:33:32,400 --> 00:33:36,800 Speaker 1: Tom Tom Paxton, everybody in rock. I had body races. 601 00:33:36,880 --> 00:33:41,000 Speaker 1: First tour. I had the first tour of zz Top, 602 00:33:41,440 --> 00:33:44,120 Speaker 1: which was amazing. I mean, all those bands played for me. 603 00:33:44,400 --> 00:33:47,240 Speaker 1: It became one of the most successful clubs in America. Okay, 604 00:33:47,280 --> 00:33:51,080 Speaker 1: what was the capacity of Too Loggy's five hundred? And 605 00:33:51,120 --> 00:33:53,760 Speaker 1: if you once you were going, if you didn't have 606 00:33:53,800 --> 00:33:55,880 Speaker 1: the deep pocket of the guy who owned the sink, 607 00:33:55,960 --> 00:33:58,800 Speaker 1: could you have made it? I couldn't have opened the 608 00:33:58,800 --> 00:34:02,120 Speaker 1: club and I couldn't have whatce it was open? Was 609 00:34:02,160 --> 00:34:04,160 Speaker 1: it always in the black or was it up always 610 00:34:04,160 --> 00:34:06,160 Speaker 1: in the black? Did very well, but I only had 611 00:34:06,160 --> 00:34:08,680 Speaker 1: a small piece and I did everything. He never came in. 612 00:34:09,000 --> 00:34:10,960 Speaker 1: I mean, he gave me my break. I'll never say 613 00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:13,239 Speaker 1: a bad thing. He's still alive in his nineties and 614 00:34:13,320 --> 00:34:15,240 Speaker 1: gave me the biggest break of my career to manage 615 00:34:15,239 --> 00:34:17,040 Speaker 1: to think and then putting up the money for a 616 00:34:17,080 --> 00:34:20,759 Speaker 1: club that became my really entree into making it as 617 00:34:20,760 --> 00:34:24,480 Speaker 1: a as a promoter. But he was wonderful, But but 618 00:34:24,680 --> 00:34:28,920 Speaker 1: I felt like, um, I wanted to have more say, 619 00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:31,880 Speaker 1: and I wanted to do bigger concerts. And every time 620 00:34:32,239 --> 00:34:35,000 Speaker 1: I book a band, I book the first tour of 621 00:34:35,160 --> 00:34:37,920 Speaker 1: Dan Hickson, Hot Licks who were huge, and Boulder, I 622 00:34:37,920 --> 00:34:40,799 Speaker 1: mean really obscure bands that were doing just great there. 623 00:34:41,320 --> 00:34:47,000 Speaker 1: Uh cold Blood remember them, she was killer there. I 624 00:34:47,040 --> 00:34:51,400 Speaker 1: had all those bands anyway. Um, when the band's got bigger, 625 00:34:51,640 --> 00:34:53,880 Speaker 1: they played for Faye because he was the big promoter 626 00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:56,840 Speaker 1: Faye Line and I wanted to do bigger shows. J J. 627 00:34:57,080 --> 00:34:59,680 Speaker 1: Cale was huge and Boulder was the first guy to 628 00:34:59,719 --> 00:35:02,359 Speaker 1: bring a man not you ever met him or see 629 00:35:02,440 --> 00:35:06,080 Speaker 1: him play. He's the greatest. He was the greatest anyway. 630 00:35:06,120 --> 00:35:08,080 Speaker 1: But when they when they got bigger, they played for 631 00:35:08,120 --> 00:35:10,600 Speaker 1: Fae because he was a big promoter. And I said, 632 00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:12,200 Speaker 1: if I wanted to get big, I might have to 633 00:35:12,200 --> 00:35:14,400 Speaker 1: go into business with him. I never met him. We 634 00:35:14,520 --> 00:35:17,399 Speaker 1: fought over the phone and he always won. I tried 635 00:35:17,440 --> 00:35:19,920 Speaker 1: to do a bigger concerts and he got them, and 636 00:35:19,960 --> 00:35:22,440 Speaker 1: I realized then, at least in those days, that's the 637 00:35:22,440 --> 00:35:24,759 Speaker 1: way the business was, at least for me. There are 638 00:35:24,800 --> 00:35:27,600 Speaker 1: some people that have stayed independent. God bless him. Our 639 00:35:27,680 --> 00:35:30,200 Speaker 1: boys in Washington, he see him been like that, and 640 00:35:30,280 --> 00:35:32,399 Speaker 1: I have a total respect for them. But for me, 641 00:35:32,760 --> 00:35:34,760 Speaker 1: if I wanted to be bigger, I'd have to probably 642 00:35:34,800 --> 00:35:38,399 Speaker 1: have to get into business with Barry, who I never met, 643 00:35:38,680 --> 00:35:40,759 Speaker 1: and he was three hunder than five pounds, and we 644 00:35:40,840 --> 00:35:43,160 Speaker 1: screamed on the phone for about two years and he 645 00:35:43,239 --> 00:35:46,360 Speaker 1: always won. So one day I decided I was going 646 00:35:46,400 --> 00:35:50,520 Speaker 1: to take it, take a chance, and you're still running 647 00:35:50,520 --> 00:35:53,920 Speaker 1: two loggies as a kind of partner doing all the 648 00:35:53,920 --> 00:35:57,480 Speaker 1: work herby okay. So two and a half years later 649 00:35:57,880 --> 00:36:01,160 Speaker 1: I called Barry. I I thought he would hang up 650 00:36:01,160 --> 00:36:04,000 Speaker 1: on me because we fought on the phone. He would 651 00:36:04,040 --> 00:36:05,920 Speaker 1: ask the phone, what the fund do you want? That's 652 00:36:05,920 --> 00:36:08,359 Speaker 1: how Barry said a low if you knew anything about 653 00:36:08,360 --> 00:36:11,040 Speaker 1: I love Barry, but he was a lot different than 654 00:36:11,760 --> 00:36:14,160 Speaker 1: most people I've ever known in my life. I loved 655 00:36:14,200 --> 00:36:15,719 Speaker 1: him and a lot of ways, best man and two 656 00:36:15,760 --> 00:36:19,000 Speaker 1: of my weddings, but we were different a lot of ways. 657 00:36:19,719 --> 00:36:21,279 Speaker 1: So I called him and he said, what the fund 658 00:36:21,320 --> 00:36:23,440 Speaker 1: do you want? I said, you know, I'm this young 659 00:36:23,520 --> 00:36:26,799 Speaker 1: kid that built this big club. I'm finding acts. Linda 660 00:36:26,880 --> 00:36:29,120 Speaker 1: Ronstad did a first tour there that he left the 661 00:36:29,160 --> 00:36:32,880 Speaker 1: Stone Ponies. I had all these parents, I said, and 662 00:36:32,880 --> 00:36:34,480 Speaker 1: then when they get big, they played for you at 663 00:36:34,480 --> 00:36:37,279 Speaker 1: fey Line. I want to maybe build a club with 664 00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:39,840 Speaker 1: you as a partner. Equal partner in Denver. There was 665 00:36:39,880 --> 00:36:41,680 Speaker 1: no rock club then, and then I want to go 666 00:36:41,719 --> 00:36:44,080 Speaker 1: on and do bigger shows with you, and he said, 667 00:36:44,120 --> 00:36:46,520 Speaker 1: what are you doing tomorrow night? I still remember the show. 668 00:36:46,840 --> 00:36:49,320 Speaker 1: I had stone ground to remember that band. Of course, 669 00:36:49,360 --> 00:36:52,520 Speaker 1: I'm Warner Brothers from San Francisco. Who's the lead singer? 670 00:36:53,000 --> 00:36:57,319 Speaker 1: The same guy for the bull Rumbles? Who? Who? God? 671 00:36:57,320 --> 00:37:01,440 Speaker 1: If you had an ass not Sal Valentino, Yes, yes, 672 00:37:01,719 --> 00:37:04,640 Speaker 1: oh I love you, You're great. This is the great 673 00:37:04,719 --> 00:37:09,800 Speaker 1: And the opening act was Man Slipscomb, the old Delta 674 00:37:09,840 --> 00:37:13,279 Speaker 1: blues musician who was about eighty five years old. In 675 00:37:13,320 --> 00:37:16,520 Speaker 1: those days, you can put anybody on the on on shows. 676 00:37:16,560 --> 00:37:19,480 Speaker 1: So I put together the stupidest shows and the bolder. 677 00:37:19,520 --> 00:37:23,160 Speaker 1: It always worked. I wanted to show with who is 678 00:37:23,200 --> 00:37:26,680 Speaker 1: the hippie band from from from San Francisco one of 679 00:37:26,680 --> 00:37:29,720 Speaker 1: the first ones, and I put my dear friend Mimi 680 00:37:29,760 --> 00:37:32,440 Speaker 1: Farina in the open. She was opening for the Sons 681 00:37:32,480 --> 00:37:36,759 Speaker 1: of Champlin, Bill Champlin's first Yeah Nea was his R 682 00:37:36,880 --> 00:37:40,080 Speaker 1: and B hippie band. And I loved Mimi. She had 683 00:37:40,080 --> 00:37:42,800 Speaker 1: played John Pey as his kid sister. Well, I loved 684 00:37:42,880 --> 00:37:45,359 Speaker 1: love to death. I put her on there. It would work. 685 00:37:45,440 --> 00:37:48,680 Speaker 1: Nowhere else in the world except Balda, Colorado, and people 686 00:37:48,680 --> 00:37:50,960 Speaker 1: loved it. Anyway, you could put any acts you want. 687 00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:54,319 Speaker 1: In those days, you didn't have agents. Manager saying we're 688 00:37:54,320 --> 00:37:56,040 Speaker 1: putting one of the bands that we worked with on 689 00:37:56,080 --> 00:38:00,440 Speaker 1: the shows and anyway. So Barry said, I'll come up 690 00:38:00,840 --> 00:38:03,000 Speaker 1: and talk to you, and I had some ground and 691 00:38:03,040 --> 00:38:05,719 Speaker 1: man slips. He walked in my office and said, you're 692 00:38:05,719 --> 00:38:08,760 Speaker 1: the best club kid I've ever seen. Go find a club. 693 00:38:08,920 --> 00:38:12,400 Speaker 1: I'll put up all the money, will be partners, and 694 00:38:12,440 --> 00:38:15,120 Speaker 1: if it works out well, we'll start doing concerts together. 695 00:38:15,640 --> 00:38:18,080 Speaker 1: And that's all I wanted to hear. I left too 696 00:38:18,080 --> 00:38:21,920 Speaker 1: Loggy's about six four weeks later, started looking for clubs 697 00:38:21,920 --> 00:38:25,920 Speaker 1: and found an old mr room called Marvelous Marks. Who whoa, whoa, whoa? 698 00:38:26,200 --> 00:38:28,239 Speaker 1: What did the owner of the sinks say when you 699 00:38:28,280 --> 00:38:33,279 Speaker 1: said you were moving on? He was devastated, but we 700 00:38:33,320 --> 00:38:37,040 Speaker 1: had our differences. He was God bless Herbie. I love him. 701 00:38:37,080 --> 00:38:39,040 Speaker 1: He gave me such a break, but he still didn't 702 00:38:39,080 --> 00:38:42,560 Speaker 1: understand the culture of our business. He'd freaked out if 703 00:38:42,560 --> 00:38:45,360 Speaker 1: he walked in and a musician with smoking cotton addressing 704 00:38:45,440 --> 00:38:48,680 Speaker 1: room freak out right in front of me. I'll never 705 00:38:48,719 --> 00:38:50,840 Speaker 1: forget the biggest thing. I've game best friends with the 706 00:38:50,880 --> 00:38:54,000 Speaker 1: dirt band who moved to Colorado. I later managed them 707 00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:56,759 Speaker 1: and still my best friends for twenty five years. And 708 00:38:56,800 --> 00:38:59,480 Speaker 1: they were rehearsing at Too Loggy's before they started a 709 00:38:59,520 --> 00:39:03,160 Speaker 1: tour because I lived in Colorado, leaving Denver Boulder and Annassment, 710 00:39:03,600 --> 00:39:06,520 Speaker 1: and they rehearsed for four days during the day and 711 00:39:07,520 --> 00:39:09,839 Speaker 1: Herby came in. I was this is the first band 712 00:39:09,880 --> 00:39:13,560 Speaker 1: I became best friends with. And he came in and 713 00:39:13,600 --> 00:39:17,160 Speaker 1: we had pillows on the floor. People would sit on pillows, 714 00:39:17,800 --> 00:39:21,120 Speaker 1: hundreds of people and then seats around the outside. And 715 00:39:21,160 --> 00:39:23,840 Speaker 1: he started screaming at because the pillows were dirty and 716 00:39:24,239 --> 00:39:26,640 Speaker 1: show that night and I said to myself, I can't 717 00:39:26,680 --> 00:39:29,840 Speaker 1: do this anymore. And that's what I called faye. Okay, 718 00:39:29,880 --> 00:39:31,800 Speaker 1: So you start looking for a club, what do you find. 719 00:39:32,200 --> 00:39:34,520 Speaker 1: I find a place called Marvelous Marvs that was an 720 00:39:34,640 --> 00:39:37,520 Speaker 1: M O R room that would have like pop AX, 721 00:39:37,760 --> 00:39:40,840 Speaker 1: m r X, Las Vegas AX, and they weren't doing well, 722 00:39:41,320 --> 00:39:44,200 Speaker 1: and I convinced they to write out the whole check. 723 00:39:44,560 --> 00:39:47,680 Speaker 1: We became fifty fifty partners. I named it Everittsfield, the 724 00:39:47,680 --> 00:39:51,200 Speaker 1: place that I lived for you own, you rented, or 725 00:39:51,239 --> 00:39:54,759 Speaker 1: you actually owned the building. We rented the building, we 726 00:39:54,840 --> 00:39:58,080 Speaker 1: rented the room. We remember how much Faye had to 727 00:39:58,080 --> 00:40:00,560 Speaker 1: put in to get started. It was. It was a 728 00:40:00,640 --> 00:40:04,400 Speaker 1: dumpy place, I would say, I mean those days, it 729 00:40:04,480 --> 00:40:07,200 Speaker 1: was a lot of money. Probably that was a lot 730 00:40:07,200 --> 00:40:09,879 Speaker 1: of money. Okay. So how long does it take you 731 00:40:10,360 --> 00:40:14,759 Speaker 1: after you find it to actually open um? It was 732 00:40:14,800 --> 00:40:17,640 Speaker 1: only about six weeks of construction. It was really just 733 00:40:17,680 --> 00:40:22,640 Speaker 1: cleaning it up. We had bleachers. People sat in bleachers 734 00:40:22,680 --> 00:40:26,239 Speaker 1: that had carpeting on it, and it became a very 735 00:40:26,600 --> 00:40:28,960 Speaker 1: very It was as I said, it was Billboard Club 736 00:40:29,000 --> 00:40:32,200 Speaker 1: of the Year for two years. Yeah. I happen to 737 00:40:32,239 --> 00:40:36,239 Speaker 1: have a list of the four. I'm not gonna let 738 00:40:36,280 --> 00:40:40,200 Speaker 1: you read, okay, but just first question for you to 739 00:40:40,200 --> 00:40:42,640 Speaker 1: say some of the acts. What was capacity in Ebbitttsfield 740 00:40:43,040 --> 00:40:46,640 Speaker 1: two hundred and seventy Okay, So give me some of 741 00:40:46,680 --> 00:40:48,680 Speaker 1: the acts, okay. I'll just give you some of the 742 00:40:48,680 --> 00:40:54,200 Speaker 1: big ones. Tommy Bowling, George Benson, roy By Cannon, J. J. Kale, 743 00:40:54,400 --> 00:41:00,440 Speaker 1: Canned Heat, Cheech and Charm, I'm just Dr hook Ry Coutter, 744 00:41:01,160 --> 00:41:06,160 Speaker 1: Climax Blues Band, John fay Leo, Cocky Dan Foldelberg, Peter Frampton, 745 00:41:06,320 --> 00:41:11,799 Speaker 1: Richard Greene, David Grisman, Dick Gregory. It was a comical song. Um, John, 746 00:41:12,560 --> 00:41:15,799 Speaker 1: we got the idea. So what happened? You all your 747 00:41:15,840 --> 00:41:18,319 Speaker 1: open abbage Field? How long is that run? And when 748 00:41:18,320 --> 00:41:21,279 Speaker 1: do you get into concert? Four years? Four years and 749 00:41:21,400 --> 00:41:25,080 Speaker 1: fay Line was exploding. Barry started doing national tours, did 750 00:41:25,080 --> 00:41:28,360 Speaker 1: the Stones and about eight markets, did the Whon about 751 00:41:28,360 --> 00:41:31,200 Speaker 1: eight markets. He knew I was a great promoter, a 752 00:41:31,239 --> 00:41:34,839 Speaker 1: good promoter. I was a great promoter, Um, and said, 753 00:41:34,880 --> 00:41:37,120 Speaker 1: why don't you We're never gonna make any money in 754 00:41:37,160 --> 00:41:40,279 Speaker 1: this club. You've developed a lot of great relationships, so 755 00:41:40,360 --> 00:41:42,800 Speaker 1: why don't you sell the club and become my number 756 00:41:42,800 --> 00:41:47,800 Speaker 1: one guy at fay Line so and start doing bigger shows. 757 00:41:48,560 --> 00:41:51,080 Speaker 1: And so I sold the club four years after we 758 00:41:51,160 --> 00:41:54,200 Speaker 1: opened and became the senior vice president of fe Line 759 00:41:54,239 --> 00:41:58,320 Speaker 1: for ten years and booked many, many of the shows, 760 00:41:58,719 --> 00:42:01,799 Speaker 1: and we did shows all over the country. We did 761 00:42:01,840 --> 00:42:05,279 Speaker 1: William Whalen and the Outlaws across America. That's how I 762 00:42:05,280 --> 00:42:08,200 Speaker 1: became best friends with Willie and Mark Clothboun who still 763 00:42:08,239 --> 00:42:12,840 Speaker 1: as manager Um and did that. I had some differences 764 00:42:12,880 --> 00:42:16,399 Speaker 1: with Barry in terms of business practices and he had 765 00:42:16,440 --> 00:42:20,840 Speaker 1: some problems that are well known locally with gambling, and 766 00:42:21,000 --> 00:42:24,840 Speaker 1: I decided, Uh, I started managing the Dirt band and 767 00:42:24,920 --> 00:42:28,440 Speaker 1: Leo Kaki and I put together a band by myself 768 00:42:28,760 --> 00:42:30,719 Speaker 1: that became a band called Highway one on one, the 769 00:42:30,680 --> 00:42:33,600 Speaker 1: THEOS country group of the Year, and I managed Susie 770 00:42:33,600 --> 00:42:36,000 Speaker 1: Boggas and I'm and I found these young kids from 771 00:42:36,040 --> 00:42:38,440 Speaker 1: Columbine High School named big Hat Todd in the Monsters. 772 00:42:38,640 --> 00:42:41,279 Speaker 1: So my management company. While I was running Faye or 773 00:42:41,360 --> 00:42:44,480 Speaker 1: number two at Faye was doing well, I was a 774 00:42:44,520 --> 00:42:47,000 Speaker 1: little burnt out on I'm promoting, but more burnt out 775 00:42:47,000 --> 00:42:49,560 Speaker 1: of my relationship with Barry. I loved him, but we 776 00:42:49,600 --> 00:42:52,880 Speaker 1: had our differences and so I left and just managed bands. 777 00:42:53,280 --> 00:42:56,920 Speaker 1: Barry was bailed out he was going into bankruptcy for 778 00:42:57,040 --> 00:43:01,680 Speaker 1: personal reasons um by Michael Cole. Michael Cole flew me 779 00:43:01,760 --> 00:43:04,960 Speaker 1: up to Toronto. He had cp I then and said, 780 00:43:05,360 --> 00:43:07,120 Speaker 1: you're the only body that fake and it it will ever 781 00:43:07,239 --> 00:43:10,040 Speaker 1: listen to. I want to keep you on as a consultant. 782 00:43:10,080 --> 00:43:12,560 Speaker 1: You can manage all anybody you want, but stay on 783 00:43:12,680 --> 00:43:15,680 Speaker 1: part time. So I saw. I stayed on when col 784 00:43:16,360 --> 00:43:19,880 Speaker 1: bail Barry out and owned most of the line he 785 00:43:20,080 --> 00:43:23,160 Speaker 1: got tired of Barry and got bought out by a 786 00:43:23,160 --> 00:43:26,400 Speaker 1: guy named Jay Marciatto who was running House of Blues. 787 00:43:27,000 --> 00:43:29,080 Speaker 1: Jay did the same thing and said, you're the only 788 00:43:29,120 --> 00:43:31,799 Speaker 1: body failed ever listened to stay around as a consultant. 789 00:43:32,040 --> 00:43:35,360 Speaker 1: So I did. And then when Faye announced he was retiring, 790 00:43:35,880 --> 00:43:37,920 Speaker 1: I decided I'd go on my own as a promoter. 791 00:43:38,560 --> 00:43:40,480 Speaker 1: And that's what I called my dear friend Greg pearl 792 00:43:40,560 --> 00:43:42,799 Speaker 1: Off and said, why don't we start at Chuck Mars 793 00:43:42,880 --> 00:43:46,239 Speaker 1: program Presents in Denver? So what one? What year? We 794 00:43:46,360 --> 00:43:52,120 Speaker 1: late nineties it was, And I said, I got an 795 00:43:52,120 --> 00:43:55,600 Speaker 1: old building called Mammoth Events Center that is so made 796 00:43:55,640 --> 00:43:57,840 Speaker 1: to be a film Wore. You guys own the brand. 797 00:43:58,400 --> 00:44:00,560 Speaker 1: I want to build a filmore here and I'll never 798 00:44:00,600 --> 00:44:04,400 Speaker 1: forget Greg and Sherry said, you're crazy. Bill never wanted 799 00:44:04,440 --> 00:44:06,160 Speaker 1: to be like a House of Blues that have film. 800 00:44:06,200 --> 00:44:08,440 Speaker 1: War was all over the country. Guess who bo the 801 00:44:08,560 --> 00:44:11,080 Speaker 1: companies and now have film was all of the company. 802 00:44:11,120 --> 00:44:14,080 Speaker 1: But anyway, they came into town. They saw this old 803 00:44:14,200 --> 00:44:17,680 Speaker 1: nineteen eleven club that needed a lot of work, and 804 00:44:17,719 --> 00:44:20,239 Speaker 1: they said, Bill would call this a film Wore. And 805 00:44:20,280 --> 00:44:22,000 Speaker 1: that was our first move. We opened the film wore 806 00:44:22,040 --> 00:44:25,000 Speaker 1: in Denver and we really took over. While I was 807 00:44:25,040 --> 00:44:27,840 Speaker 1: doing that, Greg said I got something I gotta tell you. 808 00:44:28,200 --> 00:44:30,279 Speaker 1: I said, what's that? I said, I've been talking to 809 00:44:30,320 --> 00:44:33,840 Speaker 1: this guy, Bob Sillerman, who's probably gonna buy our company, 810 00:44:34,200 --> 00:44:36,680 Speaker 1: and he's buying a whole bunch of our promoting companies, 811 00:44:36,719 --> 00:44:40,400 Speaker 1: of other promoters. You just started a company in Colorado. 812 00:44:41,080 --> 00:44:43,560 Speaker 1: You will get a chunk to give up your part 813 00:44:43,680 --> 00:44:46,399 Speaker 1: in Colorado. I said, what the heck does that mean 814 00:44:46,440 --> 00:44:49,439 Speaker 1: for me? He said, Okay, here's the deal. You're gonna 815 00:44:49,480 --> 00:44:51,719 Speaker 1: get a nice check, nothing like we did when we 816 00:44:51,760 --> 00:44:54,759 Speaker 1: saw b GP, but a nice check for being a 817 00:44:54,840 --> 00:44:57,560 Speaker 1: business for four months. You will get more money to 818 00:44:57,760 --> 00:45:01,919 Speaker 1: invest in other things, and we're all stay. I said, well, 819 00:45:02,040 --> 00:45:05,239 Speaker 1: that is not a hard decision to be made, so 820 00:45:05,400 --> 00:45:09,520 Speaker 1: I stayed. We sold my part, everybody sold it to Bob, 821 00:45:10,200 --> 00:45:12,279 Speaker 1: and of course he sold it the Clear Channel. I 822 00:45:12,360 --> 00:45:14,719 Speaker 1: kept running it. Hired Don and Brent Is my first 823 00:45:14,760 --> 00:45:18,520 Speaker 1: moves years ago. I hired Don, who was running the Fox. 824 00:45:18,840 --> 00:45:21,200 Speaker 1: I hired him one day a week because I saw 825 00:45:21,320 --> 00:45:25,200 Speaker 1: him as being me twenty five years later. I said, 826 00:45:25,239 --> 00:45:27,920 Speaker 1: this kid's a genius, So I hired him one day, 827 00:45:27,960 --> 00:45:32,280 Speaker 1: one day a week, help helping our new company which 828 00:45:32,320 --> 00:45:35,960 Speaker 1: became s X, which became whatever first p g P 829 00:45:36,239 --> 00:45:40,759 Speaker 1: Chuck Mars and hired another guy from fay Line who 830 00:45:40,960 --> 00:45:43,440 Speaker 1: couldn't handle the old fay Line and quit, named Brent 831 00:45:43,520 --> 00:45:47,239 Speaker 1: for Drees hired him. Both hired Gone one day a week. 832 00:45:47,280 --> 00:45:49,520 Speaker 1: That I said, work two days a week. You're booking 833 00:45:49,600 --> 00:45:52,400 Speaker 1: great fade shows. You know that new stuff more than 834 00:45:52,480 --> 00:45:54,960 Speaker 1: I do. And then he went to three days. And 835 00:45:55,000 --> 00:45:58,840 Speaker 1: then I took him out and said, Don, eight years 836 00:45:58,920 --> 00:46:01,320 Speaker 1: was the first eight year of my career. I ran clubs. 837 00:46:01,520 --> 00:46:04,759 Speaker 1: It almost killed me. Enoughs enough, you can still all 838 00:46:04,800 --> 00:46:07,160 Speaker 1: in the club, Come work and do bigger shows. You'll 839 00:46:07,160 --> 00:46:09,520 Speaker 1: have a bigger career. And I convinced someone, and then 840 00:46:09,520 --> 00:46:11,719 Speaker 1: he worked full time. When I started a G, I 841 00:46:11,760 --> 00:46:15,040 Speaker 1: met him and Brent partners equal partners with me, and 842 00:46:15,080 --> 00:46:24,600 Speaker 1: they've been with me forever since then. So ultimately you 843 00:46:24,760 --> 00:46:29,440 Speaker 1: sell to Live Nation, but then you and Don and 844 00:46:29,520 --> 00:46:35,120 Speaker 1: Brent leave Live Nation, as does pearl Off. What happens there, well, 845 00:46:35,719 --> 00:46:39,680 Speaker 1: Um Grant sold it to Live too, actually as effects 846 00:46:39,760 --> 00:46:42,239 Speaker 1: was sold at the Clear Channel was spun off the 847 00:46:42,280 --> 00:46:45,359 Speaker 1: Live Nation. Greg left the same time as I did 848 00:46:45,400 --> 00:46:47,640 Speaker 1: he was getting tired of it and started another planet 849 00:46:48,239 --> 00:46:52,759 Speaker 1: same time, and I was getting tired of the politics 850 00:46:52,800 --> 00:46:57,880 Speaker 1: of a publicly traded company, and I got approached by 851 00:46:57,960 --> 00:46:59,880 Speaker 1: my dear friend Phil and Show. So I've known for 852 00:47:00,040 --> 00:47:03,120 Speaker 1: ever as a friend doing charity work with him. I 853 00:47:03,200 --> 00:47:05,480 Speaker 1: just loved the guy. Went to Russia with him with 854 00:47:05,560 --> 00:47:08,920 Speaker 1: the dirt Band because he had that's a quick story. 855 00:47:09,239 --> 00:47:11,600 Speaker 1: He's got the largest Western our collection in the world, 856 00:47:11,920 --> 00:47:15,319 Speaker 1: called the Anxious Collection. Grew up in Russell, Kansas, spent 857 00:47:15,360 --> 00:47:17,560 Speaker 1: the rest of his life in Colorado, made a lot 858 00:47:17,560 --> 00:47:21,560 Speaker 1: of money, built the greatest Western our collection was Sometimes 859 00:47:21,560 --> 00:47:24,960 Speaker 1: he tours around the world nonprofit. He called me one 860 00:47:25,040 --> 00:47:27,360 Speaker 1: day he loved the dirt band and went to a 861 00:47:27,400 --> 00:47:30,600 Speaker 1: bunch of shows. By the way, in fourteen years he's 862 00:47:30,600 --> 00:47:33,360 Speaker 1: been to five of our shows, five of US shows 863 00:47:33,360 --> 00:47:36,160 Speaker 1: in a g and has been to our age office 864 00:47:36,239 --> 00:47:39,399 Speaker 1: once in fourteen years. He's the greatest. Did you do well? 865 00:47:39,800 --> 00:47:42,279 Speaker 1: And he and he loves you. He lets you do 866 00:47:42,320 --> 00:47:44,680 Speaker 1: your do what you want. He's the greatest. But anyway, 867 00:47:44,880 --> 00:47:47,120 Speaker 1: he loved the dirt band and went to dirt band shows, 868 00:47:47,400 --> 00:47:50,000 Speaker 1: and one day in nineteen right before the Russian Revolution 869 00:47:50,480 --> 00:47:55,200 Speaker 1: in year was it. What was callsby? Says, I gotta, 870 00:47:55,239 --> 00:47:56,800 Speaker 1: I want to talk to you. Come over to the office. 871 00:47:56,800 --> 00:47:59,239 Speaker 1: We were already great a g wasn't even open yet. 872 00:47:59,480 --> 00:48:01,560 Speaker 1: He said he know about my Western art. Question me 873 00:48:01,640 --> 00:48:04,080 Speaker 1: and she's collection. I said, yeah, Phil, don't you remember you? 874 00:48:04,440 --> 00:48:06,200 Speaker 1: He gave me a tour of it while I was 875 00:48:06,280 --> 00:48:08,760 Speaker 1: sitting here in Denver. He said, oh yeah, I forgot. 876 00:48:09,239 --> 00:48:10,840 Speaker 1: He said, we're opening up the truck. You have a 877 00:48:10,920 --> 00:48:14,640 Speaker 1: museum in Moscow for six months. I've never done this before. 878 00:48:14,920 --> 00:48:17,600 Speaker 1: I want to fly my favorite American country band to 879 00:48:17,719 --> 00:48:21,240 Speaker 1: do thirty minutes acoustic in Moscow to open the exhibit. 880 00:48:21,280 --> 00:48:24,480 Speaker 1: We'll have pressed there Soviet Union officials was right before 881 00:48:24,520 --> 00:48:28,319 Speaker 1: the Russian Revolution, and you know other people. I'll get 882 00:48:28,440 --> 00:48:30,080 Speaker 1: what do they make? And I said, I'll give him 883 00:48:30,080 --> 00:48:32,960 Speaker 1: a fee. I'm there for nine nights doing other business, 884 00:48:33,040 --> 00:48:36,040 Speaker 1: oil business. You know, he has a million companies. And 885 00:48:36,080 --> 00:48:38,760 Speaker 1: I'll put you and the girlfriends and wives and crew 886 00:48:39,160 --> 00:48:43,040 Speaker 1: and band every the other eight nights, take everybody out 887 00:48:43,040 --> 00:48:45,279 Speaker 1: for dinner and have I have a lot of fun. 888 00:48:45,360 --> 00:48:47,960 Speaker 1: I'm doing business every day, other business. So we played 889 00:48:47,960 --> 00:48:51,000 Speaker 1: thirty minutes to open the exhibit, and only Phil as 890 00:48:51,280 --> 00:48:53,960 Speaker 1: I called him back in a day and said, Phil, 891 00:48:53,960 --> 00:48:56,319 Speaker 1: we're gonna do it. Don't worry, but the band would 892 00:48:56,320 --> 00:48:58,520 Speaker 1: love to play in front of some younger kids. This 893 00:48:58,600 --> 00:49:01,880 Speaker 1: is the art community. It was Soviet Union officials, it 894 00:49:02,080 --> 00:49:04,440 Speaker 1: was He actually invited the whole U. S. Embassy and 895 00:49:04,480 --> 00:49:08,799 Speaker 1: their families and art people. He said, Chuck, the whole 896 00:49:08,840 --> 00:49:12,560 Speaker 1: country's falling apart. Right, it was fifteen months before the 897 00:49:12,600 --> 00:49:15,520 Speaker 1: Soviet Union fell, so you can imagine what Musket was like. 898 00:49:16,040 --> 00:49:20,320 Speaker 1: It was a beautiful art museum. Were his exhibit safe 899 00:49:20,360 --> 00:49:24,439 Speaker 1: for six months? He said? Two days later he calls 900 00:49:24,480 --> 00:49:26,200 Speaker 1: me back to say, Okay, the first night you're gonna 901 00:49:26,200 --> 00:49:29,400 Speaker 1: do open my exhibit. The second night I arranged a 902 00:49:29,480 --> 00:49:33,120 Speaker 1: private show at a five thousand, most gorgeous opera house 903 00:49:33,160 --> 00:49:37,280 Speaker 1: you've ever seen. We're inviting Soviet Union officials, their families, 904 00:49:37,320 --> 00:49:39,839 Speaker 1: the U. S. Embassy and their families, and we're given 905 00:49:39,880 --> 00:49:43,880 Speaker 1: away twicts to Russian students. And the third night I 906 00:49:44,040 --> 00:49:47,200 Speaker 1: arranged How Phil evert did this today, I've never asked him, 907 00:49:47,280 --> 00:49:50,160 Speaker 1: but he did it in three days, he said. And 908 00:49:50,200 --> 00:49:52,200 Speaker 1: this is Phil talking to me, right. We were already 909 00:49:52,200 --> 00:49:54,680 Speaker 1: good friends. A g wasn't even open yet, he said, 910 00:49:54,719 --> 00:49:57,200 Speaker 1: don't be mad at me, Chuck. But I said yes 911 00:49:57,239 --> 00:49:59,600 Speaker 1: without asking you, And I'm not sure if you're in 912 00:49:59,600 --> 00:50:01,520 Speaker 1: the band, think I want to do it. But I 913 00:50:01,600 --> 00:50:04,080 Speaker 1: do a lot of business in the Soviet Union, and 914 00:50:04,120 --> 00:50:07,640 Speaker 1: I find that if the Soviet, if Soviets, make you 915 00:50:07,680 --> 00:50:09,680 Speaker 1: an offer, you have to say yes or no. If 916 00:50:09,719 --> 00:50:10,960 Speaker 1: I would have said I got to talk to a 917 00:50:11,040 --> 00:50:14,560 Speaker 1: band or prove it, it goes away. So I said yes, 918 00:50:14,719 --> 00:50:16,960 Speaker 1: don't be mad at me. And I said, well, we're 919 00:50:17,000 --> 00:50:19,120 Speaker 1: gonna have the greatest time in our lives. We don't care. 920 00:50:19,200 --> 00:50:21,719 Speaker 1: We'll do anything. He said, Okay, I arranged a free 921 00:50:21,719 --> 00:50:24,920 Speaker 1: concert in Gorky Park. He played a talking about fifteen 922 00:50:24,920 --> 00:50:27,960 Speaker 1: thousand people. How filled the state did that? I told 923 00:50:28,160 --> 00:50:30,359 Speaker 1: I don't even know. It's don't even asked. We get 924 00:50:30,360 --> 00:50:33,200 Speaker 1: around about it. But and that's how I became best 925 00:50:33,200 --> 00:50:36,920 Speaker 1: friends with the film. Okay, so, how do you ultimately 926 00:50:37,040 --> 00:50:40,799 Speaker 1: decide you want to start this music business program at 927 00:50:40,800 --> 00:50:44,480 Speaker 1: Colorado State? For my whole life, he I was a 928 00:50:44,560 --> 00:50:47,160 Speaker 1: t a of twenty years old to see you. I'm 929 00:50:47,200 --> 00:50:50,280 Speaker 1: the son of a school teacher. I always loved teaching. 930 00:50:50,360 --> 00:50:53,560 Speaker 1: I've taught it about twenty different colleges on one office, 931 00:50:54,040 --> 00:50:57,399 Speaker 1: just talking about music business. And I never had one 932 00:50:57,440 --> 00:51:00,160 Speaker 1: plan in my forty eight year of music career. The 933 00:51:00,200 --> 00:51:01,920 Speaker 1: one plan I had was I wanted to start a 934 00:51:02,000 --> 00:51:06,919 Speaker 1: music business department at a Colorado university. One plan only plan, 935 00:51:07,520 --> 00:51:11,120 Speaker 1: and I negotiated with not about money, but what school 936 00:51:11,239 --> 00:51:14,640 Speaker 1: would would follow up program I wanted to build. And 937 00:51:14,680 --> 00:51:16,920 Speaker 1: I made a deal with CSU where there it's not 938 00:51:16,960 --> 00:51:19,840 Speaker 1: a small town anymore, fail Collins. There's starting two thousand 939 00:51:19,920 --> 00:51:21,960 Speaker 1: kids to go to that school and it's a big 940 00:51:21,960 --> 00:51:25,200 Speaker 1: city now. And um, we're starting in three weeks introduction 941 00:51:25,239 --> 00:51:27,520 Speaker 1: of music business and in three years it will be 942 00:51:27,600 --> 00:51:29,520 Speaker 1: a minor and in five years it will be a major. 943 00:51:29,920 --> 00:51:31,840 Speaker 1: Hired my first teacher under me, and I'm gonna have 944 00:51:31,840 --> 00:51:33,960 Speaker 1: a whole department that I'm building, which has been the 945 00:51:34,040 --> 00:51:37,239 Speaker 1: dream of my life to do that. And I'm gonna 946 00:51:37,280 --> 00:51:40,160 Speaker 1: have guests every week of all my friends in the business. 947 00:51:40,360 --> 00:51:42,320 Speaker 1: And I'm inviting you by Skype to be a guest 948 00:51:42,360 --> 00:51:45,640 Speaker 1: to okay, and who your first couple of guests You've 949 00:51:45,680 --> 00:51:48,719 Speaker 1: already booked the first week because it's the first week. 950 00:51:49,200 --> 00:51:52,839 Speaker 1: I invited a guy named Ja Marciano who graduated from 951 00:51:52,880 --> 00:51:56,480 Speaker 1: c s U. Who's from Colorado, pattay j. He's the 952 00:51:56,520 --> 00:51:59,840 Speaker 1: head of our whole company, and he's perfect, and I 953 00:52:00,000 --> 00:52:03,320 Speaker 1: and write a big head title. I managed from here locally, 954 00:52:03,920 --> 00:52:07,000 Speaker 1: still a big star here, and so they're gonna talk 955 00:52:07,080 --> 00:52:09,319 Speaker 1: on the first week. But I have a stream of 956 00:52:09,320 --> 00:52:14,200 Speaker 1: people that are getting ready to say yes, executives, musicians also. Okay, 957 00:52:14,239 --> 00:52:16,719 Speaker 1: are you the only teacher at this point, I'm not 958 00:52:16,760 --> 00:52:19,239 Speaker 1: teaching at all. I'm gonna chairman of the department. I'll 959 00:52:19,239 --> 00:52:21,800 Speaker 1: guess lecture. I'll be there when the when the special 960 00:52:21,840 --> 00:52:25,000 Speaker 1: guests come once a week, but I'm not teaching day 961 00:52:25,000 --> 00:52:27,760 Speaker 1: to day. I'm not doing exams. I hired my first 962 00:52:27,760 --> 00:52:30,440 Speaker 1: teacher who had experience. Who how did you find a teacher? 963 00:52:30,440 --> 00:52:34,080 Speaker 1: And who is he or she? Bart Bart Dol worked 964 00:52:34,160 --> 00:52:38,120 Speaker 1: at Madison House for String Cheese, worked for Christa. Sally 965 00:52:38,560 --> 00:52:40,840 Speaker 1: in his company, and then toured at Metro State for 966 00:52:40,920 --> 00:52:44,560 Speaker 1: five years. Music business. I wanted somebody both sides of it. Okay, 967 00:52:44,560 --> 00:52:48,560 Speaker 1: what's gonna make your music business program different from all 968 00:52:48,600 --> 00:52:51,040 Speaker 1: the other music business programs that have sprouted in the 969 00:52:51,080 --> 00:52:54,200 Speaker 1: last few decades. Yeah, there's about forty of them, of 970 00:52:54,239 --> 00:52:57,000 Speaker 1: which about ten are real good. And I studied them all. 971 00:52:57,040 --> 00:52:59,120 Speaker 1: I've flown to a lot of them. First of all, 972 00:52:59,120 --> 00:53:00,719 Speaker 1: I'm gonna have the best as you have seen in 973 00:53:00,760 --> 00:53:03,800 Speaker 1: your life because I have a lot of friends. Secondly, 974 00:53:04,640 --> 00:53:07,080 Speaker 1: I have a PhD in music business. It's just not 975 00:53:07,160 --> 00:53:11,640 Speaker 1: on the wall, and I'm gonna, I'm I believe, I'm gonna. 976 00:53:11,719 --> 00:53:15,760 Speaker 1: I'm gonna build a great, great department. And the first 977 00:53:15,920 --> 00:53:20,360 Speaker 1: the first class sold out in five minutes. Okay, we 978 00:53:20,600 --> 00:53:23,120 Speaker 1: know all you were around when the business was still 979 00:53:23,160 --> 00:53:28,000 Speaker 1: being built. Certainly in this sense this century, it's about consolidation. 980 00:53:29,200 --> 00:53:32,680 Speaker 1: But we know all these characters. We can list them 981 00:53:32,680 --> 00:53:35,000 Speaker 1: one after one another, and you've mentioned a lot of 982 00:53:35,000 --> 00:53:38,440 Speaker 1: them here. They were unique characters who probably would have 983 00:53:38,480 --> 00:53:40,680 Speaker 1: been successful in some other field if they weren't in 984 00:53:40,760 --> 00:53:45,959 Speaker 1: music business. Can you can you teach that to learn 985 00:53:46,000 --> 00:53:48,640 Speaker 1: how to make it in the music business. Yes, I 986 00:53:48,640 --> 00:53:50,680 Speaker 1: mean it's one thing to teach someone how to be 987 00:53:50,719 --> 00:53:54,600 Speaker 1: a road manager or to be a tour accountant. But 988 00:53:54,719 --> 00:53:59,640 Speaker 1: the managers and the promoters, the people who built this business, 989 00:54:00,040 --> 00:54:02,680 Speaker 1: they broke the mold after they made them. Well, you're 990 00:54:02,719 --> 00:54:05,359 Speaker 1: absolutely right. I never took a music business There weren't 991 00:54:05,360 --> 00:54:08,760 Speaker 1: any music business classes in those days. I do think 992 00:54:10,040 --> 00:54:13,360 Speaker 1: if you love the business, and we'll do anything to 993 00:54:14,120 --> 00:54:17,040 Speaker 1: get into it, you can learn some things that will 994 00:54:17,080 --> 00:54:19,640 Speaker 1: make you a little bit more successful, a little quicker. 995 00:54:20,160 --> 00:54:22,480 Speaker 1: And that's all I can expect to do. I'm not 996 00:54:22,480 --> 00:54:25,680 Speaker 1: going to train somebody that doesn't have it in their 997 00:54:25,719 --> 00:54:28,560 Speaker 1: bones to want to do it, but I think I 998 00:54:28,560 --> 00:54:30,600 Speaker 1: can make it a little bit easier for them. Okay, 999 00:54:30,600 --> 00:54:32,839 Speaker 1: so what do you learn being a manager? We worked 1000 00:54:32,840 --> 00:54:35,560 Speaker 1: for the bands. You could tell them all you want, 1001 00:54:36,200 --> 00:54:38,560 Speaker 1: you can fight them, you could tell them, but but 1002 00:54:38,680 --> 00:54:41,239 Speaker 1: the bottom line is the band's And it took me 1003 00:54:41,280 --> 00:54:44,200 Speaker 1: a while to learn that that. You can do so much. 1004 00:54:44,239 --> 00:54:46,799 Speaker 1: You can go to a certain point, but if the 1005 00:54:46,800 --> 00:54:49,480 Speaker 1: band won't do it, you got to live with that, 1006 00:54:49,840 --> 00:54:52,440 Speaker 1: or else you get fired. I'm as as simple as that. 1007 00:54:53,160 --> 00:54:56,920 Speaker 1: How do you make the band more successful than they 1008 00:54:56,920 --> 00:55:00,360 Speaker 1: are when you first get involved? Well, I build a 1009 00:55:00,400 --> 00:55:03,080 Speaker 1: band by audition called that became a band called Highway 1010 00:55:03,080 --> 00:55:05,000 Speaker 1: win On One that was a country group of the year. 1011 00:55:05,320 --> 00:55:11,160 Speaker 1: I auditioned people in Denver and that was like my creation. 1012 00:55:11,640 --> 00:55:14,840 Speaker 1: As far as big at Todd, they were already selling 1013 00:55:14,840 --> 00:55:20,239 Speaker 1: out um thousand ceders in Minneapolis and Chicago and San 1014 00:55:20,280 --> 00:55:24,760 Speaker 1: Francisco and Boulder in Denver and doing three five hundred 1015 00:55:24,760 --> 00:55:27,720 Speaker 1: in another markets, all managing themselves for about three years, 1016 00:55:27,920 --> 00:55:33,520 Speaker 1: went to Columbine High School. All were born in Colorado. UM. 1017 00:55:33,560 --> 00:55:35,320 Speaker 1: I actually chased them for about a year and a 1018 00:55:35,400 --> 00:55:37,800 Speaker 1: half to manage them because they wanted to manage themselves. 1019 00:55:38,280 --> 00:55:40,520 Speaker 1: But I convinced them that if they really wanted to 1020 00:55:40,520 --> 00:55:44,680 Speaker 1: get bigger, um, they really probably had to go to 1021 00:55:44,760 --> 00:55:47,840 Speaker 1: a label, a big label. They made their own records, 1022 00:55:48,080 --> 00:55:50,319 Speaker 1: their own label, and they did pretty well. They sold 1023 00:55:50,320 --> 00:55:53,000 Speaker 1: tenths of twenty thousand two in the Bennett Records, which 1024 00:55:53,120 --> 00:55:57,279 Speaker 1: was a lot. And and I made a deal with 1025 00:55:57,360 --> 00:56:00,440 Speaker 1: my great friend Irving at Giant Records, and we did 1026 00:56:00,440 --> 00:56:02,800 Speaker 1: an album called Sister Sweet Lee, got a great producer 1027 00:56:03,160 --> 00:56:04,920 Speaker 1: and sold a million and a half records. And they 1028 00:56:04,960 --> 00:56:08,240 Speaker 1: went from here to here. Yeah, broke, broken hearted stranger? 1029 00:56:08,600 --> 00:56:12,080 Speaker 1: How long broken a savior? Savior? Excuse me? How much 1030 00:56:12,160 --> 00:56:14,680 Speaker 1: longer did you continue to work with Bighead Todd after that? 1031 00:56:14,760 --> 00:56:20,839 Speaker 1: Initially about fifteen years? Thirteen years? Okay, okay? How did 1032 00:56:20,880 --> 00:56:24,080 Speaker 1: you get involved with the Dirt Band? Uh? They were 1033 00:56:24,120 --> 00:56:26,560 Speaker 1: the third act that played for me. They moved to Colorado, 1034 00:56:27,000 --> 00:56:30,880 Speaker 1: they became my closest friends. You know, we're all at 1035 00:56:30,920 --> 00:56:34,919 Speaker 1: each other's weddings and um they're only other manager before 1036 00:56:35,000 --> 00:56:37,840 Speaker 1: me was a guy named Bill McEwen. Bill mckewen, That 1037 00:56:38,120 --> 00:56:41,520 Speaker 1: was John McEwen from the Dirt Band's brother. John McEwen 1038 00:56:41,880 --> 00:56:46,160 Speaker 1: had signed a young comedian named Steve Martin. Steve Martin 1039 00:56:46,320 --> 00:56:48,680 Speaker 1: was the opening act for the Dirt Band for almost 1040 00:56:48,719 --> 00:56:51,160 Speaker 1: three years on the bus. No one ever heard of him. 1041 00:56:51,200 --> 00:56:53,040 Speaker 1: He was brilliant. In fact, when they played for me 1042 00:56:53,120 --> 00:56:55,279 Speaker 1: the first time they got off the bus at a 1043 00:56:55,360 --> 00:56:58,160 Speaker 1: lot of Eason said we got this comic Pam fifty bucks. 1044 00:56:58,200 --> 00:57:00,480 Speaker 1: He's on the All tour. I said great, and he 1045 00:57:00,600 --> 00:57:05,719 Speaker 1: was hysterical. Bill Uh. Steve was starting to explode. Bill 1046 00:57:05,840 --> 00:57:07,760 Speaker 1: was getting ready to do a movie called The Jerk. 1047 00:57:08,680 --> 00:57:12,400 Speaker 1: Steve was becoming a superstar. He was living in Aspen 1048 00:57:12,480 --> 00:57:15,719 Speaker 1: as he started a film company. He also signed another 1049 00:57:15,920 --> 00:57:18,760 Speaker 1: He was brilliant with comics. Bill was signed a young 1050 00:57:18,840 --> 00:57:21,720 Speaker 1: comic named pee Wee Herman and produced pee Wee's Big 1051 00:57:21,720 --> 00:57:24,360 Speaker 1: Adventure And called me one day and said would you 1052 00:57:24,440 --> 00:57:26,280 Speaker 1: come out? And they all lived in Aspen. His company 1053 00:57:26,480 --> 00:57:30,520 Speaker 1: film company was Aspen Films, and still managing the Dirt band, 1054 00:57:30,920 --> 00:57:33,840 Speaker 1: his brother's band or one of the members, and said, 1055 00:57:33,840 --> 00:57:35,120 Speaker 1: I want to talk to you. And I went up 1056 00:57:35,160 --> 00:57:37,919 Speaker 1: there and he said, I'm just too busy with Steve Martin. 1057 00:57:38,000 --> 00:57:40,640 Speaker 1: He's exploding, and I have this other comic pee Wee 1058 00:57:41,600 --> 00:57:43,800 Speaker 1: Pee Wee Herman. I think he's gonna be maybe as big, 1059 00:57:44,400 --> 00:57:47,680 Speaker 1: and I'm I'm finishing up scores for two movies and 1060 00:57:48,080 --> 00:57:50,160 Speaker 1: I just learned have enough time for my brother's band. 1061 00:57:50,440 --> 00:57:53,360 Speaker 1: Would you take over? And I love the guys. I 1062 00:57:53,440 --> 00:57:55,960 Speaker 1: had to think about it because I had never managed before, 1063 00:57:56,400 --> 00:57:59,280 Speaker 1: and I said, Bill, I never management before. I'm a promoter, 1064 00:57:59,400 --> 00:58:02,200 Speaker 1: I'm a club. Are you crazy? He said, Chuck, the 1065 00:58:02,320 --> 00:58:04,360 Speaker 1: band loves you. You know more about that music than 1066 00:58:04,440 --> 00:58:07,280 Speaker 1: I do. And it's just the other side of the 1067 00:58:07,360 --> 00:58:09,400 Speaker 1: coin on another thing when he said that, and he 1068 00:58:09,560 --> 00:58:12,880 Speaker 1: was right, and I took over. They were sort of 1069 00:58:13,400 --> 00:58:15,800 Speaker 1: on the way down. They had hits in the seventies, 1070 00:58:16,200 --> 00:58:18,680 Speaker 1: but it was the early eighties and it was Donna summertime. 1071 00:58:19,080 --> 00:58:22,920 Speaker 1: They weren't playing bands with banjos and violins anymore. They 1072 00:58:23,000 --> 00:58:25,400 Speaker 1: had boat Angles and make a Little Magic an American 1073 00:58:25,520 --> 00:58:28,440 Speaker 1: Dream in the seventies, but they stopped getting radio and 1074 00:58:28,520 --> 00:58:32,720 Speaker 1: they really were really underdown, and I said, let's go 1075 00:58:32,880 --> 00:58:35,520 Speaker 1: make a country deal because country radio should play you 1076 00:58:36,200 --> 00:58:37,960 Speaker 1: and that. And I said, I only managed you if 1077 00:58:37,960 --> 00:58:39,760 Speaker 1: you'd let me do that. I made a deal with 1078 00:58:39,880 --> 00:58:44,680 Speaker 1: one Is Nashville didn't change their music, just made some 1079 00:58:44,800 --> 00:58:48,920 Speaker 1: great records with Paul Warley and had ten top ten 1080 00:58:49,000 --> 00:58:51,800 Speaker 1: country records. I convinced to do Circle the Unbroken Volume 1081 00:58:51,880 --> 00:58:54,760 Speaker 1: two that became album of the Year and had a 1082 00:58:54,880 --> 00:58:58,760 Speaker 1: huge comeback with them for fifteen years, twenty years and 1083 00:58:58,880 --> 00:59:02,400 Speaker 1: then and you know, managers either get fired or get 1084 00:59:02,440 --> 00:59:05,320 Speaker 1: bored or get tired and they leave. This is a 1085 00:59:05,360 --> 00:59:08,120 Speaker 1: certain amount of years, you know. I My joke was 1086 00:59:08,560 --> 00:59:10,920 Speaker 1: I once signed a band and they were too young 1087 00:59:11,000 --> 00:59:12,960 Speaker 1: to know what I was talking about. But I took 1088 00:59:13,040 --> 00:59:15,000 Speaker 1: them out to congratulate them and they signed with me 1089 00:59:15,360 --> 00:59:17,160 Speaker 1: as their manager. And I said, this is a party 1090 00:59:17,240 --> 00:59:20,160 Speaker 1: for two things. They said, what's that? I said, resigning 1091 00:59:20,200 --> 00:59:22,480 Speaker 1: and for breaking up, because we are going to break up. 1092 00:59:22,520 --> 00:59:26,160 Speaker 1: It's just a matter of time. Okay. So, since you've 1093 00:59:26,240 --> 00:59:29,640 Speaker 1: played both sides of the fence, what can you tell 1094 00:59:29,760 --> 00:59:32,360 Speaker 1: people as a promoter and a manager, what can you 1095 00:59:32,480 --> 00:59:35,000 Speaker 1: tell people who have only played on one side? Well? 1096 00:59:35,080 --> 00:59:38,480 Speaker 1: I always tell my bands that I manage that unless 1097 00:59:39,520 --> 00:59:45,840 Speaker 1: their live dates come first before management stuff, you should 1098 00:59:45,880 --> 00:59:48,840 Speaker 1: get fired. You have to fight for the bands for 1099 00:59:49,040 --> 00:59:51,080 Speaker 1: how much they make, for where they play, for who 1100 00:59:51,160 --> 00:59:53,400 Speaker 1: they play for. And if you don't do that, you're 1101 00:59:53,440 --> 00:59:56,040 Speaker 1: not being a good manager. You're not you should get fired. 1102 00:59:56,520 --> 00:59:59,720 Speaker 1: So I've always had two hats, sometimes on certain acts, 1103 00:59:59,760 --> 01:00:03,080 Speaker 1: not lot of them, but I've always you gotta be 1104 01:00:03,160 --> 01:00:05,320 Speaker 1: a promoter. When you're a promoter first for the band, 1105 01:00:05,920 --> 01:00:08,120 Speaker 1: and you gotta be a manager, and your manager first. 1106 01:00:08,440 --> 01:00:10,960 Speaker 1: You don't do that. Okay. We mentioned a number of 1107 01:00:11,080 --> 01:00:14,520 Speaker 1: times at the beginning of your career when bamston't sell 1108 01:00:14,560 --> 01:00:17,680 Speaker 1: out being a good promoter. What is the essence of 1109 01:00:17,800 --> 01:00:22,400 Speaker 1: being a good promoter? Okay? How do you sell tickets 1110 01:00:22,680 --> 01:00:25,480 Speaker 1: for an act? It doesn't sell out instantly? Okay? Let 1111 01:00:25,560 --> 01:00:27,440 Speaker 1: me tell you what I did. How it was different 1112 01:00:27,480 --> 01:00:31,000 Speaker 1: in two there is now I would I would. I 1113 01:00:31,240 --> 01:00:35,080 Speaker 1: heard about this great guitar player named Leo Cocky who 1114 01:00:35,120 --> 01:00:37,680 Speaker 1: had never played bold or Denver. I had a band 1115 01:00:37,720 --> 01:00:39,440 Speaker 1: I was playing for me and they said that he 1116 01:00:39,520 --> 01:00:42,520 Speaker 1: had opened for them. Uh, they had opened for him 1117 01:00:42,600 --> 01:00:46,600 Speaker 1: in Omaha, Nebraska, and he was brilliant. I went through 1118 01:00:46,680 --> 01:00:51,880 Speaker 1: the record store, bought his record, flipped out this is one. 1119 01:00:52,320 --> 01:00:55,360 Speaker 1: It's like his third album, maybe second. Took it down 1120 01:00:55,480 --> 01:00:58,640 Speaker 1: to the radio station, which was kr on W, which 1121 01:00:58,680 --> 01:01:01,280 Speaker 1: became KBCO which have been the number one rock station 1122 01:01:01,640 --> 01:01:04,960 Speaker 1: in this town forever, played it for him. They loved it, 1123 01:01:05,320 --> 01:01:06,960 Speaker 1: and they started playing the crap out of it. There 1124 01:01:07,040 --> 01:01:09,960 Speaker 1: was no playlists then, there was no testing records. Then 1125 01:01:10,560 --> 01:01:13,720 Speaker 1: if they liked the band or right, maybe partied a 1126 01:01:13,800 --> 01:01:17,160 Speaker 1: little with the DJs, they got to play it and 1127 01:01:17,320 --> 01:01:19,680 Speaker 1: I would sell out for the first time. Say a 1128 01:01:19,680 --> 01:01:24,560 Speaker 1: funny story, first time I had J. J. Klee who 1129 01:01:24,680 --> 01:01:27,600 Speaker 1: I loved him. John Kale was the greatest, by the way. 1130 01:01:27,640 --> 01:01:29,320 Speaker 1: His real name was John, but he couldn't be called 1131 01:01:29,400 --> 01:01:32,440 Speaker 1: John Kale because John there was another John Kale, and 1132 01:01:32,520 --> 01:01:34,440 Speaker 1: because of the union, you can't have the same name 1133 01:01:35,120 --> 01:01:39,800 Speaker 1: from Delvet Underground, so he's his Denny Cordell from Shelter 1134 01:01:39,920 --> 01:01:43,640 Speaker 1: Records changed his name to j J. Nicest, Sweetest hill 1135 01:01:43,720 --> 01:01:46,320 Speaker 1: Billy from Tulsa. All he did is want to fish 1136 01:01:47,240 --> 01:01:50,480 Speaker 1: and write songs. Really didn't like playing. He played once 1137 01:01:50,520 --> 01:01:52,560 Speaker 1: a year to pay his income Texas because he wrote 1138 01:01:52,560 --> 01:01:55,600 Speaker 1: a lot of hits for Eric Clapton. After midnight, all 1139 01:01:55,640 --> 01:01:59,800 Speaker 1: these different songs. He came, He came into town, walked 1140 01:01:59,840 --> 01:02:02,440 Speaker 1: in the door for a sound check. I was standing 1141 01:02:02,480 --> 01:02:04,720 Speaker 1: outside and said, I am Chuck Morrison. I owned the 1142 01:02:04,920 --> 01:02:08,800 Speaker 1: pilates and there's a line around the block. And he 1143 01:02:08,920 --> 01:02:11,960 Speaker 1: looked at me very seriously and said, who am I 1144 01:02:12,080 --> 01:02:15,880 Speaker 1: opening for? I mean, Cale never thought about money or 1145 01:02:16,000 --> 01:02:18,680 Speaker 1: who he's playing with or anything. It was just a 1146 01:02:18,880 --> 01:02:23,280 Speaker 1: brilliant songwriter. And just you say, Cal that that's how 1147 01:02:23,320 --> 01:02:26,520 Speaker 1: we sold tickets. We got him on the radio. Needless 1148 01:02:26,640 --> 01:02:29,960 Speaker 1: to say, that same paradigm doesn't exist today. Radio stations 1149 01:02:30,000 --> 01:02:34,840 Speaker 1: have tight playlists. Uh. Younger generation listens to terrestrial radio less. 1150 01:02:35,120 --> 01:02:38,920 Speaker 1: How do you promote a band today? Get pressed for him? Uh? 1151 01:02:39,160 --> 01:02:44,400 Speaker 1: Word of mouth? Um, get the record stores to tell 1152 01:02:44,520 --> 01:02:46,280 Speaker 1: them that if they move the record up to a 1153 01:02:46,320 --> 01:02:49,560 Speaker 1: better position, it's selling like crazy in color, out of springs. 1154 01:02:49,600 --> 01:02:52,960 Speaker 1: They want to think about it, little things. There's still 1155 01:02:53,040 --> 01:02:55,400 Speaker 1: ways now I might get used to be though it's 1156 01:02:55,640 --> 01:03:01,160 Speaker 1: much it's those tricks are not that effect anymore. It's 1157 01:03:01,160 --> 01:03:03,560 Speaker 1: a different business business. Are there any new tricks that 1158 01:03:03,640 --> 01:03:07,000 Speaker 1: are effective? Uh? Well, the same trick as always bring 1159 01:03:07,080 --> 01:03:10,040 Speaker 1: a band in as an opening act. Who's great? And 1160 01:03:10,240 --> 01:03:13,160 Speaker 1: let them develop their own fans right here as an 1161 01:03:13,200 --> 01:03:15,680 Speaker 1: opening act, put him on a big show. How many 1162 01:03:15,680 --> 01:03:20,080 Speaker 1: times you've been married, chuck? Uh three? But my wife 1163 01:03:20,240 --> 01:03:23,160 Speaker 1: now is thirty years. How old were you when we 1164 01:03:23,200 --> 01:03:27,760 Speaker 1: were married the first time? Jesus asking personal questions here? Yeah, 1165 01:03:27,800 --> 01:03:32,000 Speaker 1: we get down gritty, pardon the pun. It was my 1166 01:03:32,080 --> 01:03:36,080 Speaker 1: high school and college girlfriend. Okay, because you you were 1167 01:03:36,160 --> 01:03:38,480 Speaker 1: so far ahead of the game. You were young, so 1168 01:03:39,000 --> 01:03:41,919 Speaker 1: that might have made it difficult on a relationship level. 1169 01:03:42,400 --> 01:03:44,040 Speaker 1: It was a very bad marriage, and the last that 1170 01:03:44,120 --> 01:03:46,680 Speaker 1: it was very short. I was still a graduate student. 1171 01:03:46,800 --> 01:03:49,560 Speaker 1: She came out to Colorado had graduated also in a 1172 01:03:49,640 --> 01:03:51,360 Speaker 1: young age, and was a school teacher. And we broke 1173 01:03:51,440 --> 01:03:55,120 Speaker 1: up after a year. And then what was second wife? Yes, 1174 01:03:55,720 --> 01:03:57,840 Speaker 1: at last or ten years? I have two beautiful children 1175 01:03:58,240 --> 01:04:00,320 Speaker 1: and my third wife, who was great. We have three 1176 01:04:00,520 --> 01:04:04,080 Speaker 1: three kids, so it's unusual. I guess the question I'm 1177 01:04:04,160 --> 01:04:08,400 Speaker 1: asking this is a business that's seven. Has it affected 1178 01:04:08,480 --> 01:04:13,040 Speaker 1: your relationships? Um? You know, I have a wife that 1179 01:04:13,200 --> 01:04:15,960 Speaker 1: loves what I do, believe it or not, and loves 1180 01:04:16,000 --> 01:04:19,880 Speaker 1: me watching me work, and loves music. I had another 1181 01:04:19,960 --> 01:04:22,160 Speaker 1: wife that didn't like it, and I spent too much 1182 01:04:22,240 --> 01:04:25,479 Speaker 1: time you gotta find the right girl for that, gotta 1183 01:04:25,520 --> 01:04:27,880 Speaker 1: get lucky and will your wife come to your gigs? 1184 01:04:28,440 --> 01:04:33,080 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah, okay, So tell us about the development 1185 01:04:33,320 --> 01:04:37,800 Speaker 1: of Red Rocks into the monolith it ultimately be has become. Well, 1186 01:04:37,880 --> 01:04:40,479 Speaker 1: you know it started um. In fact, here's a little 1187 01:04:40,480 --> 01:04:44,040 Speaker 1: trivia question. The Beatles played Red Rocks and there were 1188 01:04:44,200 --> 01:04:46,680 Speaker 1: very few rock shows in the sixties and Red Rocks, 1189 01:04:47,600 --> 01:04:52,000 Speaker 1: in fact, very few. It was the only Beatles show 1190 01:04:52,120 --> 01:04:54,880 Speaker 1: ever in America that didn't sell out. We did sixties 1191 01:04:54,880 --> 01:04:56,760 Speaker 1: six I can promote it was before I was in 1192 01:04:56,800 --> 01:05:01,000 Speaker 1: the business. Uh, you know, did people because people weren't 1193 01:05:01,040 --> 01:05:03,880 Speaker 1: used to going there. They had church services there, they 1194 01:05:03,920 --> 01:05:07,760 Speaker 1: had lectures there, they had different stuff, but very little music. 1195 01:05:09,000 --> 01:05:12,920 Speaker 1: In fact, when Faye and I started to started doing 1196 01:05:12,960 --> 01:05:15,280 Speaker 1: a lot of shows at Red Rocks, the city try 1197 01:05:15,360 --> 01:05:17,800 Speaker 1: to stop having music and we had to go to 1198 01:05:17,920 --> 01:05:20,640 Speaker 1: court to convince them that we ought to do more shows. 1199 01:05:21,520 --> 01:05:25,080 Speaker 1: And the funny part is they stopped us from doing 1200 01:05:25,120 --> 01:05:28,360 Speaker 1: a band called America, which is as soft as it 1201 01:05:28,440 --> 01:05:31,320 Speaker 1: could be. And we went we had I asked some 1202 01:05:31,360 --> 01:05:33,920 Speaker 1: of my friends testify that it was a great thing 1203 01:05:34,000 --> 01:05:37,200 Speaker 1: for the community and that America for God's sakes, you 1204 01:05:37,240 --> 01:05:40,520 Speaker 1: don't riot to America, I mean, but we won and 1205 01:05:41,160 --> 01:05:44,240 Speaker 1: now our company does over shows a year at Red 1206 01:05:44,360 --> 01:05:47,720 Speaker 1: Rocks up till the latest tragedy where we're doing none. Okay, 1207 01:05:47,760 --> 01:05:50,720 Speaker 1: So Red Rocks is an open building. How do you 1208 01:05:50,880 --> 01:05:54,320 Speaker 1: compete with other promoters? In Red Rocks? You get the bands, 1209 01:05:54,720 --> 01:05:58,720 Speaker 1: relationship with bands or the agent or the manager. Um, 1210 01:05:59,240 --> 01:06:02,480 Speaker 1: we we do majority shows. My whole company Live Nation 1211 01:06:02,520 --> 01:06:04,600 Speaker 1: when I ran that, we did the majority. But I 1212 01:06:04,720 --> 01:06:07,440 Speaker 1: took my key guys Do and Brenton mostly company with 1213 01:06:07,600 --> 01:06:09,600 Speaker 1: us and we do a lot more than they do. 1214 01:06:10,400 --> 01:06:13,600 Speaker 1: It's still relationships. You say they are, but it's still relationships. 1215 01:06:13,800 --> 01:06:16,240 Speaker 1: You may not have the long relationships like from beginning 1216 01:06:16,280 --> 01:06:20,480 Speaker 1: to end their careers, but it's still relationships. Okay. And 1217 01:06:20,600 --> 01:06:24,400 Speaker 1: a couple of memorable shows at Red Rocks. What can 1218 01:06:24,440 --> 01:06:28,480 Speaker 1: you tell us? Well, I did with Faye the YouTube 1219 01:06:29,320 --> 01:06:32,240 Speaker 1: the famous You two show that was a video. And 1220 01:06:32,840 --> 01:06:36,360 Speaker 1: the great story was it was snowing that day and 1221 01:06:36,480 --> 01:06:40,400 Speaker 1: Barry and I had booked the US Festival the weekend before. 1222 01:06:41,960 --> 01:06:43,720 Speaker 1: We did the second year of the US Festival for 1223 01:06:43,800 --> 01:06:47,960 Speaker 1: Steve Wozniak. We were flying back from Santa Barbara from 1224 01:06:48,000 --> 01:06:51,120 Speaker 1: the show and we're flying and you two was that 1225 01:06:51,320 --> 01:06:55,280 Speaker 1: night flying over Red Rocks, landing in Denver and it 1226 01:06:55,440 --> 01:06:59,720 Speaker 1: was snowing, and Faye was freaking out, and you know 1227 01:06:59,800 --> 01:07:02,640 Speaker 1: the man put up Paul McGinnis, who I loved to death, 1228 01:07:02,680 --> 01:07:05,000 Speaker 1: their manager for years and retired a while ago. He 1229 01:07:05,120 --> 01:07:06,840 Speaker 1: put a second on his house to put up money. 1230 01:07:06,880 --> 01:07:09,480 Speaker 1: I put up money he borrowed from Faye for myself, 1231 01:07:09,560 --> 01:07:11,840 Speaker 1: from friends to put up money to make that video 1232 01:07:12,080 --> 01:07:15,200 Speaker 1: which broke the band, of course, no question. So we 1233 01:07:15,280 --> 01:07:18,000 Speaker 1: got off the foot the plane and Barry's freaking out, 1234 01:07:18,040 --> 01:07:21,000 Speaker 1: saying we gotta move it inside. In those days, you 1235 01:07:21,080 --> 01:07:24,040 Speaker 1: can move the equipment wasn't like it is today. You 1236 01:07:24,120 --> 01:07:26,040 Speaker 1: can move a show. If it was by noon, you 1237 01:07:26,120 --> 01:07:29,480 Speaker 1: could move it indoors to the old Denver Colosseum. And 1238 01:07:29,600 --> 01:07:32,160 Speaker 1: he was afraid we wouldn't have a show. And I said, Barry, 1239 01:07:32,200 --> 01:07:34,280 Speaker 1: there's no way they put up their life savings for this. 1240 01:07:34,760 --> 01:07:36,480 Speaker 1: He said, I'm gonna get him on the phone. He 1241 01:07:36,560 --> 01:07:39,440 Speaker 1: went to a pay phone at d I A actually 1242 01:07:39,560 --> 01:07:43,320 Speaker 1: was staple with him then, and called Paul McGinnis that 1243 01:07:43,560 --> 01:07:45,800 Speaker 1: stage who was setting up, and said, you gotta move 1244 01:07:45,880 --> 01:07:48,040 Speaker 1: the show. It's snowing. We're not gonna have it, will 1245 01:07:48,080 --> 01:07:50,320 Speaker 1: never make it. And McGinnis said, we put our heart 1246 01:07:50,360 --> 01:07:52,720 Speaker 1: and soul to this. We don't care, and let me 1247 01:07:52,760 --> 01:07:55,000 Speaker 1: get Bottle on the phone. Who we had? We had 1248 01:07:55,080 --> 01:07:57,200 Speaker 1: did his first state in Denver at the Rainbow Music Hall. 1249 01:07:57,480 --> 01:07:59,439 Speaker 1: I became really good friends with the band. In fact, 1250 01:07:59,480 --> 01:08:01,560 Speaker 1: I took him out for dinner on a vacation and 1251 01:08:01,680 --> 01:08:05,320 Speaker 1: dub them one year and Bio said, Barry, we put 1252 01:08:05,360 --> 01:08:08,120 Speaker 1: our life savings into this. I don't care if it 1253 01:08:08,160 --> 01:08:10,800 Speaker 1: snows all over us, We're gonna play. And it turned 1254 01:08:10,800 --> 01:08:13,520 Speaker 1: out that cold weather and that air coming out of 1255 01:08:13,560 --> 01:08:16,560 Speaker 1: his mouth, and and and and the freezing made that 1256 01:08:17,040 --> 01:08:21,439 Speaker 1: video exactly when he's marched around with the flag. Okay, 1257 01:08:21,720 --> 01:08:24,040 Speaker 1: since you're a fountain of tales, any other tales you 1258 01:08:24,120 --> 01:08:27,240 Speaker 1: want to put in here before we wrap up? Oh God, 1259 01:08:27,320 --> 01:08:29,479 Speaker 1: there were so many great shows. It's really hard to 1260 01:08:29,600 --> 01:08:33,000 Speaker 1: say one from the other. But I would say the 1261 01:08:33,080 --> 01:08:36,960 Speaker 1: first show we did with Willie and Whalen when we 1262 01:08:37,040 --> 01:08:40,000 Speaker 1: took over their tour because their previous promoter had gone 1263 01:08:40,000 --> 01:08:42,840 Speaker 1: out of business. And we started doing Willy William and 1264 01:08:42,960 --> 01:08:45,120 Speaker 1: the Outlaws for a couple of years all over the country, 1265 01:08:45,840 --> 01:08:48,240 Speaker 1: and it was the first time I had done Willie 1266 01:08:48,280 --> 01:08:49,800 Speaker 1: at my club and got to know WILLI he had 1267 01:08:49,840 --> 01:08:52,760 Speaker 1: moved to Colorado actually for a while. But the first 1268 01:08:52,800 --> 01:08:56,000 Speaker 1: time fail and done Willie and in a bit at 1269 01:08:56,080 --> 01:09:00,639 Speaker 1: Red Rocks, and that was magical. He's still magical. He's 1270 01:09:00,640 --> 01:09:02,680 Speaker 1: an amazing guy. Now what we know? There's been a 1271 01:09:02,800 --> 01:09:07,640 Speaker 1: music business forever, but the confluence of the Boomers and 1272 01:09:07,760 --> 01:09:12,040 Speaker 1: the Beatles blew it up. Okay, both the record business, 1273 01:09:12,080 --> 01:09:15,960 Speaker 1: which referenced earlier, and certainly the live business. What do 1274 01:09:16,120 --> 01:09:20,280 Speaker 1: we know? The boom racks, the classic rock acts are 1275 01:09:20,920 --> 01:09:24,360 Speaker 1: dying or will literally be off the stage within ten years. 1276 01:09:25,320 --> 01:09:28,879 Speaker 1: Does it matter that they're gone? Or is the business 1277 01:09:29,000 --> 01:09:31,479 Speaker 1: so big that as long as you're somebody to put 1278 01:09:31,560 --> 01:09:34,800 Speaker 1: on stage it will all be healthy. Well, I want 1279 01:09:34,840 --> 01:09:38,040 Speaker 1: to disagree on one thing. I remember it was a 1280 01:09:38,120 --> 01:09:40,519 Speaker 1: famous old quote from Mick Jagger saying he wouldn't be 1281 01:09:40,680 --> 01:09:43,680 Speaker 1: singing when he was thirty. He's now what on this tour? 1282 01:09:43,760 --> 01:09:48,000 Speaker 1: Where that weird AG's doing? I think? Okay, So I'm 1283 01:09:48,040 --> 01:09:50,479 Speaker 1: not so sure that five or ten years some of 1284 01:09:50,520 --> 01:09:54,280 Speaker 1: them might still be playing. But you're right, they're gonna 1285 01:09:54,560 --> 01:09:58,639 Speaker 1: die away or retire. I don't know. About retiring, but hey, Williams, 1286 01:09:58,680 --> 01:10:01,920 Speaker 1: in his late ages, he still play. I mean, okay, 1287 01:10:01,960 --> 01:10:05,559 Speaker 1: but when when those acts expire, whether it be five 1288 01:10:05,680 --> 01:10:09,320 Speaker 1: years or twenty, okay, when they can no longer play 1289 01:10:09,439 --> 01:10:13,599 Speaker 1: live or no longer here, will that affect the live business? 1290 01:10:14,120 --> 01:10:17,639 Speaker 1: I think not that much. I think the live business 1291 01:10:17,960 --> 01:10:21,160 Speaker 1: has become such a part of our of our life, 1292 01:10:21,920 --> 01:10:26,439 Speaker 1: of our economy, of our soul in America that I think, 1293 01:10:27,120 --> 01:10:29,759 Speaker 1: you know, the young bands from the eighties and nineties 1294 01:10:29,800 --> 01:10:32,760 Speaker 1: are gonna be around, and they've been some pretty good ones, 1295 01:10:32,840 --> 01:10:37,200 Speaker 1: you know, the YouTube era. They're so relatively young, so 1296 01:10:37,520 --> 01:10:40,680 Speaker 1: I I think it will hurt a little bit, But um, 1297 01:10:40,880 --> 01:10:42,920 Speaker 1: I think music is going to stay around for a 1298 01:10:43,040 --> 01:10:45,760 Speaker 1: long time, especially in Colorado where it is such a 1299 01:10:45,840 --> 01:10:48,719 Speaker 1: part of our psychic Well, this has been wonderful, Chuck. 1300 01:10:49,040 --> 01:10:52,760 Speaker 1: Thanks for your history, your stories, and your insight, and 1301 01:10:52,960 --> 01:10:57,560 Speaker 1: I wish you luck and continued success with your Colorado 1302 01:10:57,720 --> 01:11:01,280 Speaker 1: State University venture in the music business. Thanks so much 1303 01:11:01,320 --> 01:11:04,040 Speaker 1: for doing this. Yeah, well, thank you, and uh Donn 1304 01:11:04,040 --> 01:11:05,920 Speaker 1: and Brent are gonna make it even bigger as they 1305 01:11:05,960 --> 01:11:08,719 Speaker 1: take over. Right now, I'm totally convinced that those boys 1306 01:11:08,720 --> 01:11:11,320 Speaker 1: are the greatest. Until next time. This is Bob left 1307 01:11:11,360 --> 01:11:59,880 Speaker 1: six h