1 00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:12,360 Speaker 1: Welcome, Welcome, Welcome back to the Bob Left Steps Podcast. 2 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:17,599 Speaker 1: My guest today is movie producer, record producer, all around 3 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:21,639 Speaker 1: creative wonder Kin Spencer Prophet Spencer. Good to have you 4 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:24,720 Speaker 1: on the podcast, Bob. It's good. I've been following you 5 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:26,560 Speaker 1: for a year. It's good to see you're good to 6 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:29,200 Speaker 1: talk to you man. Okay, So you have this new 7 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:34,959 Speaker 1: movie about American Pie, Don McLean's legendary song. How did 8 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:38,320 Speaker 1: this come to be? Well, it started when I was 9 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:41,480 Speaker 1: a student U c l A. I pulled over when 10 00:00:41,479 --> 00:00:45,839 Speaker 1: I heard the song. Three minutes and I still kept listening. 11 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:48,680 Speaker 1: Six minutes and I still kept listening. I was in 12 00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:51,599 Speaker 1: a band. I've failed, but I said to myself, if 13 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:55,200 Speaker 1: I ever grow up and get to be a macher 14 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:57,720 Speaker 1: in the music business, I'd like to do something with it. 15 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:01,520 Speaker 1: Four years ago, I heard from Don's manager after I 16 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:06,800 Speaker 1: finished my John Coltrane documentary with Denzel Washington narrating, and 17 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:09,920 Speaker 1: Kurt Webster said, are you interested in doing it doc 18 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:13,240 Speaker 1: on Don? I said, I'm really interested because I knew 19 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:15,520 Speaker 1: that Don wrote American Pie to me a great piece 20 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:18,319 Speaker 1: of poetry, not that I put it with you know, 21 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:22,120 Speaker 1: Keats and Shakespeare, and Dennison, but I consider it great, 22 00:01:22,319 --> 00:01:25,119 Speaker 1: great literary work. I said it would be my honor 23 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 1: if I could do a dock on the journey of 24 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:30,960 Speaker 1: the song, taking down up to when he wrote it 25 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:33,959 Speaker 1: and then following the trajectory of the song for the 26 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:36,640 Speaker 1: life of the song, past president of future. That's what 27 00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:39,679 Speaker 1: we did. But I got involved with it spiritually way 28 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:43,880 Speaker 1: back fifty plus years ago. Okay, what was the inspiration 29 00:01:43,959 --> 00:01:47,920 Speaker 1: for the manager to call you to connect? I believe 30 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:51,440 Speaker 1: we had a mutual friend, Ray Dela Garza, and he's 31 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:56,560 Speaker 1: seen my John coltrane Um documentary which was on Netflix 32 00:01:56,600 --> 00:02:01,240 Speaker 1: at the time, directed by John Sheinfeld and Denzel Washington 33 00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:04,680 Speaker 1: had narrated Bill Clinton, Common Santana Or in it. It's 34 00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 1: real good. And my approach to making dots is very 35 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:13,160 Speaker 1: different than the normal bear. And possibly that that plus 36 00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:16,440 Speaker 1: Forbes article that said that I was from the inside 37 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:20,280 Speaker 1: coming out as opposed to guys like brilliant guys Scorsese, 38 00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:24,840 Speaker 1: e Ron Howard, Peter Jackson, genius directors. But they're from 39 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 1: the outside end, as you know, because we met during 40 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:31,960 Speaker 1: your sanctuary days. I come from the music. I care, 41 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:34,960 Speaker 1: I get goose bumps, and uh, I want to make 42 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:40,799 Speaker 1: film that reflects the goose bumps. Okay, so he calls you, 43 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 1: at what point do you decide you're gonna do it? 44 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:47,880 Speaker 1: And what's the first step? First step is I immediately 45 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:51,320 Speaker 1: and viscerally and spiritually said I have to be involved. 46 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:54,959 Speaker 1: Then the question is who pays for it, who distributes it, 47 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:59,919 Speaker 1: who markets it. There's some wonderful guys running the new 48 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:03,799 Speaker 1: Paramount Global company from Bob back issues the chairman to 49 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:07,040 Speaker 1: Bruce Kilmer, president of music. Now Bruce for thirty five 50 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 1: years used to be a VH one. So I called Bruce. 51 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:12,320 Speaker 1: I sent him the Coltrane film. I said I'd like 52 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:14,480 Speaker 1: to talk to you about gave him a little bit 53 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:17,040 Speaker 1: of the vision. He set up a zoom call Bob, 54 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:20,880 Speaker 1: Bruce and I talked, and within seventy two hours I 55 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 1: started the process. We papered it with his business affairs 56 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:30,360 Speaker 1: guys who were terrific, and literally within three weeks I 57 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:33,640 Speaker 1: was on a director search. So how did you know 58 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:37,680 Speaker 1: what the budget would be? Because I asked for and 59 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:39,560 Speaker 1: so you just pull the pull the number out of 60 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:41,560 Speaker 1: your rear red and said this this sounds to be 61 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:44,360 Speaker 1: like what it would take to make a Doomic Lane film. No, 62 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:47,480 Speaker 1: I said, how much is Bob lefts it's his house 63 00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:52,720 Speaker 1: worth now triple it now, now, seriously, I can't spend 64 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:55,080 Speaker 1: less than a couple of million bucks to do something 65 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:58,960 Speaker 1: the way I want to do it. Um, we brainstormed 66 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:02,640 Speaker 1: what it could be. I didn't know who I would get, 67 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:05,640 Speaker 1: I didn't know how deeply Garth Brooks would get into it. 68 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:08,520 Speaker 1: I didn't know how many songs we would use to 69 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 1: decorate the spirit of the time, the trajectory. I wanted 70 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:14,880 Speaker 1: to do new, young versions of it to show the 71 00:04:14,960 --> 00:04:17,960 Speaker 1: public that the song is not only a classic then, 72 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:20,320 Speaker 1: but it could be for the future. And we did, 73 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:24,200 Speaker 1: and I just estimated in my head. I pulled the 74 00:04:24,279 --> 00:04:26,200 Speaker 1: number a little bit out of my butt, but I 75 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:28,720 Speaker 1: kind of knew what it takes to do it at 76 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:30,560 Speaker 1: the level that I want to do it. And it's 77 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:33,520 Speaker 1: not like a generica. Okay, if you make a deal 78 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:37,080 Speaker 1: with Paramount and the Paramount plus it ultimately released on 79 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:42,120 Speaker 1: and how many how many rights do you cough up? 80 00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:43,839 Speaker 1: Do they own it a percent? Do you have a 81 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:48,440 Speaker 1: back end interest? What are the deals in today's documentary world? Well, 82 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:51,200 Speaker 1: the deals with me are different than they are with others, 83 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:54,719 Speaker 1: and I can't you know, it's almost like Woodward and Bernstein. 84 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:57,520 Speaker 1: I can't reveal my sources. I can tell you that's 85 00:04:57,560 --> 00:05:01,120 Speaker 1: the copyright is in the name of uh my company 86 00:05:01,279 --> 00:05:04,600 Speaker 1: named Morland, named after my children. I can tell you 87 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:07,560 Speaker 1: that they have the perpetual right to stream it. I 88 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:11,120 Speaker 1: have some territories. I have some extension rights. We've done 89 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:15,360 Speaker 1: an illustrated children's book on it, which is a prequel, 90 00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:18,280 Speaker 1: and it kind of talks about Donna as a young 91 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:21,680 Speaker 1: newspaper boy learning about friendship and hope and how music. 92 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:25,240 Speaker 1: For me it's people soul. I'm able to carve out 93 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:28,200 Speaker 1: certain extension rights to it, but I can't go into 94 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:31,200 Speaker 1: the details of what the deals truly are, other than 95 00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:35,400 Speaker 1: saying I continue making an Elvis comeback doc right now 96 00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:39,080 Speaker 1: with the same people, plan to do anymore. I really 97 00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:42,039 Speaker 1: like working with this team over a paramount plus, so 98 00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:46,839 Speaker 1: I had to find a director. I looked at different 99 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:50,080 Speaker 1: people's work over a period of six months. Don was 100 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:53,440 Speaker 1: tremendous in doing zoom calls. When I found someone I 101 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:57,039 Speaker 1: was interested in, we did four and I remember when 102 00:05:57,120 --> 00:06:00,599 Speaker 1: Godless I'm Argan, when he was alive, he had told 103 00:06:00,640 --> 00:06:03,040 Speaker 1: me of a director that had done that Tom dow 104 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:08,240 Speaker 1: Dock that actually dealt with them, great documentary, right, And 105 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:11,440 Speaker 1: this guy is not famous, he's not a household name. 106 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:14,719 Speaker 1: He's not sitting with m Emmy. He's an Academy nominations 107 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:16,880 Speaker 1: like some of the people that I talked to. But 108 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:20,000 Speaker 1: I'm all about the work. I'm not just about somebody's 109 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:22,440 Speaker 1: resume or somebody you know that somebody's going to pay 110 00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:25,480 Speaker 1: me to do something. So I looked him up, and 111 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:27,599 Speaker 1: I looked at a couple of other things Mark Mormon 112 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:29,440 Speaker 1: that he did, and I said, oh my god, this 113 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:33,200 Speaker 1: guy is really good. He really understands the psychist of 114 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:37,080 Speaker 1: music and the evolution of music through periods, which is 115 00:06:37,160 --> 00:06:39,640 Speaker 1: what that doctor Tom down Dock was. And I was 116 00:06:39,760 --> 00:06:43,760 Speaker 1: also working with Eddie Kramer, who is kind of one 117 00:06:43,800 --> 00:06:47,680 Speaker 1: of the quintessential engineers. I am making Eddie stock through 118 00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:52,200 Speaker 1: his Hendrix, Rolling Stone Zeppelin period. And I said to myself, Man, 119 00:06:52,320 --> 00:06:55,800 Speaker 1: this guy Mormon really knows the stuff. I reached out 120 00:06:55,800 --> 00:06:59,240 Speaker 1: to him cold and we talked and we bonded. He 121 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:01,560 Speaker 1: flew out to l A. I did a zoom call 122 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:07,600 Speaker 1: it Don. Don trusted me Don like Mark, and we started. Okay, 123 00:07:07,720 --> 00:07:12,360 Speaker 1: now the film goes extensively into the plane crash with 124 00:07:12,440 --> 00:07:17,680 Speaker 1: Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper. Richie Valens has uh the 125 00:07:17,720 --> 00:07:21,160 Speaker 1: actual corn field that they crashed in. How did you 126 00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:24,600 Speaker 1: decide on the construction of the movie in terms of 127 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:29,240 Speaker 1: what was going to be the varying, varying elements. Well, 128 00:07:29,280 --> 00:07:33,320 Speaker 1: the elements were product of brainstorming between myself and the director. 129 00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:38,200 Speaker 1: But Mark has vision, he's a cinematographer. We definitely wanted 130 00:07:38,240 --> 00:07:41,040 Speaker 1: to anchor this to the field of Dreams and Iowa, 131 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:45,080 Speaker 1: where the plane did crash. Don doesn't pilgrimage. He did 132 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:48,400 Speaker 1: one fifty years later to the Surf Ballroom, which was 133 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:51,160 Speaker 1: the place, the last place that Buddy Holly and you 134 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:54,240 Speaker 1: know they did that concert. So all of this was 135 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:57,120 Speaker 1: the vision of his start there. But it's not a 136 00:07:57,120 --> 00:08:01,080 Speaker 1: Buddy Holly doc. It's not Iowa a doc. It's just 137 00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:05,440 Speaker 1: the anchor. But the song traveled way beyond Iowa. Okay. 138 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:09,720 Speaker 1: So I'm very interested having watched the film. Was the 139 00:08:09,760 --> 00:08:13,960 Speaker 1: Surf Ballroom just preserved as it was because they realize 140 00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:18,040 Speaker 1: the monumental effect of those artists that they have gigs there? 141 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:20,920 Speaker 1: Is it a museum? I know that ultimately Don plays 142 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:23,840 Speaker 1: there in the in the film. But what's the status 143 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:27,840 Speaker 1: of the Surf Ballroom today? It's living and breathing. It 144 00:08:27,960 --> 00:08:31,560 Speaker 1: is considered a national monument. They've kind of upgraded it. 145 00:08:32,040 --> 00:08:35,080 Speaker 1: You can see by watching the film the pictures of 146 00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:37,720 Speaker 1: some of the icons who have played there, and of 147 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:40,640 Speaker 1: course you see a tribute to Richie Ballance and Buddy 148 00:08:40,679 --> 00:08:43,400 Speaker 1: Holly and the Big Bopper. But now it's a living, breathing, 149 00:08:44,320 --> 00:08:47,600 Speaker 1: functioning place. But at the same time it became the 150 00:08:47,679 --> 00:08:51,040 Speaker 1: anchor of the stock at least get going with it. Okay, 151 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:53,440 Speaker 1: you have a long history of dealing with artists, and 152 00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:55,240 Speaker 1: one thing we know about artists, it's their one and 153 00:08:55,280 --> 00:08:58,400 Speaker 1: only career. If they make a mistake, it might kill 154 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:01,480 Speaker 1: their career and a manager, dus or whatever label can 155 00:09:01,559 --> 00:09:06,520 Speaker 1: move on. Right, How difficult was it working with Don 156 00:09:06,520 --> 00:09:09,360 Speaker 1: who does not have a reputation for being easy going. 157 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:14,360 Speaker 1: I think Don is a brilliant, wonderful, warm guy if 158 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:18,360 Speaker 1: you catch him properly, he's intelligent, he's got a number 159 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:21,640 Speaker 1: of degrees. He doesn't suffer fools. Well, I had to 160 00:09:21,640 --> 00:09:23,800 Speaker 1: be on my game and I was, and he's got 161 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:27,720 Speaker 1: a very smart manager who also paid attention. But I 162 00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:30,480 Speaker 1: found on to be very gracious, and he said, if 163 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:33,280 Speaker 1: it ain't broke down, fixed it. Every time Mark and 164 00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:35,240 Speaker 1: I would come up with stuff and we'd have rough 165 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:37,480 Speaker 1: cuts of this stat or the other. I'd share it 166 00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:40,720 Speaker 1: with them. I'm very collaborative with the artists, and because 167 00:09:40,760 --> 00:09:43,800 Speaker 1: I come from the music as opposed to a suit 168 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:47,760 Speaker 1: trying to impose my view on it, Don became very collaborative. 169 00:09:47,840 --> 00:09:51,600 Speaker 1: He was great. Who is Don's manager? Guy named Kurt 170 00:09:51,679 --> 00:09:56,240 Speaker 1: Webster based on a national Okay, so what did you 171 00:09:56,440 --> 00:10:00,720 Speaker 1: learn making the movie about American Pie and Don mc lane? Well? 172 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:05,000 Speaker 1: I learned the reveals that he decided to reveal. Who 173 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:09,680 Speaker 1: was the jester? Was it Bob Dylan? What was thorny crown? Well, 174 00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:13,000 Speaker 1: Elvis was the king, but he didn't wear a thorny 175 00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:16,320 Speaker 1: crown because Jesus Christ bore the thorny crown. What I 176 00:10:16,480 --> 00:10:19,959 Speaker 1: learned was what was inside Donald's head and a heart 177 00:10:19,960 --> 00:10:22,840 Speaker 1: and spirit. When he wrote a big song for the country, 178 00:10:23,280 --> 00:10:25,840 Speaker 1: the Marching, I used to run the sts at u 179 00:10:25,880 --> 00:10:29,120 Speaker 1: c l A very much protesting the war in my 180 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:33,880 Speaker 1: younger days, and when the marching element came up in 181 00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:36,280 Speaker 1: the song, little did I know that there was a 182 00:10:36,360 --> 00:10:41,400 Speaker 1: march that was really happening. People were marching in seventy 183 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:45,280 Speaker 1: seventy one. I got it's very deep. It's much deeper 184 00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:48,000 Speaker 1: than just a campfire song, but it's got a good hook. 185 00:10:49,240 --> 00:10:54,080 Speaker 1: How did you segue from making records to making documentaries? 186 00:10:55,160 --> 00:10:57,800 Speaker 1: By having directed a number of videos on the records 187 00:10:57,840 --> 00:11:02,240 Speaker 1: that I produced, getting next to the creative as I've 188 00:11:02,280 --> 00:11:06,959 Speaker 1: always been, And actually in nine seven I had the 189 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:10,199 Speaker 1: good fortune to work with Robbie Robertson, whose best friend 190 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:12,840 Speaker 1: at the time was Martin Scorsese. We made it doc 191 00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:17,480 Speaker 1: on how Robbie kind of wanted to be in film 192 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:20,760 Speaker 1: Scorsese wanted to be in music. How they teamed up 193 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:23,439 Speaker 1: after the Last Waltz and I was able to work 194 00:11:23,480 --> 00:11:26,160 Speaker 1: with Ida grow Wits and some people that I knew 195 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:29,559 Speaker 1: In putting that doc together. We had two Emmy nominations. 196 00:11:29,760 --> 00:11:34,080 Speaker 1: That was before it was fashionable to do music docs. 197 00:11:34,120 --> 00:11:36,559 Speaker 1: How did I segue? Because I come from the music 198 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:39,600 Speaker 1: and I care about with the songs and the music 199 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:43,600 Speaker 1: represents It became a logical outgrowth for me as I 200 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:47,000 Speaker 1: started evolving my career and morphing into the next step. 201 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:49,439 Speaker 1: As you get older, you don't want a babysit rock 202 00:11:49,559 --> 00:11:54,199 Speaker 1: artists anymore. I had the good fortune to spend three 203 00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:56,760 Speaker 1: songs with Stevie Wonder that I got to produce and 204 00:11:56,920 --> 00:12:00,360 Speaker 1: arrange music with him with the Symphony Orchardstrap. Very the 205 00:12:00,440 --> 00:12:03,199 Speaker 1: quiet riot very different than when I met you, Bob, 206 00:12:03,400 --> 00:12:06,000 Speaker 1: when you were working in Sanctuary, I was producing The 207 00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:09,000 Speaker 1: wasp Ountain, which wind up selling a couple of million 208 00:12:09,040 --> 00:12:13,000 Speaker 1: records back in But I do remember you coming into 209 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:16,440 Speaker 1: my studio, and boy, little did I know that you 210 00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:21,120 Speaker 1: would become probably the most articulate purveyor of pop cultures 211 00:12:21,120 --> 00:12:25,040 Speaker 1: through your writing. So I'm really thrilled to talk to you. Man. Wow, 212 00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:27,040 Speaker 1: I don't know how to respond to that, so I'll 213 00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:32,240 Speaker 1: just keep flowing. Okay, many many producers from your era 214 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:38,280 Speaker 1: you have have no more work, and if they're they're 215 00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:40,720 Speaker 1: living on their glory. Then there are people like Tom 216 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:44,040 Speaker 1: Mormon who did a complete one eighty and ended up 217 00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:48,440 Speaker 1: running a B and B. In your particular case, did 218 00:12:48,440 --> 00:12:52,320 Speaker 1: you ultimately see way, there's no future for me in 219 00:12:52,360 --> 00:12:56,160 Speaker 1: this The game changes. I'm getting older and I'm going 220 00:12:56,200 --> 00:13:01,760 Speaker 1: to pivot to this. How conscious was the whole decision? It? 221 00:13:01,760 --> 00:13:05,160 Speaker 1: It was a natural outgrowth. I never worried that I 222 00:13:05,160 --> 00:13:08,200 Speaker 1: would be lacking work. I've been working since I worked 223 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:12,280 Speaker 1: for Clive Davis, one of his twenty three um. I decided, 224 00:13:12,320 --> 00:13:15,400 Speaker 1: after having two children, I didn't want a babysit rock 225 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:18,560 Speaker 1: artists anymore, and I didn't want to be in the studio, 226 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:22,880 Speaker 1: so I started supervising music for film before it became fashionable. 227 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:25,280 Speaker 1: A good friend of mine, Jerry Off say it became 228 00:13:25,320 --> 00:13:27,760 Speaker 1: the head of production at showtime, and if you look 229 00:13:27,800 --> 00:13:31,480 Speaker 1: at my IMDb you'll see fifty five films that I quarterback. 230 00:13:31,640 --> 00:13:34,800 Speaker 1: I mixed the scores, I wrote some title songs, and 231 00:13:34,920 --> 00:13:38,200 Speaker 1: that was my gradual evolution. I didn't do it to 232 00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:40,240 Speaker 1: make a living because I did a lot of back 233 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:42,640 Speaker 1: end deals, because I'm the kind of guy that eats 234 00:13:42,679 --> 00:13:45,640 Speaker 1: what I killed. I don't try and frontload anything. By 235 00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:50,240 Speaker 1: the way, I was up in Massachusetts at Rman's place. 236 00:13:50,280 --> 00:13:52,920 Speaker 1: Tom is an old friend of mine. It's wonderful. I 237 00:13:52,960 --> 00:13:56,599 Speaker 1: love the whole, that whole Brookshire's area lot, which is 238 00:13:56,600 --> 00:14:00,160 Speaker 1: pretty cool. But now my conscious thing was logical. In 239 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:02,480 Speaker 1: two thousand two, I teamed up with the buddy of mine. 240 00:14:02,520 --> 00:14:05,800 Speaker 1: We made the first DH one on biographical movie, which 241 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:08,640 Speaker 1: I put together, and I decided, you know, this is 242 00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:14,000 Speaker 1: kind of cool building uh, media out of music, and 243 00:14:14,080 --> 00:14:17,480 Speaker 1: I started doing that way before it became super fashionable. 244 00:14:17,720 --> 00:14:21,240 Speaker 1: I started that as I told you did any cost 245 00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:24,520 Speaker 1: for VH one in two thousand two, and it just 246 00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:28,920 Speaker 1: naturally evolved to do that making a difference in pop 247 00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:34,680 Speaker 1: culture using music and media. Now, the music business and 248 00:14:34,800 --> 00:14:39,360 Speaker 1: movie business are different in many ways. Certainly, the budgets 249 00:14:39,360 --> 00:14:42,600 Speaker 1: are lower in music and it's easier to get started. 250 00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:47,080 Speaker 1: There are producers who have multiple projects and they're waiting 251 00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:51,960 Speaker 1: for funding for decades. What has been your experience and 252 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:55,760 Speaker 1: how do you deal with this frustration? I kind of 253 00:14:55,800 --> 00:14:59,920 Speaker 1: feel that I don't pitch. I share, and because I'm 254 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:04,880 Speaker 1: next to the talent and I get the proprietary rights, uh, 255 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:09,280 Speaker 1: I p is king and distribution is great and for me, 256 00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:12,800 Speaker 1: I don't have a problem making anything that I do 257 00:15:12,920 --> 00:15:15,160 Speaker 1: get out to the World's the question of who's the 258 00:15:15,200 --> 00:15:19,520 Speaker 1: appropriate distributor marketing. I have a great team that worked 259 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:22,480 Speaker 1: for me, that I believe in, I trust, and we've 260 00:15:22,520 --> 00:15:25,760 Speaker 1: all known each other for one guy does all my 261 00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:28,520 Speaker 1: underscore stuff. I've known for forty years. But if you 262 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:32,440 Speaker 1: look at my sight, the average longevity of my relationships 263 00:15:32,480 --> 00:15:36,520 Speaker 1: to my team is probably a decade plus. And my 264 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:39,640 Speaker 1: model also is I pay out of budgets so they 265 00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:41,680 Speaker 1: can go and build their life and do their work 266 00:15:42,040 --> 00:15:46,360 Speaker 1: their own way. But I've got fierce loyalty because maybe 267 00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:48,000 Speaker 1: I'm a decent guy at the end of the day, 268 00:15:48,040 --> 00:15:53,080 Speaker 1: but I really care about the art. Well, Eddie Kramer 269 00:15:53,200 --> 00:15:58,480 Speaker 1: certainly deserves a documentary. Anything else in the pipe yeah part, 270 00:15:58,560 --> 00:16:00,480 Speaker 1: you would know all these people who, as you are 271 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:03,120 Speaker 1: a student of the business of pop culture. My friend 272 00:16:03,160 --> 00:16:05,280 Speaker 1: Del Bryant, who used to be the president of b 273 00:16:05,440 --> 00:16:09,680 Speaker 1: m I, his parents, Police and Buddle O'Brian actually wrote 274 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:12,600 Speaker 1: all the big Everley Brothers hits. So the doc we're 275 00:16:12,640 --> 00:16:15,240 Speaker 1: going to make his call. That's done. It signed papered. 276 00:16:15,480 --> 00:16:17,480 Speaker 1: All I Have to Do Is Dream, which was one 277 00:16:17,520 --> 00:16:20,800 Speaker 1: of the big Everley hits. But when you think of 278 00:16:20,840 --> 00:16:23,400 Speaker 1: the people who covered some of the Bryant songs from 279 00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:26,400 Speaker 1: Paul Simon too, you look at the influence that the 280 00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:30,400 Speaker 1: Everley Harmonies have had on McCarty, Lennon McCartney, etcetera. We're 281 00:16:30,400 --> 00:16:32,760 Speaker 1: going to make a doc called All I Have to 282 00:16:32,800 --> 00:16:36,120 Speaker 1: Do Is Dream, the pioneers of Nashville, and I can 283 00:16:36,240 --> 00:16:39,280 Speaker 1: link a little bit about that because in the sixties, 284 00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:41,920 Speaker 1: as you know, New York was a hotbed of new 285 00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:45,680 Speaker 1: acoustic music and there were a lot of renegades there. Well, 286 00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:50,040 Speaker 1: the Bryants were the pioneers of bohemians of Nashville before 287 00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:53,360 Speaker 1: it was fashionable, you know, to be cool in Nashville, 288 00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:56,320 Speaker 1: which it is today. So they would Devil would be 289 00:16:56,360 --> 00:17:00,520 Speaker 1: sitting on his dad's knee when Orbison and the Release 290 00:17:01,040 --> 00:17:03,640 Speaker 1: and Carl Perkins and all these people would come over, 291 00:17:04,040 --> 00:17:06,880 Speaker 1: and we're going to have demos that Della has. This 292 00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:09,920 Speaker 1: is a doc about his parents journey, but we're also 293 00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:12,000 Speaker 1: going to deal with the music. But we're not going 294 00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:14,480 Speaker 1: to do a generic music doc. It's really going to 295 00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:18,320 Speaker 1: be about pioneering music out of a Nashville Anchor will 296 00:17:18,320 --> 00:17:20,720 Speaker 1: bring it forward with some modern covers like I did 297 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:24,240 Speaker 1: with McLean, But really that's the project of Excited about 298 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:28,760 Speaker 1: Steven Schwartz wrote Godspell, Pippen, and the current Wicked movie 299 00:17:29,040 --> 00:17:32,480 Speaker 1: which he has written. Stephen is elected for me to 300 00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:35,480 Speaker 1: be his producer and produced the doc on his journey, 301 00:17:35,680 --> 00:17:39,560 Speaker 1: not a Wicked documentary, documentary on the kid who was 302 00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:42,919 Speaker 1: at Carnegie Mellon when he wrote god Steal. Then he 303 00:17:42,960 --> 00:17:45,159 Speaker 1: went and wrote Pippen. Then he had a problem with 304 00:17:45,240 --> 00:17:48,639 Speaker 1: Bob Fosse. Then he started writing music for films. He 305 00:17:48,760 --> 00:17:51,679 Speaker 1: tamed up with Alamanka. That's going to be an interesting story. 306 00:17:51,920 --> 00:17:55,760 Speaker 1: We will do that working with God bless his memory. 307 00:17:55,920 --> 00:17:59,320 Speaker 1: Lamont Dozer was one of my dearest friends. We've written 308 00:17:59,359 --> 00:18:02,520 Speaker 1: some songs together when our kids had play dates. My 309 00:18:02,680 --> 00:18:05,560 Speaker 1: younger son Morgan used to date. Is not date could 310 00:18:05,560 --> 00:18:08,840 Speaker 1: go to school with his daughter. So he had written 311 00:18:08,920 --> 00:18:11,159 Speaker 1: the songs that he wrote in the sixties, whether it 312 00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:15,400 Speaker 1: be you know heat wave or standing in the Shadows 313 00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:18,879 Speaker 1: or this same old song. We live that through the 314 00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:23,800 Speaker 1: administration prior to Biden and so are we in a 315 00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:26,359 Speaker 1: heat wave? Is it the same old song? Were we 316 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:29,159 Speaker 1: hearing the same things? So I've teamed up with a 317 00:18:29,359 --> 00:18:33,440 Speaker 1: director who's a South African, brilliant guy, and we are 318 00:18:33,520 --> 00:18:37,679 Speaker 1: sculpting the story from a South African point of view culturally, 319 00:18:37,960 --> 00:18:40,320 Speaker 1: but from a world point of view because Laumont, after 320 00:18:40,359 --> 00:18:44,920 Speaker 1: he left Motown, he toured South Africa, he toured Nigeria. 321 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:48,160 Speaker 1: We're just going to approach it a little differently than 322 00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:50,840 Speaker 1: the normal person. That which is do a soup to nuts. Hey, 323 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:53,240 Speaker 1: it's a dock on all this hits. Guys had fifty 324 00:18:53,240 --> 00:18:57,560 Speaker 1: one number one songs. But I'm interested in what those 325 00:18:57,600 --> 00:19:00,520 Speaker 1: songs mean to people then and today, as we did 326 00:19:00,520 --> 00:19:11,080 Speaker 1: with Lamont, as we did with Don McLean. Okay, going 327 00:19:11,119 --> 00:19:14,520 Speaker 1: back to Dell, who owns his parents songs now? Del 328 00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:18,600 Speaker 1: how Sobriant he and his brother own a So I 329 00:19:18,680 --> 00:19:22,720 Speaker 1: have no licensing issues, I have no sink issues. Everything 330 00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:26,639 Speaker 1: is built in into my partnership with Dell. Great. So 331 00:19:26,880 --> 00:19:29,959 Speaker 1: you're a student of the game yourself. What do you 332 00:19:30,040 --> 00:19:34,680 Speaker 1: think about all these artists selling their catalogs. I'm talking 333 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:38,960 Speaker 1: about publishing catalog primarily those Springsteen were sold the records too, well, yeah, 334 00:19:39,040 --> 00:19:41,320 Speaker 1: we understand, and an opal of years who were in 335 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:43,600 Speaker 1: the Sanctuary it was kind of next to that. Mark 336 00:19:44,160 --> 00:19:47,880 Speaker 1: I think, Yeah, I think, And funny I've gone back 337 00:19:47,920 --> 00:19:50,399 Speaker 1: and forth with them. I'm proud of how he's built 338 00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:53,000 Speaker 1: what is hip knows his company. I see what the 339 00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:55,800 Speaker 1: big boys are doing, and I think that's really smart 340 00:19:55,960 --> 00:19:58,399 Speaker 1: because if you're Paul Simon, if you're Bob Dylan, and 341 00:19:58,520 --> 00:20:01,119 Speaker 1: you're after seventy years all you can get three four 342 00:20:01,240 --> 00:20:04,520 Speaker 1: five million dollars for your work and still consult on 343 00:20:04,560 --> 00:20:07,160 Speaker 1: it and still have a voice on how the things 344 00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:11,240 Speaker 1: are used and licensed. I think that's actually really smart, 345 00:20:11,400 --> 00:20:15,160 Speaker 1: because songs are the bedrock of the business. Who owns 346 00:20:15,200 --> 00:20:19,840 Speaker 1: all your rights? Me? So you haven't sold anything? No, 347 00:20:20,240 --> 00:20:25,080 Speaker 1: Well I did in the past, um because well, these 348 00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:29,159 Speaker 1: days I'm owning the i P to my films. I 349 00:20:29,280 --> 00:20:31,480 Speaker 1: used to own the I P to the copyrights on 350 00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:34,640 Speaker 1: the songs that I wrote and the records I produced. 351 00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:36,960 Speaker 1: Some of them were owned by the distributors. When I 352 00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:40,159 Speaker 1: got smart, I wound up having j vs after my 353 00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:43,040 Speaker 1: Billy Thorpe experience. If you remember Children of the Sun, 354 00:20:43,400 --> 00:20:47,080 Speaker 1: of course I wrote that I produced that with Billy. 355 00:20:47,200 --> 00:20:50,520 Speaker 1: It was on Capricorn when they went belly up. I 356 00:20:50,520 --> 00:20:53,840 Speaker 1: didn't get a dime and we sold a million records. Bob. 357 00:20:53,880 --> 00:20:58,879 Speaker 1: In y eight I developed laser computer animated laser light shows, 358 00:20:58,920 --> 00:21:01,880 Speaker 1: started Planet Arry shows, and I didn't get paid a time. 359 00:21:02,200 --> 00:21:04,959 Speaker 1: I realized I need to control my i P a 360 00:21:04,960 --> 00:21:08,879 Speaker 1: little more, so it evolved. I did go to law school. 361 00:21:08,960 --> 00:21:11,359 Speaker 1: The only thing I learned out of that was that 362 00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:14,040 Speaker 1: I didn't want to be a lawyer. A and B. 363 00:21:14,359 --> 00:21:16,560 Speaker 1: When Clive offered me a job, he could either pick 364 00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:18,560 Speaker 1: up my option as an artist, or take the job. 365 00:21:18,680 --> 00:21:21,040 Speaker 1: I took the job, kidding forget. That was the end 366 00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:23,639 Speaker 1: of my recording career. So I've been that guy behind 367 00:21:23,680 --> 00:21:28,040 Speaker 1: the curtain, the frustrated artist, that frustrated guitar player. My 368 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:32,199 Speaker 1: last who odd guitar? As I played with Ray Parker Jr. 369 00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:35,000 Speaker 1: On the Tina Turner asked the Queen album, if you 370 00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:37,280 Speaker 1: look and you google if there were only two guitarists 371 00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:39,640 Speaker 1: me and right. But you know what, when I got 372 00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:42,200 Speaker 1: the chance to work with Jeff Beck with Brian May, 373 00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:45,280 Speaker 1: I said, wait a minute, these are real good guitarists. 374 00:21:45,680 --> 00:21:48,240 Speaker 1: If you see that guitar behind there, I use it 375 00:21:48,280 --> 00:21:52,040 Speaker 1: to strom you know, my hope, my future grandchildren to sleep. 376 00:21:52,280 --> 00:21:54,600 Speaker 1: But I'll tell you man, I'm not as good as 377 00:21:54,600 --> 00:21:56,920 Speaker 1: the people have worked with. That's why I defer. Don 378 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:01,399 Speaker 1: McLean is one of the best guitarist show ever meet. Okay, 379 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:06,280 Speaker 1: the Quiet Riot stuff. Yeah, I assumed that Sony owns 380 00:22:06,359 --> 00:22:09,399 Speaker 1: the recordings. Are you still getting revenue from that or 381 00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:11,880 Speaker 1: if you sold the rights to that? Now? I still 382 00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:15,720 Speaker 1: get revenue every quarter and the masters because at the 383 00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:19,280 Speaker 1: time I didn't have the Cloud, I had the opportunity. 384 00:22:19,480 --> 00:22:23,480 Speaker 1: Walter Yetnikoff gave me the opportunity, and that's the story 385 00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:27,119 Speaker 1: into itself. Because they all hated that record. I made it. 386 00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:30,280 Speaker 1: I directed the videos with a guy named Mark Rezko, 387 00:22:30,359 --> 00:22:33,959 Speaker 1: who was an out of work commercial Sky and MTV. 388 00:22:34,160 --> 00:22:38,560 Speaker 1: Actually Bob Pittman and his team Les Garland helped me 389 00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:40,879 Speaker 1: get it on the air. When I put a second 390 00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:44,240 Speaker 1: on my house made the video at cal Arts bypassed 391 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:46,840 Speaker 1: the label, sent it to EMPTV. They put on the air, 392 00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:50,359 Speaker 1: went through the roof the first bang your Head video. 393 00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:53,280 Speaker 1: But I didn't own the masters. I owned the publishing 394 00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:59,920 Speaker 1: that I did sell back. Okay, you sold the publishing 395 00:23:00,480 --> 00:23:07,560 Speaker 1: just on that. Yeah, what was your motivation? M getting divorced? 396 00:23:09,440 --> 00:23:14,159 Speaker 1: That's a good motivation. Absolutely. How many times you've been married? 397 00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:17,159 Speaker 1: While I have the best marriage a human being could have. 398 00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:21,960 Speaker 1: I my first marriage was was someone you probably know of, 399 00:23:22,119 --> 00:23:26,080 Speaker 1: Trudy Green who and Trudy is still my dear friend. 400 00:23:26,240 --> 00:23:29,720 Speaker 1: After fifty years of friendship, we realized we'd be better 401 00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:33,280 Speaker 1: business partners than husband and wife. So that thing lasted 402 00:23:33,320 --> 00:23:36,040 Speaker 1: a year in my twenties, then the mother of my 403 00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:40,320 Speaker 1: children fifteen years when that didn't work, I met Judy 404 00:23:40,359 --> 00:23:43,520 Speaker 1: by accident. She's been with me now. Twenty two years 405 00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:47,160 Speaker 1: she was the publisher of the l A Weekly. She's brilliant. 406 00:23:47,200 --> 00:23:49,560 Speaker 1: She's got a heart of gold, and rather than me 407 00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:53,119 Speaker 1: talk about it on this podcast, people can read about 408 00:23:53,119 --> 00:23:56,200 Speaker 1: her and google her. But she runs my book division 409 00:23:56,520 --> 00:23:58,960 Speaker 1: and she is about the smartest person I've ever met 410 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:01,600 Speaker 1: in my life, next to my kids. My kids are 411 00:24:01,600 --> 00:24:06,960 Speaker 1: pretty smart too. Okay, if you stop working today, do 412 00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:10,320 Speaker 1: you have enough money to get to the end? Yes? Okay, 413 00:24:10,359 --> 00:24:13,159 Speaker 1: that's good. What's what's up with your book division? Well? 414 00:24:13,640 --> 00:24:18,119 Speaker 1: I like the idea of making books, whether it's the 415 00:24:18,200 --> 00:24:20,720 Speaker 1: book first and then the doc. I'll show you this 416 00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:24,959 Speaker 1: Elvis book that Babs Lerman wrote the forward too, just so, 417 00:24:25,080 --> 00:24:28,879 Speaker 1: just so you know, we're audio only. Oh okay. Bass 418 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:33,040 Speaker 1: Lerman is a brilliant director. He's now crossed the three 419 00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:37,000 Speaker 1: million mark with the Elvis Stone. My dear friend Steve 420 00:24:37,200 --> 00:24:42,200 Speaker 1: Steve Binder actually directed and produced the original Comeback special. 421 00:24:42,480 --> 00:24:46,399 Speaker 1: I'm in production on that now, telling the Elvis and 422 00:24:46,440 --> 00:24:51,760 Speaker 1: Steve Buddy story Elman, Louise, Butch and Sundance, Elvis and Steve. 423 00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:55,040 Speaker 1: As you can see when you watch the bass Lerman movie, 424 00:24:55,359 --> 00:24:59,280 Speaker 1: Elvis and Steve, will Steve Divide Colonel Parker. He didn't 425 00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:02,160 Speaker 1: want to do a some special. And if you remember 426 00:25:02,200 --> 00:25:06,320 Speaker 1: the scene in the Bass Movie when Elvis says, so, Steve, 427 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:08,400 Speaker 1: what do you think of my career? And Steve says, 428 00:25:08,440 --> 00:25:12,920 Speaker 1: it's in the toilet, it's true. So partnering with Viacom 429 00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:17,679 Speaker 1: and Paramount Plus and Paramount Corporate and CBS UM on 430 00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:20,960 Speaker 1: this who are my partners? We are making the story 431 00:25:21,080 --> 00:25:25,520 Speaker 1: from through Steve's lens. And it happened that Steve wrote 432 00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:28,320 Speaker 1: a book on it. We published if we put it out. 433 00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:31,600 Speaker 1: He got Bads to write the forward to the book. 434 00:25:31,640 --> 00:25:35,480 Speaker 1: He consulted on Bads this movie, and we're using the 435 00:25:35,560 --> 00:25:39,080 Speaker 1: Bads movie, not using but it's propelling sales of the 436 00:25:39,119 --> 00:25:42,040 Speaker 1: book when our doc comes out. It's also going to 437 00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:45,240 Speaker 1: help that book came first. Judy helped me put the 438 00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:48,760 Speaker 1: book together with Steve. Steve wrote it. He's brilliant, he lived. 439 00:25:49,119 --> 00:25:52,199 Speaker 1: He is the only living guy who can truly speak 440 00:25:52,440 --> 00:25:55,920 Speaker 1: to the Elvis Comeback Special because he's the guy who 441 00:25:55,960 --> 00:25:59,639 Speaker 1: directed it, produced it, and conceived it. Um on the 442 00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:03,159 Speaker 1: lean thing. When I got to know Don and learned 443 00:26:03,240 --> 00:26:06,040 Speaker 1: his story of being a young paper boy and being 444 00:26:06,080 --> 00:26:09,840 Speaker 1: inspired and being affected by Buddy Holly's death, Judy and 445 00:26:09,840 --> 00:26:12,600 Speaker 1: I talked about it. She came up with a brilliant 446 00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:16,520 Speaker 1: idea on how to look at the prequel to him 447 00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:19,719 Speaker 1: writing the song that's the Journey. I have a distribution 448 00:26:19,760 --> 00:26:23,280 Speaker 1: deal with kind of the A and M Records Island 449 00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:27,040 Speaker 1: speaking at Chris Blackwell of books called IPG based out 450 00:26:27,040 --> 00:26:30,359 Speaker 1: of Chicago, and they're doing that book and a dozen 451 00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:33,720 Speaker 1: other books for us. I'm making a book on every 452 00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:38,400 Speaker 1: dock that I produced because I can. Okay, going back 453 00:26:38,400 --> 00:26:43,720 Speaker 1: to the American Pie, you have recreations. They're done very subtly. 454 00:26:43,760 --> 00:26:47,359 Speaker 1: At first you think that, uh, it's actually the film 455 00:26:47,480 --> 00:26:50,879 Speaker 1: from that era. That's an interesting choice. How did you 456 00:26:51,119 --> 00:26:53,800 Speaker 1: and the director make that choice? First of all, I'm 457 00:26:53,800 --> 00:26:57,879 Speaker 1: going to correct you. It's not recreations, Chloral, It's only 458 00:26:58,080 --> 00:27:02,800 Speaker 1: a slight piece that exists. And that was Mark Mormon's 459 00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:09,159 Speaker 1: genius because it couldn't we couldn't get footage from seventy one, 460 00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:11,679 Speaker 1: but it could look like seventy one who could feel 461 00:27:11,680 --> 00:27:15,399 Speaker 1: like it and Don guided him through it because Don 462 00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:18,199 Speaker 1: was there. So if you do it, and you do 463 00:27:18,280 --> 00:27:20,560 Speaker 1: it with some vision, you pull it off. And I 464 00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:24,679 Speaker 1: give a lot of props to Mark Mormon for doing that. Okay, 465 00:27:24,760 --> 00:27:27,240 Speaker 1: let's pull the lens back. If someone who's been in 466 00:27:27,280 --> 00:27:33,240 Speaker 1: the game from many decades, and what do you think 467 00:27:33,280 --> 00:27:39,000 Speaker 1: about the recorded music business today? I think songs of 468 00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:43,600 Speaker 1: the bedrock of music and harmony. I'm working on a 469 00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:47,840 Speaker 1: dock with the guys Manhattan Transfer Pentatonics that takes you 470 00:27:47,880 --> 00:27:50,679 Speaker 1: back to the Andrew sisters and the Mills brothers, and 471 00:27:50,720 --> 00:27:57,120 Speaker 1: that Jordanaire's harmony. Songs will always exist. How you sell it. 472 00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:00,639 Speaker 1: Used to be a tracks, used to be in you 473 00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:04,640 Speaker 1: used to spin it around on seventy eight eight tracks too, 474 00:28:05,160 --> 00:28:09,320 Speaker 1: you know, digital to now downloads. It's always going to 475 00:28:09,440 --> 00:28:11,680 Speaker 1: have content. So what do I think of it? If 476 00:28:11,720 --> 00:28:14,880 Speaker 1: the songs are great, I'm a big believer you use 477 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:17,719 Speaker 1: media to propel the songs. That's why I'm doing what 478 00:28:17,760 --> 00:28:20,080 Speaker 1: I'm doing at this age. I'm doing it because I 479 00:28:20,160 --> 00:28:23,119 Speaker 1: get off on it. I love it, I understand it, 480 00:28:23,200 --> 00:28:27,159 Speaker 1: I relate to it. And yeah, money is a byproduct 481 00:28:27,240 --> 00:28:29,919 Speaker 1: of the work. You do the work, the money comes. 482 00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:31,720 Speaker 1: I don't do it for the money. I do it 483 00:28:31,800 --> 00:28:35,359 Speaker 1: for the goose bumps. Once you have those, the money comes. 484 00:28:35,680 --> 00:28:37,520 Speaker 1: I make a lot of money, but I make the 485 00:28:37,560 --> 00:28:42,160 Speaker 1: money doing good work. Okay, let's go a little deeper 486 00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:45,160 Speaker 1: into the music itself. Okay, you made your bones in 487 00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:48,640 Speaker 1: the rock era. What do you think of rock today 488 00:28:48,680 --> 00:28:50,520 Speaker 1: and what do you think of hip hop and pop? 489 00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:56,160 Speaker 1: I think if there's a story, whether it's rock, whether 490 00:28:56,240 --> 00:28:59,120 Speaker 1: it's bang your head, which became a social cultural thing. 491 00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:02,600 Speaker 1: And by the way, I had produced Tina Turner and 492 00:29:02,800 --> 00:29:06,880 Speaker 1: Paul Anka, which wasn't rock. Before I had mixed records 493 00:29:06,920 --> 00:29:11,680 Speaker 1: for Bobby Womack and Bobby Goldsboro. So I you know, 494 00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:14,880 Speaker 1: I had this great success as a rock producer, but 495 00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:18,040 Speaker 1: I'm a music producer. Working with Stevie Wonder with a 496 00:29:18,120 --> 00:29:22,600 Speaker 1: symphony orchestra, working with BB King. That's not rock. It's music, 497 00:29:22,920 --> 00:29:25,560 Speaker 1: and I'm all about the music and I care about it. 498 00:29:25,640 --> 00:29:28,560 Speaker 1: Stephen Schwartz, his songs that he wrote for Pippen and 499 00:29:28,640 --> 00:29:32,240 Speaker 1: Godspell and Wicked, that's not rock, it's good music. I'm 500 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:36,440 Speaker 1: a big fan of songs. Laura Nero, James Taylor, Elton, 501 00:29:36,520 --> 00:29:40,280 Speaker 1: John Kat Stevens. Those are my favorite. Paul Simon is 502 00:29:40,320 --> 00:29:43,479 Speaker 1: my favorite writer the history of my life, because when 503 00:29:43,560 --> 00:29:46,320 Speaker 1: we all came to look for America, that was my story. 504 00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:49,080 Speaker 1: I was born in Germany. I came to America when 505 00:29:49,120 --> 00:29:52,840 Speaker 1: I was six. My kids are the firstborn propers in America, 506 00:29:53,240 --> 00:29:57,280 Speaker 1: so I'm all about it. And he epitomized the spirit 507 00:29:57,680 --> 00:30:00,960 Speaker 1: of coming to America in a song. I love Paul 508 00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:04,440 Speaker 1: Simon and I love songs. So what I think of 509 00:30:04,520 --> 00:30:07,400 Speaker 1: the music business. I think Taylor Swift is a fine 510 00:30:07,520 --> 00:30:10,719 Speaker 1: artist that she writes songs. I think there's some artists 511 00:30:10,720 --> 00:30:14,200 Speaker 1: that still harkened back to songs. I think riffs and rap. 512 00:30:15,160 --> 00:30:17,680 Speaker 1: If rap has a story to it, I did it. 513 00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:23,200 Speaker 1: I like anything that's storytelling. Okay, let's go back to 514 00:30:23,320 --> 00:30:28,760 Speaker 1: Quiet Riot. Warrener and his partner with the managers was 515 00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:31,320 Speaker 1: that David Jacob was his name or something like that. 516 00:30:31,600 --> 00:30:34,480 Speaker 1: Warren was the sole manager. Warren used to be in 517 00:30:34,480 --> 00:30:39,080 Speaker 1: the grassroots and he he nderstood music, but now he 518 00:30:39,160 --> 00:30:43,240 Speaker 1: didn't partner. Maybe subsequently he partnered with others. But during 519 00:30:43,280 --> 00:30:47,000 Speaker 1: the Quiet Riot era, Warren was the manager. Okay, So 520 00:30:47,480 --> 00:30:52,000 Speaker 1: Quiet Riot was a local band Los Angeles had two 521 00:30:52,120 --> 00:30:58,240 Speaker 1: Japanese albums. How did you get involved? When I made 522 00:30:58,320 --> 00:31:04,400 Speaker 1: my label deal with CBS and Night One, I had 523 00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:06,400 Speaker 1: to have a day job because I was real poor 524 00:31:06,440 --> 00:31:10,280 Speaker 1: coming up, so I was producing any money for the company. 525 00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:15,320 Speaker 1: And I remember working for Clive that I went to 526 00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:18,200 Speaker 1: a concert that actually when we signed Pink Floyd. I 527 00:31:18,240 --> 00:31:21,240 Speaker 1: was drafting papers during the day and at night i'd 528 00:31:21,240 --> 00:31:24,200 Speaker 1: go out with Gilmore Waters. We went to Hammersmith and 529 00:31:24,280 --> 00:31:27,520 Speaker 1: I heard Slave, and I heard them invite the audience 530 00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:30,640 Speaker 1: to participate with songs like Mama, We're all crazy now 531 00:31:31,040 --> 00:31:34,440 Speaker 1: and you know, uh, come on Field a Noise, and 532 00:31:34,560 --> 00:31:40,120 Speaker 1: I thought, well, that just I remembered that. So on 533 00:31:40,280 --> 00:31:43,680 Speaker 1: this poor guy producing any money, not that poor anymore, 534 00:31:43,720 --> 00:31:46,640 Speaker 1: but I was producing it had this label deal. I 535 00:31:46,800 --> 00:31:50,120 Speaker 1: lost the window with Billy Thorpe because when those masters 536 00:31:50,440 --> 00:31:54,720 Speaker 1: got hung up in bankruptcy. I continued on Billy because 537 00:31:54,720 --> 00:31:57,080 Speaker 1: I built my relationship with the artists. We put on 538 00:31:57,200 --> 00:31:59,600 Speaker 1: a Thorpe record. It didn't do much, and I said, 539 00:31:59,640 --> 00:32:02,120 Speaker 1: holy Ship. Yet mcough gave me this deal because he 540 00:32:02,160 --> 00:32:04,760 Speaker 1: thought I had vision. What am I gonna do? I'm 541 00:32:04,840 --> 00:32:10,000 Speaker 1: driving around. I hear Police Rock Sand, I hear soft 542 00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:13,000 Speaker 1: Sell on the radio, very passive. Then I hear KHJ 543 00:32:13,240 --> 00:32:16,480 Speaker 1: radio playing come on Field the Noise, the oldie by Slave. 544 00:32:16,880 --> 00:32:19,440 Speaker 1: I said, holy Ship. That jumps right out of the radio. 545 00:32:20,080 --> 00:32:22,480 Speaker 1: A friend of mine who was managing an epic band 546 00:32:22,520 --> 00:32:26,440 Speaker 1: called Molly Hatchett called Pat Armstrong. He said, are you 547 00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:30,320 Speaker 1: hip to this band that's doing? I said, friendly with 548 00:32:30,360 --> 00:32:32,920 Speaker 1: Patty wanted me to produce and stuff for him. I said, 549 00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:35,720 Speaker 1: I need to find a band who can sing anthem 550 00:32:35,760 --> 00:32:39,080 Speaker 1: participatory rock songs. He goes, there's this band playing the 551 00:32:39,120 --> 00:32:42,840 Speaker 1: country club and resida. I'm an l a guy, and 552 00:32:43,280 --> 00:32:46,160 Speaker 1: they sing those kind of songs. The lead singers Demonich. 553 00:32:46,160 --> 00:32:50,040 Speaker 1: He looks like a Marcel Mars character. So I said, okay, 554 00:32:50,160 --> 00:32:52,000 Speaker 1: you know what, Pat, you got credit with me. I 555 00:32:52,040 --> 00:32:54,480 Speaker 1: got in the car. I drove up one night to 556 00:32:54,800 --> 00:32:58,080 Speaker 1: the country club and there were six people in the audience, 557 00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:00,800 Speaker 1: and there was this group called Why. They were called 558 00:33:00,840 --> 00:33:05,120 Speaker 1: do Bro, named after Kevin du Bro. Rudy Sarzo was 559 00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:09,160 Speaker 1: still working with Ozzie Osborne, playing bass for Ozzie. So 560 00:33:09,440 --> 00:33:12,280 Speaker 1: I listened to them and I hear party all night, 561 00:33:12,760 --> 00:33:16,800 Speaker 1: I hear bang your head. I'm going, okay, if I 562 00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:21,160 Speaker 1: can convince these guys to do a cover, which I 563 00:33:21,280 --> 00:33:24,560 Speaker 1: understood was really hard, and that's why the disconnect with 564 00:33:24,640 --> 00:33:28,320 Speaker 1: Kevin I started day one. But I had a studio passion, 565 00:33:28,440 --> 00:33:31,640 Speaker 1: the one you were in and I saw after the show. 566 00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:33,320 Speaker 1: I went up to them and I said, I'm an 567 00:33:33,320 --> 00:33:36,480 Speaker 1: ex Spenser proper. Kevin was a student of music. He said, 568 00:33:36,720 --> 00:33:40,320 Speaker 1: didn't you produce that Tina Turner album? I said yeah. 569 00:33:40,480 --> 00:33:43,160 Speaker 1: He said, didn't you get involved with Billy Thorpe. I 570 00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:46,120 Speaker 1: said yeah, I produced his records and I wrote Children 571 00:33:46,120 --> 00:33:49,280 Speaker 1: of the Sun with Billy. I'm that guy. He said, wow, 572 00:33:49,440 --> 00:33:52,240 Speaker 1: well that's cool. I said, hey, i'll produce you, but 573 00:33:52,440 --> 00:33:54,360 Speaker 1: you need to do something for me. I'll do three 574 00:33:54,400 --> 00:33:56,720 Speaker 1: of your songs. I'll give you a studio time. You 575 00:33:56,800 --> 00:33:58,880 Speaker 1: got to do a cover. He said, I hate slave 576 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:02,240 Speaker 1: their posers. I said, yeah, you might hate them, but 577 00:34:02,360 --> 00:34:05,000 Speaker 1: guess what. They had a number one record in England, 578 00:34:05,280 --> 00:34:08,279 Speaker 1: and if you do a cover, it's congruent with all 579 00:34:08,280 --> 00:34:11,600 Speaker 1: your other songs. So he talked to Frankie Bennelli, the drummer, 580 00:34:11,680 --> 00:34:14,759 Speaker 1: Carlos the guitar player. They couldn't get arrested. They've been 581 00:34:14,760 --> 00:34:18,919 Speaker 1: shot everywhere. They've all been turned down, poisoned, wrap. All 582 00:34:18,960 --> 00:34:22,360 Speaker 1: these bands were totally rejected by the l A record 583 00:34:22,400 --> 00:34:26,320 Speaker 1: community because music was passive, you know, Duran Durant was happening. 584 00:34:26,560 --> 00:34:29,280 Speaker 1: Cindy Labera girls just want to have fun. What's happening? 585 00:34:29,840 --> 00:34:33,440 Speaker 1: Heavy metal was not anywhere close. Black Sabboth couldn't get 586 00:34:33,560 --> 00:34:38,760 Speaker 1: arrested them Pop radio okay. I took them into the studio. Uh. 587 00:34:38,840 --> 00:34:41,160 Speaker 1: I did it all on spec On on a weekend 588 00:34:41,200 --> 00:34:44,160 Speaker 1: at my time. We recorded the first four songs, which 589 00:34:44,200 --> 00:34:46,879 Speaker 1: became the Metal Health Album. I dug it. I sink 590 00:34:46,920 --> 00:34:49,840 Speaker 1: to twenty four track machines together. I made it sound 591 00:34:49,880 --> 00:34:51,840 Speaker 1: like we were in a stadium because I wanted to 592 00:34:51,840 --> 00:34:55,160 Speaker 1: replicate what I experienced was Slade. And I mixed, and 593 00:34:55,239 --> 00:34:59,560 Speaker 1: I called Tony Martell and Don Dempsey epic and I said, guys, 594 00:35:00,040 --> 00:35:03,280 Speaker 1: we made a deal. My Thorpe record failed. I got something. 595 00:35:03,719 --> 00:35:05,440 Speaker 1: They said, oh, what do you got? I said, I 596 00:35:05,520 --> 00:35:07,560 Speaker 1: really believe in that. I believe it will connect with 597 00:35:07,640 --> 00:35:10,919 Speaker 1: the street, it'll connect with the kids. I flew into 598 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:14,359 Speaker 1: New York. My hair was longer than yours currently, Bob, 599 00:35:14,400 --> 00:35:17,080 Speaker 1: and certainly longer than mine. Was down to my shoulders. 600 00:35:17,280 --> 00:35:20,839 Speaker 1: And I flew in to New York. I sat off 601 00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:24,359 Speaker 1: in a conference room and I played the first four 602 00:35:24,400 --> 00:35:28,680 Speaker 1: songs on the Mental Health Album. By the second song, 603 00:35:28,800 --> 00:35:32,040 Speaker 1: Tony Martell wrote me a note, We'll pay you the 604 00:35:32,120 --> 00:35:35,160 Speaker 1: full cost of the album. We hate this, we we 605 00:35:35,239 --> 00:35:38,320 Speaker 1: don't get it. Would you please not play the rest? 606 00:35:38,680 --> 00:35:40,680 Speaker 1: I wrote them back a note, I'm playing the four 607 00:35:40,719 --> 00:35:43,040 Speaker 1: songs because I took the time to fly out of here. 608 00:35:43,239 --> 00:35:46,239 Speaker 1: Listen to it. They listened to it. Then Tony said 609 00:35:46,280 --> 00:35:48,359 Speaker 1: to me, we'll give you. At the time, I had 610 00:35:48,400 --> 00:35:51,319 Speaker 1: seven My deal was seventy all in the in the 611 00:35:51,360 --> 00:35:54,160 Speaker 1: world for an album. It increased after that, but it 612 00:35:54,239 --> 00:35:57,400 Speaker 1: was that so they gave. They made it commitment to me. 613 00:35:57,520 --> 00:36:00,719 Speaker 1: Zach Rolis was the lawyer who became the coachair of Universal, 614 00:36:01,320 --> 00:36:05,000 Speaker 1: and they paid me the seventy grand I then spent 615 00:36:05,160 --> 00:36:09,200 Speaker 1: six months shopping those four songs. Everybody I played it 616 00:36:09,200 --> 00:36:13,959 Speaker 1: to hated it, turned it down, am it? Clive, mo Joe, 617 00:36:14,400 --> 00:36:16,759 Speaker 1: all the guys that you know. So I called the 618 00:36:16,760 --> 00:36:19,799 Speaker 1: Ethnic I'm revealing stuff that I didn't put in a book. 619 00:36:19,800 --> 00:36:21,640 Speaker 1: That I've written a book, and I'm not going to 620 00:36:21,800 --> 00:36:25,440 Speaker 1: for a few years anyway. So I called Walter and 621 00:36:25,480 --> 00:36:27,560 Speaker 1: I said, you made a label deal with me because 622 00:36:27,600 --> 00:36:30,200 Speaker 1: you thought I had vision. I need you to put 623 00:36:30,239 --> 00:36:33,200 Speaker 1: out this, this quiet right thing. I need to finish 624 00:36:33,200 --> 00:36:35,200 Speaker 1: the album. You paid me. You don't have to give 625 00:36:35,239 --> 00:36:37,480 Speaker 1: me any more. Money, but I need to make the record, 626 00:36:38,160 --> 00:36:42,640 Speaker 1: he said, finished. I finished. Took me three weeks because 627 00:36:42,640 --> 00:36:46,040 Speaker 1: those days. Paul Simon spent three years making Bridge over 628 00:36:46,160 --> 00:36:49,840 Speaker 1: Troubled Water. I spent three weeks making the Acquired Right album. 629 00:36:50,200 --> 00:36:52,359 Speaker 1: I flew back to New York, I played it. They 630 00:36:52,400 --> 00:36:56,840 Speaker 1: hated it even more. So, you know, it's the album 631 00:36:56,880 --> 00:36:59,600 Speaker 1: that's sold eight almost eight million copies at the time. 632 00:36:59,600 --> 00:37:04,800 Speaker 1: It would have million albums today. But anyway, so Walter 633 00:37:04,880 --> 00:37:07,239 Speaker 1: did me a solid God rest his soul, and he 634 00:37:07,360 --> 00:37:11,760 Speaker 1: put out four thousand records under miscellaneous Q. Well, Bob, 635 00:37:11,840 --> 00:37:15,520 Speaker 1: you know when Cindy Lauber, when Michael Jackson's selling you 636 00:37:15,640 --> 00:37:18,160 Speaker 1: and it's on thrill or four thousand under miscellaneous. Q 637 00:37:18,320 --> 00:37:22,520 Speaker 1: meets dick. Right. So what I did is I got 638 00:37:22,560 --> 00:37:25,320 Speaker 1: on the plane and I went to the stations that 639 00:37:25,440 --> 00:37:28,799 Speaker 1: took the Billy Thorpe record number one, and I went 640 00:37:28,880 --> 00:37:30,880 Speaker 1: to kat x Q and Dallas, to k M O 641 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:33,920 Speaker 1: D and Tulsa, and I did interviews and they played 642 00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:38,640 Speaker 1: Bang your Head and the phones went perserved. To MTV's credit. 643 00:37:38,719 --> 00:37:42,359 Speaker 1: Why I loved the Viacom MTV machine so much. They 644 00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:45,640 Speaker 1: were doing call out research and I got a call 645 00:37:45,719 --> 00:37:47,600 Speaker 1: from my friend of mine at the time, Les Garland, 646 00:37:47,840 --> 00:37:50,040 Speaker 1: or for Pittman. He said, you know, you got a 647 00:37:50,080 --> 00:37:54,399 Speaker 1: record that's really tracking. And Tulsa case App and Sacramento 648 00:37:55,000 --> 00:37:58,480 Speaker 1: and kat x Q and d Alice km odeon tell Us, 649 00:37:58,520 --> 00:38:01,920 Speaker 1: I said, and kiss Sam Antonia. Those are the stations 650 00:38:01,960 --> 00:38:05,520 Speaker 1: I went to interview times. So give me a video. 651 00:38:05,920 --> 00:38:09,560 Speaker 1: So I called Martel and MC give me give me 652 00:38:09,600 --> 00:38:12,000 Speaker 1: a budget for video or whatever they cost. They said, 653 00:38:12,000 --> 00:38:15,680 Speaker 1: when you get to a hundred thousand units, call us okay. 654 00:38:16,080 --> 00:38:19,160 Speaker 1: So I said, you're wrong. This is the beginning of 655 00:38:19,200 --> 00:38:23,520 Speaker 1: me bucking the man. And I don't care. It's funny. 656 00:38:23,560 --> 00:38:26,319 Speaker 1: I didn't. I thought interview years ago I called me 657 00:38:26,360 --> 00:38:30,000 Speaker 1: a renaissance disruptor. Why because I care about the music. 658 00:38:30,280 --> 00:38:33,000 Speaker 1: I don't care about what you Mr Sup think. What 659 00:38:33,120 --> 00:38:35,720 Speaker 1: I care about is what the artists in the street 660 00:38:35,760 --> 00:38:38,439 Speaker 1: and the kids and the public things. So I put 661 00:38:38,440 --> 00:38:41,839 Speaker 1: a second on my house. I had a business card 662 00:38:41,920 --> 00:38:45,200 Speaker 1: that said Pasha CBS because I called my company Pasha 663 00:38:45,280 --> 00:38:47,440 Speaker 1: because I liked what the word meant. That started to 664 00:38:47,520 --> 00:38:50,919 Speaker 1: saying letter as my last name, and I went out. 665 00:38:51,400 --> 00:38:55,359 Speaker 1: I called every ad agency I knew because I thought 666 00:38:55,360 --> 00:38:58,759 Speaker 1: a video would be like an a commercial and there 667 00:38:58,800 --> 00:39:02,680 Speaker 1: was a director named Mark Ressica who was directing commercials, 668 00:39:02,760 --> 00:39:05,560 Speaker 1: but he was out of work and he was working 669 00:39:05,560 --> 00:39:09,000 Speaker 1: with a lady named Beth brod A who is subsequently 670 00:39:09,040 --> 00:39:13,560 Speaker 1: became a terrific film producer and doc producer. And I 671 00:39:13,640 --> 00:39:16,000 Speaker 1: got marked together. I put up the second of my house. 672 00:39:16,040 --> 00:39:17,600 Speaker 1: I went. I talked to the d N at cal 673 00:39:17,880 --> 00:39:20,640 Speaker 1: Arts and I said, your kids can work on the video. 674 00:39:20,960 --> 00:39:23,400 Speaker 1: Let me have your venue. It's a CBS because I 675 00:39:23,440 --> 00:39:26,200 Speaker 1: had a poscious CBS card, so I bullshitted him that 676 00:39:26,280 --> 00:39:29,400 Speaker 1: this is a CBS thing, and he gave me access 677 00:39:29,440 --> 00:39:32,359 Speaker 1: to their gym. We made the doc. We used some 678 00:39:32,440 --> 00:39:36,279 Speaker 1: techniques to make fifty kids look like five kids, and 679 00:39:36,680 --> 00:39:39,200 Speaker 1: I didn't bypassed effect. I sent it directly to the 680 00:39:39,200 --> 00:39:41,600 Speaker 1: guys that MTV. To their credit, they put her on 681 00:39:41,640 --> 00:39:45,240 Speaker 1: the air four Am, then two am, then twelve am, 682 00:39:45,520 --> 00:39:48,279 Speaker 1: then ten pm. Then when it became a number one 683 00:39:48,400 --> 00:39:53,480 Speaker 1: video after UM has video. All of a sudden, director 684 00:39:54,000 --> 00:39:56,839 Speaker 1: and I told Warren, we need to image this band 685 00:39:56,880 --> 00:39:59,680 Speaker 1: as a metal band. They're a pop band, but let's 686 00:39:59,680 --> 00:40:02,080 Speaker 1: put a out. And I had a relationship with Don 687 00:40:02,160 --> 00:40:05,640 Speaker 1: Arden because Don used to manage l O and I 688 00:40:05,680 --> 00:40:08,720 Speaker 1: had brought el O from England when I was running 689 00:40:08,719 --> 00:40:12,160 Speaker 1: A and R at United Artists. So I got the 690 00:40:12,160 --> 00:40:15,360 Speaker 1: band out with Black Sabbath. Then when it was time 691 00:40:15,719 --> 00:40:18,279 Speaker 1: for the next record to put out, and we put 692 00:40:18,360 --> 00:40:20,880 Speaker 1: uct Bang Your Head. Didn't do much pop radio, but 693 00:40:20,960 --> 00:40:23,480 Speaker 1: come On, Feel the Noise. I thought that's the single, 694 00:40:23,960 --> 00:40:27,920 Speaker 1: so I serialized the video the Kid who Caught the Mask, 695 00:40:27,960 --> 00:40:30,880 Speaker 1: because we merchandise masks. I brought the album cover to 696 00:40:30,960 --> 00:40:33,399 Speaker 1: life because there was a mask on the album cover. 697 00:40:33,520 --> 00:40:35,960 Speaker 1: Because every kid, it could be every kid and a 698 00:40:36,080 --> 00:40:38,160 Speaker 1: red leather strait jacket. He had to bust out of 699 00:40:38,160 --> 00:40:41,240 Speaker 1: the room to rock right Bang your Head, that's the video. 700 00:40:41,680 --> 00:40:45,160 Speaker 1: So the kid who Caught the Mask in the first video, 701 00:40:45,760 --> 00:40:48,799 Speaker 1: the mask was a crucifix over his bed. Come on 702 00:40:48,880 --> 00:40:51,560 Speaker 1: Feel the Noise. The band appears there and they had 703 00:40:51,560 --> 00:40:54,880 Speaker 1: to rock. The record went to number one. The record 704 00:40:54,960 --> 00:40:58,520 Speaker 1: sold millions. Epic was my best friends. I renegotiated my 705 00:40:58,560 --> 00:41:01,920 Speaker 1: deal for a ten album put I retroactively got my 706 00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:04,440 Speaker 1: royalties up to where they should have been. Because I 707 00:41:04,440 --> 00:41:06,440 Speaker 1: know you're going to ask me about the business, but 708 00:41:06,560 --> 00:41:10,640 Speaker 1: I gave the increase to the band. Why because I could, 709 00:41:10,880 --> 00:41:14,120 Speaker 1: because my half of it as partnered. I do partnership deals, 710 00:41:14,239 --> 00:41:17,360 Speaker 1: whether it be McClean dale, anybody I worked with, Schwartz. 711 00:41:17,600 --> 00:41:21,520 Speaker 1: Why because they're invested. I'm invested. But we make money 712 00:41:21,640 --> 00:41:24,000 Speaker 1: if the work is good. I didn't make money on 713 00:41:24,160 --> 00:41:27,680 Speaker 1: quite right up front and made set. I actually lost money. 714 00:41:27,760 --> 00:41:29,760 Speaker 1: But when it's sold, they made a lot of money. 715 00:41:30,000 --> 00:41:39,560 Speaker 1: You know why, because the work speaks. Okay, let's go 716 00:41:39,560 --> 00:41:44,320 Speaker 1: a little bit slower, mental health Garland puts it on. 717 00:41:45,120 --> 00:41:48,040 Speaker 1: At what point does Epic wake up or they don't 718 00:41:48,080 --> 00:41:50,560 Speaker 1: wake up until come on feel the noise? Now they 719 00:41:50,600 --> 00:41:53,719 Speaker 1: woke up when we started selling records because when the 720 00:41:53,880 --> 00:41:58,400 Speaker 1: video hit, MTV would be a driver of attention and 721 00:41:58,680 --> 00:42:01,080 Speaker 1: the band was not on the road. Black Sabbath, who's 722 00:42:01,160 --> 00:42:04,520 Speaker 1: doing some good stuff. They they have a wonderful machine, 723 00:42:04,840 --> 00:42:09,879 Speaker 1: the Columbia record of the CBS distribution machine, Second and None. 724 00:42:10,200 --> 00:42:13,239 Speaker 1: They woke up and we didn't put up common Field 725 00:42:13,239 --> 00:42:16,759 Speaker 1: a noise until the album sold five units. Then we 726 00:42:16,800 --> 00:42:20,799 Speaker 1: started kicking and selling, having five days of five thousand them. 727 00:42:21,120 --> 00:42:24,040 Speaker 1: But now they woke up when the band did their 728 00:42:24,120 --> 00:42:27,640 Speaker 1: job on the road, when MTV did their job and 729 00:42:27,719 --> 00:42:30,479 Speaker 1: the kids responded, and then they woke up and said, 730 00:42:30,480 --> 00:42:34,439 Speaker 1: wait a minute, maybe this guy's right. Let's go back 731 00:42:34,440 --> 00:42:40,319 Speaker 1: a chapter. Don Arden forget his daughter. He's got an 732 00:42:40,360 --> 00:42:43,600 Speaker 1: interesting reputation. To what degree is it true? And what 733 00:42:43,680 --> 00:42:46,440 Speaker 1: were your experiences with him. He's passed away and he 734 00:42:46,520 --> 00:42:49,800 Speaker 1: at Alzheimer's before, so it's not like you have to 735 00:42:49,840 --> 00:42:53,680 Speaker 1: worry about retribution. I don't worry about retribution unless you're 736 00:42:53,719 --> 00:42:57,680 Speaker 1: a Republican. I didn't say that. Okay, um, here's a punchline. 737 00:42:57,719 --> 00:43:01,800 Speaker 1: Don was a gentleman to me because nobody United Artists 738 00:43:01,800 --> 00:43:04,720 Speaker 1: in America would release Jeff Lynn or Roy Wood's Wizard 739 00:43:05,000 --> 00:43:07,600 Speaker 1: because it was too cool. I flew over to England 740 00:43:07,680 --> 00:43:09,759 Speaker 1: when I became head of an art and I heard 741 00:43:09,840 --> 00:43:11,719 Speaker 1: Jeff Lynn, I heard I can't get it out of 742 00:43:11,719 --> 00:43:14,560 Speaker 1: my head. I heard El Dorado. I said, holy sh it, 743 00:43:14,680 --> 00:43:18,040 Speaker 1: this is cool. So I was able to because I 744 00:43:18,080 --> 00:43:21,520 Speaker 1: was in charge of twenty four years old at Ballston Steele. 745 00:43:21,960 --> 00:43:24,960 Speaker 1: We put the record out. Don Arden became my new 746 00:43:25,000 --> 00:43:29,400 Speaker 1: friend because you know, and so when it was time 747 00:43:29,640 --> 00:43:33,520 Speaker 1: for Quiet Riot ten years later to find an act 748 00:43:33,600 --> 00:43:37,080 Speaker 1: to open for it was very logical because Don Arden 749 00:43:37,400 --> 00:43:40,080 Speaker 1: at the time when he was alive, he's he's a 750 00:43:40,120 --> 00:43:43,840 Speaker 1: real good manager, He knew his stuff. Did he threaten people? 751 00:43:44,160 --> 00:43:47,400 Speaker 1: Was he a tough guy? Did Bob Hoskins play the 752 00:43:47,440 --> 00:43:51,080 Speaker 1: Don Arden role as the quasi mob guy? I don't know. 753 00:43:51,320 --> 00:43:54,319 Speaker 1: He treated me with respect and therefore I can only 754 00:43:54,360 --> 00:43:58,360 Speaker 1: say good things about him. May rest in peace. Okay, 755 00:43:58,400 --> 00:44:00,120 Speaker 1: just because we worked with him, how did you end 756 00:44:00,200 --> 00:44:02,680 Speaker 1: up finding Dwayne Baron to work with you on the 757 00:44:02,800 --> 00:44:06,600 Speaker 1: first Quiet Ride album? Because Dwayne worked for me. He 758 00:44:06,640 --> 00:44:09,799 Speaker 1: actually picked up my laudry at the time, and he 759 00:44:09,960 --> 00:44:13,920 Speaker 1: was kind of a junior guy at my studio. When 760 00:44:14,480 --> 00:44:17,440 Speaker 1: my very dear friend he's still next to me, Larry Brown, 761 00:44:17,719 --> 00:44:20,640 Speaker 1: had a health scare. He couldn't do the spec work 762 00:44:20,719 --> 00:44:23,000 Speaker 1: that I told you about on the weekend. So I 763 00:44:23,040 --> 00:44:27,320 Speaker 1: asked Dwayne to join because I Dayne learned the engineering process. 764 00:44:27,360 --> 00:44:30,440 Speaker 1: This is his first time at bat. He did a 765 00:44:30,480 --> 00:44:34,200 Speaker 1: great job, so I gave him the whole album to engineer. 766 00:44:34,280 --> 00:44:37,279 Speaker 1: He built a career from that. Okay, let's stay with 767 00:44:37,440 --> 00:44:42,080 Speaker 1: Quiet Riot. They have this monster album. You know, they 768 00:44:42,160 --> 00:44:44,239 Speaker 1: paved the way for a lot of other acts. It's 769 00:44:44,280 --> 00:44:48,000 Speaker 1: the heyday of MTV. How did the band react and 770 00:44:48,120 --> 00:44:51,440 Speaker 1: what happened on the second record when Kevin du Bro 771 00:44:51,640 --> 00:44:53,520 Speaker 1: May he rest in peace. And I don't know I'm 772 00:44:53,560 --> 00:44:56,600 Speaker 1: saying this shot off this big mouth that he was 773 00:44:56,680 --> 00:45:01,120 Speaker 1: better AUSSI is a phony. He is best rock artists 774 00:45:01,160 --> 00:45:04,839 Speaker 1: in history. Seven and a half eight million records went 775 00:45:04,880 --> 00:45:08,640 Speaker 1: to two million on the second run, and radio started 776 00:45:08,680 --> 00:45:12,240 Speaker 1: getting wise to not liking Kevin. How did the band react? 777 00:45:12,280 --> 00:45:14,680 Speaker 1: They were pissed at Kevin. Ultimately they threw him out 778 00:45:14,680 --> 00:45:17,520 Speaker 1: of the band. How did I react? It hurt my 779 00:45:17,600 --> 00:45:20,680 Speaker 1: bottom line, but thank god it wasn't the only act 780 00:45:20,719 --> 00:45:23,280 Speaker 1: that I was working with. But how did the band react? 781 00:45:24,040 --> 00:45:27,800 Speaker 1: Kevin was not the best thing for He's a great singer, 782 00:45:28,480 --> 00:45:33,160 Speaker 1: he was a good showman, and he was an hassle Okay, 783 00:45:33,160 --> 00:45:35,560 Speaker 1: I mean Kevin who used to be around. It wasn't 784 00:45:35,600 --> 00:45:40,160 Speaker 1: like he was hiding out ends up moving to Vegas, uh, 785 00:45:40,520 --> 00:45:44,280 Speaker 1: drugging himself to death. I mean, there are some people 786 00:45:44,760 --> 00:45:46,560 Speaker 1: you can see that coming. But I said, this guy 787 00:45:46,680 --> 00:45:49,000 Speaker 1: is like a suburban night What was the what was 788 00:45:49,080 --> 00:45:53,240 Speaker 1: going on there? I lost touch with them after the band, 789 00:45:53,280 --> 00:45:56,720 Speaker 1: after Frankie and Carlos threw him out of the band, 790 00:45:57,200 --> 00:46:00,759 Speaker 1: we got a new singer named Paul Shortino made a 791 00:46:00,880 --> 00:46:04,040 Speaker 1: quiet riot for album. Because I kept the brand alive. 792 00:46:04,400 --> 00:46:07,359 Speaker 1: It didn't do what people expected. That was the end 793 00:46:07,400 --> 00:46:10,840 Speaker 1: of my connectivity until they sued me for conspiring with 794 00:46:10,920 --> 00:46:14,760 Speaker 1: CBS to steal the royalties because they were broken I wasn't, 795 00:46:14,960 --> 00:46:17,560 Speaker 1: and they lost. He got thrown out some rejudgment, the 796 00:46:17,600 --> 00:46:20,400 Speaker 1: only time I've actually been sued in my career. But 797 00:46:20,719 --> 00:46:23,320 Speaker 1: I lost touch with them. I don't know how Kevin 798 00:46:23,360 --> 00:46:26,600 Speaker 1: imploded in Vegas. He was doing too many drugs earlier 799 00:46:26,680 --> 00:46:30,799 Speaker 1: on all of them. Frankie actually not, but yeah, I mean, 800 00:46:30,880 --> 00:46:33,480 Speaker 1: Kevin is Kevin. I don't want to speak ill of anyone. 801 00:46:33,640 --> 00:46:35,560 Speaker 1: I just wanted to look at the future. I'm more 802 00:46:35,600 --> 00:46:38,239 Speaker 1: excited about working with the people i'm working with than 803 00:46:38,280 --> 00:46:40,560 Speaker 1: the people I had. Although I had a good fortune 804 00:46:40,600 --> 00:46:45,960 Speaker 1: Stevie Wonder, total gentleman, Little Riverband, Johnny Farnham, brilliant people, 805 00:46:46,320 --> 00:46:49,000 Speaker 1: terrific eyes. I've had the good fortune to work with 806 00:46:49,080 --> 00:46:51,640 Speaker 1: some gentlemen, and I've had the good fortune or the 807 00:46:51,680 --> 00:46:54,160 Speaker 1: bad fortune to work with some assholes. You brought up 808 00:46:54,160 --> 00:46:58,480 Speaker 1: the asshole Okay. As you mentioned earlier, you were born 809 00:46:58,760 --> 00:47:04,160 Speaker 1: in Europe. What were the circumstances there? My parents were 810 00:47:04,160 --> 00:47:07,719 Speaker 1: in Auschwitz and broken out. I was born everyway. Let's 811 00:47:08,000 --> 00:47:11,399 Speaker 1: let's stop there. They were literally in And how did 812 00:47:11,480 --> 00:47:15,239 Speaker 1: my father survive Auschwitz? You're probably are going to ask 813 00:47:15,320 --> 00:47:21,000 Speaker 1: me exactly. He was a brilliant chess player, and he 814 00:47:21,080 --> 00:47:24,840 Speaker 1: and his fellow inmates would carve little pieces of chess 815 00:47:24,840 --> 00:47:27,920 Speaker 1: guys and they play the German guards. I learned this 816 00:47:28,160 --> 00:47:31,400 Speaker 1: as a kid from my parents. Of course, the Germans 817 00:47:31,520 --> 00:47:35,080 Speaker 1: loved how Saul prophets Sorsky. That was my real name. 818 00:47:35,080 --> 00:47:37,480 Speaker 1: If you look me up on Wikipedia, it isn't profit. 819 00:47:38,160 --> 00:47:42,080 Speaker 1: I'm a I'm a Polish Jew that was brought up 820 00:47:42,640 --> 00:47:45,640 Speaker 1: by Eastern European people who didn't speak English. Pretty cool, 821 00:47:46,120 --> 00:47:49,520 Speaker 1: and the Germans wanted to learn how to play chess 822 00:47:49,560 --> 00:47:51,920 Speaker 1: as good as Saul. So he was that guy that 823 00:47:52,000 --> 00:47:54,360 Speaker 1: taught some of the guards how to play. One of 824 00:47:54,360 --> 00:47:57,560 Speaker 1: them even I'll never forget my dad told me in Yiddish, 825 00:47:57,600 --> 00:48:00,000 Speaker 1: because I grew up speaking German and Jewish to my parents, 826 00:48:00,120 --> 00:48:02,840 Speaker 1: he said, I'm going to play the fuel now that 827 00:48:02,880 --> 00:48:05,960 Speaker 1: I know how to checkmate. You know whatever. The point 828 00:48:05,960 --> 00:48:11,560 Speaker 1: assault survived, he my mother made it through. They ultimately 829 00:48:11,640 --> 00:48:14,160 Speaker 1: moved to Germany. They were a little bit, a little 830 00:48:14,160 --> 00:48:16,600 Speaker 1: bit slower. How long were each of them in the 831 00:48:16,640 --> 00:48:23,960 Speaker 1: camps five years wow. And they Okay, where did they? 832 00:48:23,960 --> 00:48:26,520 Speaker 1: Where were they in Poland? And what were their circumstances 833 00:48:26,600 --> 00:48:31,080 Speaker 1: before the war? My father they were in Slomnicki Pole, 834 00:48:31,200 --> 00:48:34,720 Speaker 1: in the small village where I actually had my younger 835 00:48:34,800 --> 00:48:38,040 Speaker 1: son have his bar mitzvah. I found that temple that 836 00:48:38,120 --> 00:48:40,440 Speaker 1: my dad had his bar mitsvan in this little village 837 00:48:40,640 --> 00:48:45,080 Speaker 1: thirty kilometers outside of Krako. That's where my parents are from. 838 00:48:45,120 --> 00:48:47,879 Speaker 1: And so your parents knew each other before they went 839 00:48:47,920 --> 00:48:52,560 Speaker 1: into the camps. My father's best friend was my mother's 840 00:48:52,640 --> 00:48:58,160 Speaker 1: first husband. His name was Michael Novotny. Michael went into 841 00:48:58,200 --> 00:49:02,200 Speaker 1: the camps too. He was killed, he was gassed. They 842 00:49:02,239 --> 00:49:07,120 Speaker 1: had a son named ben Oh Barry in English my stepbrother. 843 00:49:07,600 --> 00:49:12,319 Speaker 1: In ninety eight he left, Uh Well, he got out 844 00:49:12,360 --> 00:49:14,640 Speaker 1: of the camps when they were liberated. He went to 845 00:49:14,840 --> 00:49:18,439 Speaker 1: Israel to fight for Israeli independence. He wounded up being 846 00:49:18,640 --> 00:49:21,960 Speaker 1: at the top of Israeli intelligence. Had passed away nineteen 847 00:49:22,040 --> 00:49:27,040 Speaker 1: seventy two. So next year, seventy fifth anniversary of Israel's independence, 848 00:49:27,440 --> 00:49:29,840 Speaker 1: I'm also working with a few friends of mine to 849 00:49:29,960 --> 00:49:34,600 Speaker 1: produce a special on the seventy fifth anniversary of Israel's independence. 850 00:49:34,800 --> 00:49:38,240 Speaker 1: It parallels mine. I'm gonna spend my seventy fifth birthday 851 00:49:38,239 --> 00:49:42,759 Speaker 1: in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa next year. Okay, what 852 00:49:42,960 --> 00:49:47,440 Speaker 1: economic circumstances did your parents come from before the war? Poor? 853 00:49:47,560 --> 00:49:51,879 Speaker 1: Poor and poor. My father made twenty bucks a week 854 00:49:51,920 --> 00:49:55,040 Speaker 1: when he came to America after he exhausted the few 855 00:49:55,040 --> 00:49:57,879 Speaker 1: dollars that he had made. He and my mother were 856 00:49:57,920 --> 00:50:01,960 Speaker 1: really smart, so they opened a shop in Munich selling 857 00:50:02,080 --> 00:50:06,839 Speaker 1: feather beds and quilts, and with a partner, my dad 858 00:50:06,920 --> 00:50:10,280 Speaker 1: cashed out of that. He brought everything to America because 859 00:50:10,280 --> 00:50:12,440 Speaker 1: he didn't want his only kid, I was born after 860 00:50:12,480 --> 00:50:15,359 Speaker 1: the war to grow up and post war Germany. We 861 00:50:15,400 --> 00:50:17,680 Speaker 1: went to a movie once when I was five years old, 862 00:50:18,080 --> 00:50:21,960 Speaker 1: and the graffiti on the wall box was Juden and 863 00:50:22,080 --> 00:50:26,880 Speaker 1: Hunt Hunt. It's like Hunton Uton for voting, juice and 864 00:50:26,960 --> 00:50:29,920 Speaker 1: dogs forbidden. My dad broke down and started to cry, 865 00:50:30,320 --> 00:50:33,480 Speaker 1: and he said he didn't want his only son to 866 00:50:33,600 --> 00:50:36,360 Speaker 1: grow up in Germany. So we packed it up. We 867 00:50:36,440 --> 00:50:39,080 Speaker 1: took the vote over, We did the Elis Island thing. 868 00:50:39,360 --> 00:50:41,440 Speaker 1: Lived in New York. But wait a little bit, wait, wait, love, 869 00:50:41,480 --> 00:50:43,800 Speaker 1: It's flow down for a second. The war is over. 870 00:50:44,280 --> 00:50:47,600 Speaker 1: How do your parents find each other? They knew each 871 00:50:47,640 --> 00:50:51,480 Speaker 1: other in Slomniki, Poland because my mother's husband was my 872 00:50:51,600 --> 00:50:54,160 Speaker 1: dad's best right. But there was a whole issue after 873 00:50:54,200 --> 00:50:57,760 Speaker 1: the war of literally reconstructing and finding people, taking ads 874 00:50:57,760 --> 00:51:03,480 Speaker 1: in Jewish newspapers, etcetera. The have any idea how they reconnected? No, 875 00:51:04,360 --> 00:51:07,239 Speaker 1: wasn't there. I do know that I'm a product of 876 00:51:07,239 --> 00:51:10,640 Speaker 1: their love, and nothing I love more in my life 877 00:51:10,640 --> 00:51:13,759 Speaker 1: than my parents who came to America. Like Paul Simon said, 878 00:51:13,800 --> 00:51:17,360 Speaker 1: they how came to look for America. That's my story. 879 00:51:17,760 --> 00:51:19,680 Speaker 1: I came here when I was six years old. Okay, 880 00:51:19,680 --> 00:51:21,400 Speaker 1: so you came here when you're sick. Do you have 881 00:51:21,600 --> 00:51:27,239 Speaker 1: any memories of living in Munich? Just the graffiti on 882 00:51:27,280 --> 00:51:30,200 Speaker 1: the wall and my dad cried just playing with my 883 00:51:30,320 --> 00:51:34,880 Speaker 1: German Shepherd dog because my parents wanted me to have 884 00:51:34,960 --> 00:51:38,120 Speaker 1: a dog. My son, Sterling, has a new shepherd. My 885 00:51:38,160 --> 00:51:40,960 Speaker 1: two kids grew up with German shepherd's. I'm a I'm 886 00:51:41,000 --> 00:51:44,840 Speaker 1: a dog guy. Judy, my my wife, my best friend 887 00:51:45,239 --> 00:51:48,759 Speaker 1: loves dogs too, but we had pugs. They just passed away. 888 00:51:48,800 --> 00:51:53,680 Speaker 1: But anyway, do I have any recollection? Answer your question? Okay, 889 00:51:53,920 --> 00:51:56,160 Speaker 1: you get the Alice island. Is that where the name 890 00:51:56,239 --> 00:52:00,360 Speaker 1: is changed or when is the name changed? My parents 891 00:52:00,400 --> 00:52:03,719 Speaker 1: didn't speak English. I did okay in school. We lived 892 00:52:03,719 --> 00:52:06,279 Speaker 1: in Albuquerque. We moved to l A when I was ten. 893 00:52:06,680 --> 00:52:12,720 Speaker 1: They became naturalized citizens when I turned sixteen. My dad said, 894 00:52:13,080 --> 00:52:16,319 Speaker 1: do we do you want to Sammy? Because they called 895 00:52:16,360 --> 00:52:20,399 Speaker 1: me Sammy if you look my My Polish name was 896 00:52:20,600 --> 00:52:23,839 Speaker 1: German name was Solid and Samuel is the name I 897 00:52:23,880 --> 00:52:26,120 Speaker 1: was going to school with. And I had my bar 898 00:52:26,200 --> 00:52:29,440 Speaker 1: missi a ring that said sp So my dad said, 899 00:52:29,760 --> 00:52:32,880 Speaker 1: this is an opportunity if we get our citizenship. At 900 00:52:32,920 --> 00:52:35,960 Speaker 1: the age of sixteen, Well, my favorite actor at the 901 00:52:36,040 --> 00:52:40,200 Speaker 1: time I started becoming pretty tuned into things with Spencer 902 00:52:40,320 --> 00:52:42,960 Speaker 1: Tracy and they hurt. The win started with an s. 903 00:52:43,680 --> 00:52:48,200 Speaker 1: My favorite band was Steve Uh Spencer Davis Group with 904 00:52:48,280 --> 00:52:50,560 Speaker 1: Stevie one would say keep on Running, one of my 905 00:52:50,600 --> 00:52:53,839 Speaker 1: favorite songs of all time. So I decided Sam could 906 00:52:53,880 --> 00:52:58,680 Speaker 1: become Spencer Proffitt need Profits Sorsky needed to be shortened 907 00:52:59,000 --> 00:53:01,080 Speaker 1: because I didn't want to go through my life with 908 00:53:01,200 --> 00:53:04,239 Speaker 1: the name Sam Profsky, which is what I started high 909 00:53:04,280 --> 00:53:08,600 Speaker 1: school with. So Spencer my bar mr Ring sp Sam 910 00:53:08,640 --> 00:53:12,560 Speaker 1: Profit Sursky became Spencer Proffer. When I turned sixteen, which 911 00:53:12,600 --> 00:53:18,240 Speaker 1: is when the name champion. Okay, you go through Ellis Island. 912 00:53:19,000 --> 00:53:22,520 Speaker 1: Did you have any relatives? Where did your parents start 913 00:53:22,600 --> 00:53:25,400 Speaker 1: a hundred percent fresh? You were in New York for? 914 00:53:25,440 --> 00:53:27,480 Speaker 1: How long and how did you end up in Albuquerque? 915 00:53:28,040 --> 00:53:30,600 Speaker 1: Six weeks in New York. The only Jews my parents 916 00:53:30,680 --> 00:53:34,160 Speaker 1: knew from Poland lived in Albuquerque. So we took a train. 917 00:53:34,840 --> 00:53:36,799 Speaker 1: We are in New York for six weeks just to 918 00:53:36,840 --> 00:53:39,480 Speaker 1: get our bearings. Stayed in a hotel. I have a 919 00:53:39,520 --> 00:53:43,640 Speaker 1: few memories of that, and we took a train to Albuquerque. 920 00:53:43,880 --> 00:53:45,440 Speaker 1: I got the ship beat out of me as a 921 00:53:45,520 --> 00:53:48,200 Speaker 1: kid going to school. In my first day at school, 922 00:53:48,440 --> 00:53:51,760 Speaker 1: my mom wanted a little girl. I were later hosen. 923 00:53:52,160 --> 00:53:57,600 Speaker 1: I didn't speak English and there were many wonderful Hispanic 924 00:53:58,120 --> 00:54:01,440 Speaker 1: and Indian people there who thought that I was somebody 925 00:54:01,440 --> 00:54:03,640 Speaker 1: who could get beat up on. So they beat up 926 00:54:03,640 --> 00:54:07,280 Speaker 1: on me. And that's that was my first experience in America. 927 00:54:07,960 --> 00:54:12,080 Speaker 1: How long did you live in Albuquerque? Four years? And 928 00:54:12,280 --> 00:54:15,840 Speaker 1: were although you have these Jewish friends, how many Jews 929 00:54:15,920 --> 00:54:19,680 Speaker 1: were in Albuquerque? Very few? And did you feel the 930 00:54:19,719 --> 00:54:28,120 Speaker 1: anti semitism totally? And usually children of immigrants certainly Jewish 931 00:54:28,160 --> 00:54:31,360 Speaker 1: parents want their children to do very well in school? 932 00:54:31,360 --> 00:54:34,000 Speaker 1: Did you feel that pressure all day? That's why I 933 00:54:34,040 --> 00:54:36,600 Speaker 1: got my PA at twenty That's why I passed the 934 00:54:36,640 --> 00:54:40,280 Speaker 1: bar twenty three. But at the same time, I love music. 935 00:54:40,680 --> 00:54:44,279 Speaker 1: I started playing guitar when I was fifteen sixteen. I 936 00:54:44,400 --> 00:54:46,760 Speaker 1: used to with my buddy, who went to med school, 937 00:54:47,200 --> 00:54:52,440 Speaker 1: right songs, to beat the lyrics, right um lyrics, to 938 00:54:52,560 --> 00:54:56,160 Speaker 1: beatle melodies, and I wanted to do that. I started 939 00:54:56,160 --> 00:54:59,160 Speaker 1: a band with my buddy and we got signed. We 940 00:54:59,200 --> 00:55:02,840 Speaker 1: had four different record deals, ultimately signed by Clive Davis 941 00:55:02,960 --> 00:55:05,759 Speaker 1: to Columbia Records. That's how I met Clive. That's how 942 00:55:05,800 --> 00:55:09,920 Speaker 1: I got that job. While I was last Okay, what 943 00:55:10,000 --> 00:55:12,480 Speaker 1: are your parents doing for a living in Albuquerque and 944 00:55:12,520 --> 00:55:16,279 Speaker 1: what is their motivation to move to Los Angeles. My 945 00:55:16,560 --> 00:55:21,400 Speaker 1: mother was not super well physically. She was a house like. 946 00:55:21,520 --> 00:55:25,240 Speaker 1: My father fixed sewing machines and made twenty dollars a week. 947 00:55:25,760 --> 00:55:30,200 Speaker 1: He worked for Brother International, and he was he saw 948 00:55:30,520 --> 00:55:34,640 Speaker 1: one of the kindest, nicest, most wonderful guys. He was 949 00:55:34,719 --> 00:55:38,000 Speaker 1: so good at his craft. He was so meticulous, like 950 00:55:38,120 --> 00:55:43,400 Speaker 1: he approached Chessie approach fixing sewing machines. When brother International 951 00:55:43,760 --> 00:55:47,520 Speaker 1: set up their offices in Los Angeles, saw that transferred 952 00:55:47,520 --> 00:55:50,000 Speaker 1: to be a mechanic in Los Angeles. We moved to 953 00:55:50,120 --> 00:55:52,120 Speaker 1: l A to Broil Heights, to the heart of the 954 00:55:52,160 --> 00:55:56,919 Speaker 1: Jewish gatop. Okay, at what point, into what degree did 955 00:55:56,920 --> 00:56:01,920 Speaker 1: your parents end up speaking English? And since you know, 956 00:56:01,960 --> 00:56:04,400 Speaker 1: the other thing is they probably didn't understand what your 957 00:56:04,440 --> 00:56:08,839 Speaker 1: life was about. And to what degree did you uh 958 00:56:09,080 --> 00:56:11,680 Speaker 1: exercise freedoms that if they knew what was going on, 959 00:56:11,760 --> 00:56:15,160 Speaker 1: they probably wouldn't have approved. I'll tell you a funny story. 960 00:56:15,719 --> 00:56:17,920 Speaker 1: The first time I got whipped by my dad with 961 00:56:18,000 --> 00:56:23,040 Speaker 1: the belt. Okay, first of all, they started speaking broken English. 962 00:56:23,440 --> 00:56:26,960 Speaker 1: I enrolled them in night school because I started supporting 963 00:56:26,960 --> 00:56:28,880 Speaker 1: my folks when I was thirteen years old. That's a 964 00:56:28,880 --> 00:56:32,480 Speaker 1: long story. I started selling newspaper subscriptions. I started making 965 00:56:32,520 --> 00:56:34,799 Speaker 1: out hunter bucks a week. I would help my dad 966 00:56:34,840 --> 00:56:38,000 Speaker 1: buy the food. We go to Canador's Delly every Sunday week, 967 00:56:38,040 --> 00:56:40,359 Speaker 1: buy holi weet, buy egg bread, We buy all kinds 968 00:56:40,400 --> 00:56:43,879 Speaker 1: of stuff to eat for the week. But I'll never 969 00:56:44,040 --> 00:56:50,040 Speaker 1: forget my dad playing chess at a park and with 970 00:56:50,120 --> 00:56:53,800 Speaker 1: these other refugees from Poland, and they had a daughter 971 00:56:54,120 --> 00:56:56,880 Speaker 1: who was twelve, and I was twelve, and I wound 972 00:56:56,920 --> 00:57:01,839 Speaker 1: up in the bushes with the daughter, and and all 973 00:57:01,880 --> 00:57:03,799 Speaker 1: I can say is when I got home that night, 974 00:57:03,840 --> 00:57:07,120 Speaker 1: I got beat up by my dad, Sammy, how dare 975 00:57:07,160 --> 00:57:10,399 Speaker 1: you go into the whatever? So but my parents were 976 00:57:10,520 --> 00:57:14,399 Speaker 1: wonderful parents. They were the biggest influence on me spiritually 977 00:57:14,800 --> 00:57:18,919 Speaker 1: and ethically than any human could ever be. And that's 978 00:57:18,920 --> 00:57:23,120 Speaker 1: why I have such a strong immigrant dreamer mentality. That's 979 00:57:23,120 --> 00:57:26,560 Speaker 1: why I'm such a fan of the current administration. I 980 00:57:26,600 --> 00:57:29,160 Speaker 1: love Michelle Obama, Barack Obama. They were two of my 981 00:57:29,200 --> 00:57:33,800 Speaker 1: favorite presidents. And anybody who's about immigrants against immigrants and 982 00:57:33,880 --> 00:57:36,400 Speaker 1: dreamers is not the sight of the coin that I 983 00:57:36,440 --> 00:57:40,120 Speaker 1: grew up. Okay, and you end up going to high 984 00:57:40,120 --> 00:57:43,120 Speaker 1: school where fair facts? I Well, you've got a fair 985 00:57:43,160 --> 00:57:45,640 Speaker 1: faxx I. You know, a fountain right there on Melrose, 986 00:57:45,640 --> 00:57:50,520 Speaker 1: a fountain of music legends. What kind of student were you? 987 00:57:50,640 --> 00:57:53,520 Speaker 1: I mean, not only academically? Were you were good? Were 988 00:57:53,560 --> 00:57:56,440 Speaker 1: you popular? Did you have a lot of friends or 989 00:57:56,440 --> 00:57:58,040 Speaker 1: did you go home and study? What were we like? 990 00:57:59,640 --> 00:58:02,560 Speaker 1: I was popular, I was smart, I was class president. 991 00:58:03,200 --> 00:58:06,160 Speaker 1: I was playing sports. I was at an all city 992 00:58:06,200 --> 00:58:10,600 Speaker 1: football quarterback and I had a couple of girlfriends and 993 00:58:10,800 --> 00:58:13,439 Speaker 1: I got right into u c l A right after 994 00:58:13,520 --> 00:58:16,680 Speaker 1: at the age of seventeen. And what was your experience 995 00:58:16,680 --> 00:58:20,280 Speaker 1: like at u c l A. Fabulous. I love the campus, 996 00:58:20,520 --> 00:58:23,560 Speaker 1: but I had to work. My dad had a heart attack. 997 00:58:23,920 --> 00:58:26,080 Speaker 1: He didn't speak good English. I bought him a liquor 998 00:58:26,120 --> 00:58:30,200 Speaker 1: store on Washington Boulevard and Culver City. What I would 999 00:58:30,240 --> 00:58:32,320 Speaker 1: do at u c l AS, I'd go to I'd 1000 00:58:32,440 --> 00:58:35,480 Speaker 1: opened the store, drive down with my dad, then go 1001 00:58:35,560 --> 00:58:38,000 Speaker 1: because that was Culver City, U c l AS and westward. 1002 00:58:38,160 --> 00:58:41,160 Speaker 1: I'd go do my classes. Then I would go teach 1003 00:58:41,240 --> 00:58:44,800 Speaker 1: young kids guitar, make a few bucks doing that. Then 1004 00:58:44,800 --> 00:58:46,600 Speaker 1: at the end of the day come back. My dad 1005 00:58:46,640 --> 00:58:50,440 Speaker 1: would be sitting across the counter, just selling liquor and stuff. 1006 00:58:50,520 --> 00:58:53,520 Speaker 1: I bring him home. That was my life for about 1007 00:58:53,560 --> 00:58:56,040 Speaker 1: three years until my god, my dad got too sick 1008 00:58:56,080 --> 00:59:00,120 Speaker 1: to do that. Then we sold the liquor store. Ok A, 1009 00:59:01,240 --> 00:59:07,320 Speaker 1: you were in the sixties, you know there's an explosion 1010 00:59:07,440 --> 00:59:11,160 Speaker 1: of music, certainly Los Angeles, never mind in UK and 1011 00:59:11,160 --> 00:59:13,840 Speaker 1: the rest of the world. You are in the heart 1012 00:59:13,880 --> 00:59:17,560 Speaker 1: of the action. Do you feel it? Into what degree 1013 00:59:17,880 --> 00:59:22,480 Speaker 1: are you embracing it? I felt that I loved it. 1014 00:59:23,760 --> 00:59:27,240 Speaker 1: I had a girlfriend whose boyfriend Lucien Clark, who was 1015 00:59:27,280 --> 00:59:30,880 Speaker 1: the lead singer of the Birds, so I would I 1016 00:59:31,000 --> 00:59:34,280 Speaker 1: met Jean, I met Roger mcgwen, I met all those guys, 1017 00:59:34,640 --> 00:59:37,280 Speaker 1: so I was able to get into Ceros the night 1018 00:59:37,560 --> 00:59:42,080 Speaker 1: June one nine when they played Tambourine Man, which was 1019 00:59:42,200 --> 00:59:44,919 Speaker 1: their big cover that blew it up, blew up. I 1020 00:59:44,960 --> 00:59:48,200 Speaker 1: was kind of there when Elliott l I seen. I 1021 00:59:48,280 --> 00:59:50,880 Speaker 1: was a big, tall kid. I was smart enough to 1022 00:59:51,000 --> 00:59:54,040 Speaker 1: talk my way into the Troubadour and I loved that 1023 00:59:54,240 --> 00:59:57,520 Speaker 1: early music. That's where Elton first. I saw Elton John 1024 00:59:57,760 --> 01:00:00,960 Speaker 1: when he was brought over Rostrigan brought him over on UNI. 1025 01:00:01,200 --> 01:00:04,840 Speaker 1: That's when I saw Crosby Stillson, Nash Jackson, Brown, Carol King. 1026 01:00:05,200 --> 01:00:08,240 Speaker 1: I embraced it all. I loved Steven Stills. For what 1027 01:00:08,360 --> 01:00:11,440 Speaker 1: It's Worth was one of my favorite songs of all time. 1028 01:00:11,840 --> 01:00:14,000 Speaker 1: So for me as a kid growing up with this, 1029 01:00:14,440 --> 01:00:17,320 Speaker 1: it really rang my belt. My parents didn't know shift 1030 01:00:17,400 --> 01:00:21,000 Speaker 1: from Shinola about what any of that was. But I 1031 01:00:21,080 --> 01:00:23,000 Speaker 1: was a good boy because I did good in school 1032 01:00:23,120 --> 01:00:26,280 Speaker 1: and I supported them, But more importantly, I loved them 1033 01:00:26,360 --> 01:00:28,960 Speaker 1: and they loved me. That to me permeated my soul 1034 01:00:29,040 --> 01:00:32,960 Speaker 1: for the rest of my life. Okay, now simultaneous who 1035 01:00:33,040 --> 01:00:35,560 Speaker 1: you were playing the guitar and trying to make it 1036 01:00:35,600 --> 01:00:40,440 Speaker 1: as an artist. Yes, I had a record deal on MGM. 1037 01:00:40,480 --> 01:00:43,760 Speaker 1: I had a record deal on ABC Dundehill. I actually 1038 01:00:43,760 --> 01:00:46,480 Speaker 1: had a single out that I used for a TV 1039 01:00:46,520 --> 01:00:48,919 Speaker 1: show I wrote music for called the Hardy Boys, called 1040 01:00:49,040 --> 01:00:52,160 Speaker 1: Namby Pamby and the Days of the United Food com 1041 01:00:52,200 --> 01:00:54,720 Speaker 1: Company and me I got love on my comming. I 1042 01:00:54,840 --> 01:00:57,400 Speaker 1: had a single that I sang and played guitar and 1043 01:00:57,520 --> 01:01:01,360 Speaker 1: called Namby Pamby, You're Sweeter and Candy. Anyway, I had 1044 01:01:01,360 --> 01:01:04,880 Speaker 1: these record deals until I started getting influenced by Edison 1045 01:01:05,000 --> 01:01:07,880 Speaker 1: Lighthouse member My Baby Loves Love and some of those songs. 1046 01:01:08,160 --> 01:01:11,080 Speaker 1: So I put a band together where I was the 1047 01:01:11,160 --> 01:01:14,240 Speaker 1: lead guitar guy and I wrote the songs with my buddy. 1048 01:01:14,400 --> 01:01:16,720 Speaker 1: But I found a good singer named Joe Reid. So 1049 01:01:16,760 --> 01:01:19,120 Speaker 1: I had a band of signed the Clive Sign called 1050 01:01:19,160 --> 01:01:22,640 Speaker 1: Proper Marmal's at Read and we had a record that 1051 01:01:22,760 --> 01:01:27,520 Speaker 1: went I think with an anchor and and But that 1052 01:01:27,680 --> 01:01:30,919 Speaker 1: was like my first real not real record deal, because 1053 01:01:30,920 --> 01:01:33,320 Speaker 1: I had three record deals before that. But that was 1054 01:01:33,360 --> 01:01:35,760 Speaker 1: the first time that it was really kind of cool. 1055 01:01:35,960 --> 01:01:38,840 Speaker 1: And when I met Clive, to his credit, I auditioned 1056 01:01:38,880 --> 01:01:42,160 Speaker 1: for him at the Beverly Hills Hotel. And the lawyers 1057 01:01:42,360 --> 01:01:44,160 Speaker 1: that I got to work for me, that's a long 1058 01:01:44,240 --> 01:01:47,200 Speaker 1: story on how I got them. Actually, he said to Clive, 1059 01:01:47,480 --> 01:01:49,280 Speaker 1: this guy is doing well in law school. I was 1060 01:01:49,360 --> 01:01:51,720 Speaker 1: executive editor of Law Review. You know what that means. 1061 01:01:51,960 --> 01:01:54,400 Speaker 1: I was published. I was one of these kind of 1062 01:01:54,520 --> 01:01:58,600 Speaker 1: overachiever guys, which I still am to my detriment. So 1063 01:01:58,600 --> 01:02:01,000 Speaker 1: why I had talked too much? I worked too hard. 1064 01:02:01,240 --> 01:02:03,880 Speaker 1: I care too much. But you know what, when I 1065 01:02:04,000 --> 01:02:06,000 Speaker 1: leave this planet, at least I will have had a 1066 01:02:06,000 --> 01:02:16,320 Speaker 1: great run. Let's go back to the initial three record deals. 1067 01:02:17,160 --> 01:02:20,680 Speaker 1: How does a little you know, a little picture. You 1068 01:02:20,760 --> 01:02:25,880 Speaker 1: know what. I end up getting a record deal because 1069 01:02:26,560 --> 01:02:30,920 Speaker 1: I'm a smart little pisher and I was a decent 1070 01:02:30,960 --> 01:02:36,240 Speaker 1: looking pisher who had girlfriends whose bosses worked at some companies. 1071 01:02:37,080 --> 01:02:39,600 Speaker 1: And that's how I wound up getting her Albert deal 1072 01:02:39,680 --> 01:02:42,800 Speaker 1: on her breast to cover one of my songs. Because 1073 01:02:42,840 --> 01:02:47,160 Speaker 1: I was dating Don Costa's assistant, and Don Costa was 1074 01:02:47,200 --> 01:02:52,000 Speaker 1: a major major guy was producing Sinatra, and I went 1075 01:02:52,040 --> 01:02:55,160 Speaker 1: to a Sinatra session just as a fan way back 1076 01:02:55,200 --> 01:02:58,880 Speaker 1: at our c a on sunset, way back and the 1077 01:02:58,960 --> 01:03:01,880 Speaker 1: session finished early, and my buddy and I, who had 1078 01:03:01,880 --> 01:03:04,760 Speaker 1: written songs for pro from almost Ad and Reid, had 1079 01:03:04,800 --> 01:03:08,480 Speaker 1: written this instrumental thing, so don let me have this 1080 01:03:08,680 --> 01:03:11,840 Speaker 1: three hour sessions, you know, union sessions, so don let 1081 01:03:11,840 --> 01:03:15,400 Speaker 1: me have I made up the court chart. I gave 1082 01:03:15,440 --> 01:03:17,840 Speaker 1: it to the guys. We did it. That was my demo, 1083 01:03:18,080 --> 01:03:21,360 Speaker 1: pretty good. And I read that Chuck k was the 1084 01:03:21,480 --> 01:03:25,680 Speaker 1: guy running Irving Almo Publishing, and I kind of bullshitted 1085 01:03:25,760 --> 01:03:28,320 Speaker 1: my way into saying, hey, I have a song for 1086 01:03:28,440 --> 01:03:31,360 Speaker 1: her Bralbert blah blah blah. I got in. I brought 1087 01:03:31,400 --> 01:03:35,320 Speaker 1: the demo, which was used the Sinatra musicians, and he said, 1088 01:03:35,320 --> 01:03:38,320 Speaker 1: you got anything else? Because Chuck is a really smart guy. 1089 01:03:38,520 --> 01:03:42,040 Speaker 1: He ran a really great publishing company. Subsequently, I think 1090 01:03:42,080 --> 01:03:45,560 Speaker 1: he became president of Warner Chapel. Really good guy. And 1091 01:03:45,720 --> 01:03:48,160 Speaker 1: I said yeah. So I went to the car, I 1092 01:03:48,240 --> 01:03:50,920 Speaker 1: got my guitar and I sang the song called Picture 1093 01:03:50,960 --> 01:03:54,320 Speaker 1: Postcard that I had just written. He said, Gary Lewis 1094 01:03:54,360 --> 01:03:57,680 Speaker 1: and the Playboys are doing a new album. They just 1095 01:03:57,800 --> 01:04:00,160 Speaker 1: had a hit with Rhythm of the Rain. I need 1096 01:04:00,200 --> 01:04:03,520 Speaker 1: to call snuff Garrett let him hear the song, so 1097 01:04:03,720 --> 01:04:06,480 Speaker 1: he calls, he holds up the phone. I get my guitar, 1098 01:04:06,680 --> 01:04:09,480 Speaker 1: I sing, I play it. Within two days, I was 1099 01:04:09,520 --> 01:04:12,600 Speaker 1: in my first recording studio, producing my first demo. This 1100 01:04:12,680 --> 01:04:16,280 Speaker 1: was when I was eighteen years old. When do you 1101 01:04:16,320 --> 01:04:22,720 Speaker 1: give up the dream of being an artist? Ship? When 1102 01:04:22,800 --> 01:04:26,160 Speaker 1: Clive offered me a choice of picking up my option 1103 01:04:26,520 --> 01:04:29,280 Speaker 1: or taking a job, and I knew I couldn't sing 1104 01:04:29,280 --> 01:04:34,000 Speaker 1: for Ship. I was twenty three years old. Okay, So 1105 01:04:34,240 --> 01:04:37,080 Speaker 1: at what point do you decide you're going to go 1106 01:04:37,160 --> 01:04:39,720 Speaker 1: to law school? Was that something your parents instilled in 1107 01:04:39,760 --> 01:04:45,520 Speaker 1: you from a young age. Yes, and the fact that 1108 01:04:45,800 --> 01:04:49,520 Speaker 1: I would kind of logically do a lot of my 1109 01:04:49,920 --> 01:04:53,440 Speaker 1: deals or look at the paper, and I kind of 1110 01:04:53,480 --> 01:04:57,200 Speaker 1: thought that could be good. Of course, my mother wanted, Sammy, 1111 01:04:57,280 --> 01:04:58,680 Speaker 1: you got to go to law school. You've got to 1112 01:04:58,680 --> 01:05:01,720 Speaker 1: be a lawyer. You know that good Jewish ethic. And 1113 01:05:01,920 --> 01:05:04,560 Speaker 1: I applied and I got in, so I decided I 1114 01:05:04,560 --> 01:05:06,720 Speaker 1: would go. But I still kick my band. You'll think 1115 01:05:06,760 --> 01:05:08,880 Speaker 1: this stop. My third year in law school, I have 1116 01:05:08,960 --> 01:05:12,919 Speaker 1: a scholarship and I already knew I had my job 1117 01:05:13,120 --> 01:05:15,520 Speaker 1: with Clive because Clive offered me the job. I was 1118 01:05:15,520 --> 01:05:17,640 Speaker 1: in my second year, so my third year, I just 1119 01:05:17,680 --> 01:05:19,600 Speaker 1: needed to get through and I was doing real good 1120 01:05:19,600 --> 01:05:22,160 Speaker 1: as the top five percent of my class. I hired 1121 01:05:22,200 --> 01:05:25,880 Speaker 1: people to take my class, the classes to do notes. 1122 01:05:26,160 --> 01:05:28,240 Speaker 1: I go on the road with my band. Then i'd 1123 01:05:28,240 --> 01:05:30,400 Speaker 1: come back and I take the test. Believe me, I 1124 01:05:30,480 --> 01:05:34,480 Speaker 1: dropped my standing. But I kind of knew that I 1125 01:05:34,640 --> 01:05:36,960 Speaker 1: was just crazy. Gain how I passed the bar the 1126 01:05:37,000 --> 01:05:40,040 Speaker 1: first time. I have no idea, but I did. And 1127 01:05:40,160 --> 01:05:41,680 Speaker 1: I moved to New York because I knew I had 1128 01:05:41,720 --> 01:05:44,640 Speaker 1: my job at CBS. Okay, so how long do you 1129 01:05:44,640 --> 01:05:47,240 Speaker 1: work at CBS and what exactly you doing? Your drafting 1130 01:05:47,240 --> 01:05:50,920 Speaker 1: contracts anything else? Yeah, I was a shadow. I was 1131 01:05:51,000 --> 01:05:54,840 Speaker 1: listening to mixes, I was drafting contracts. I had a 1132 01:05:54,920 --> 01:05:58,640 Speaker 1: title as an assistant director of business Affairs, so budget wise, 1133 01:05:58,680 --> 01:06:02,600 Speaker 1: they could pay me through particular pipe. Clive got blown out, 1134 01:06:02,760 --> 01:06:04,880 Speaker 1: you know, the whole scandal. My office was down in 1135 01:06:04,920 --> 01:06:09,000 Speaker 1: the hall. My dad had another heart attack, addressed his soul, 1136 01:06:09,480 --> 01:06:11,840 Speaker 1: and I wanted to move back to California's living in 1137 01:06:11,840 --> 01:06:15,960 Speaker 1: New York in an apartment and actually a brownstone that 1138 01:06:16,480 --> 01:06:19,880 Speaker 1: was owned by a photographer who was Jean Shrtmann's photographer 1139 01:06:19,880 --> 01:06:22,480 Speaker 1: and I had dated her for a minute. That was crazy. 1140 01:06:22,600 --> 01:06:25,720 Speaker 1: But anyway, long story short, I wanted to come back 1141 01:06:25,760 --> 01:06:31,760 Speaker 1: to California, so Erwin Siegelstein became the president of CBS, 1142 01:06:31,800 --> 01:06:34,000 Speaker 1: and they didn't want to lose me because they thought 1143 01:06:34,000 --> 01:06:36,160 Speaker 1: I knew what I was doing, so they offered me 1144 01:06:36,200 --> 01:06:39,320 Speaker 1: a big gig in San Francisco. While I was there, 1145 01:06:39,800 --> 01:06:41,560 Speaker 1: I wanted to come back to oh I because that's 1146 01:06:41,600 --> 01:06:44,240 Speaker 1: where my parents lived. We sold the liquor store, so 1147 01:06:44,600 --> 01:06:47,200 Speaker 1: I started putting the word out. A guy named Mike 1148 01:06:47,360 --> 01:06:51,240 Speaker 1: Stewart was chairman of the United Artists Records at the time, 1149 01:06:51,680 --> 01:06:54,280 Speaker 1: and he saw that I was looking for a job, 1150 01:06:54,480 --> 01:06:56,760 Speaker 1: so I had an interview. He gave me the job 1151 01:06:56,800 --> 01:06:59,400 Speaker 1: on the spot to be his number two guys twenty 1152 01:06:59,440 --> 01:07:02,600 Speaker 1: four years old. So guess what. I didn't take the 1153 01:07:02,720 --> 01:07:05,760 Speaker 1: CBS San Francisco job. I took the job to be 1154 01:07:05,960 --> 01:07:08,920 Speaker 1: head of at our national executive director of the company. 1155 01:07:09,240 --> 01:07:12,000 Speaker 1: Stewart thought he was getting a clone, Clive clone. I'm 1156 01:07:12,000 --> 01:07:14,400 Speaker 1: not a Clive clone. Clive is his own guy in 1157 01:07:14,440 --> 01:07:16,640 Speaker 1: his own right, but he was a big mentor to 1158 01:07:16,680 --> 01:07:19,000 Speaker 1: me and I respect the shift out of him. Sorry 1159 01:07:19,000 --> 01:07:22,280 Speaker 1: to use such good words. But I'm a rock guy 1160 01:07:22,400 --> 01:07:26,120 Speaker 1: through and through anyway. So the answer to your question 1161 01:07:26,480 --> 01:07:29,520 Speaker 1: is I took the gig at U A and that 1162 01:07:29,720 --> 01:07:32,880 Speaker 1: lasted until Transamerica sold the company. That I okay, wait 1163 01:07:32,920 --> 01:07:35,160 Speaker 1: wait wait, wait a little bit slower. So what's your 1164 01:07:35,200 --> 01:07:39,479 Speaker 1: take on Clive? I think Clive is brilliant. I think 1165 01:07:39,520 --> 01:07:43,480 Speaker 1: Clive said to me after the debicot that happened at 1166 01:07:43,520 --> 01:07:46,960 Speaker 1: CBS that since the guys that he had meantor be 1167 01:07:47,080 --> 01:07:49,760 Speaker 1: at Dick ash Er Walker at the coff they had 1168 01:07:49,760 --> 01:07:52,560 Speaker 1: their best quarter ever when Clive left. But I give 1169 01:07:52,560 --> 01:07:55,440 Speaker 1: it as a tribute to Clive and his spirit and 1170 01:07:55,640 --> 01:07:59,120 Speaker 1: his way with artists when he had started ariston. So 1171 01:07:59,560 --> 01:08:02,640 Speaker 1: I'm a at Clive Davids stand. I have a different style. 1172 01:08:03,240 --> 01:08:06,680 Speaker 1: I'm different. I come from the music. But the point is, 1173 01:08:06,840 --> 01:08:08,880 Speaker 1: what's my take on Clive. I have a lot of 1174 01:08:08,880 --> 01:08:11,520 Speaker 1: respect to Clive David's. Okay, you go to U A 1175 01:08:11,880 --> 01:08:14,720 Speaker 1: U A at the time is this is before it 1176 01:08:15,240 --> 01:08:18,519 Speaker 1: ends up being merged in the Capital with R you know, 1177 01:08:18,760 --> 01:08:24,240 Speaker 1: with Artie Mogul already Mogul, etcetera, etcetera. So it's a 1178 01:08:24,280 --> 01:08:31,240 Speaker 1: relatively moribund company. So that's a big change from CBS Records. Secondly, 1179 01:08:32,680 --> 01:08:35,080 Speaker 1: Mike hires you as an A and R guy. You're 1180 01:08:35,120 --> 01:08:38,439 Speaker 1: not gonna do any business affairs now. I'm gonna be 1181 01:08:38,560 --> 01:08:41,800 Speaker 1: almost like a GM. So Harold Cider ahead of business 1182 01:08:41,840 --> 01:08:45,479 Speaker 1: affairs would interface with me, the marketing people would, the 1183 01:08:45,479 --> 01:08:48,839 Speaker 1: promote people would. Ultimately the guy who's had a promote, 1184 01:08:48,880 --> 01:08:52,280 Speaker 1: Ray Anderson, went to work for me when I started Passion, Okay, 1185 01:08:52,560 --> 01:08:55,240 Speaker 1: I pulled him out of that. So what I did 1186 01:08:55,280 --> 01:08:58,639 Speaker 1: and how I dealt with this moribound company. As I 1187 01:08:58,680 --> 01:09:02,360 Speaker 1: went and listened to re record and every artist that 1188 01:09:02,479 --> 01:09:05,599 Speaker 1: was on the roster, most of which were sleeping, That's 1189 01:09:05,640 --> 01:09:09,080 Speaker 1: when I heard that the English company had Hawkwind, they 1190 01:09:09,120 --> 01:09:13,160 Speaker 1: had Roy Woods Wizard, they had electric light orchestra. I 1191 01:09:13,240 --> 01:09:15,799 Speaker 1: said to Mike Store, I gotta get on a plane, 1192 01:09:15,880 --> 01:09:19,280 Speaker 1: I gotta go here. What else This guy Andrew Africans 1193 01:09:19,360 --> 01:09:23,360 Speaker 1: last night had an are in English Company. But during 1194 01:09:23,400 --> 01:09:26,479 Speaker 1: the day I would do the Anar gig. I would 1195 01:09:26,520 --> 01:09:29,599 Speaker 1: deal with the guys that war Cherry Old, Steven, Steve Gold. 1196 01:09:29,640 --> 01:09:32,120 Speaker 1: I had all that good fortune to get to do 1197 01:09:32,160 --> 01:09:34,600 Speaker 1: that gig. But at night I put my hands on 1198 01:09:34,760 --> 01:09:37,599 Speaker 1: every record I could as a producer, because I come 1199 01:09:37,640 --> 01:09:40,240 Speaker 1: from the music so I had a dual job. I 1200 01:09:40,320 --> 01:09:42,880 Speaker 1: had eleven records in the top fifty and eighteen months 1201 01:09:42,960 --> 01:09:46,360 Speaker 1: bot as a producer that I hit Royalty No why 1202 01:09:46,560 --> 01:09:49,799 Speaker 1: work for an insurance company. Lenny Warnerker got a Royalty 1203 01:09:49,880 --> 01:09:52,479 Speaker 1: Russ titled and the Guys that Warners did. I didn't. 1204 01:09:52,680 --> 01:09:56,920 Speaker 1: But you know what, I'm years old. Good opportunity, That's 1205 01:09:56,920 --> 01:10:00,120 Speaker 1: what I did. I helped build that asset up that 1206 01:10:00,200 --> 01:10:04,200 Speaker 1: when Jerry rubenstand Artie Mogul came to buy the company, 1207 01:10:04,479 --> 01:10:06,360 Speaker 1: I helped build it up so that they could make 1208 01:10:06,360 --> 01:10:09,840 Speaker 1: more money. So what year do you leave you? Ay? 1209 01:10:09,920 --> 01:10:13,639 Speaker 1: And what do you do I leave you? I moved 1210 01:10:13,680 --> 01:10:17,280 Speaker 1: in with Trudy Green, who you probably know was a manager. 1211 01:10:17,400 --> 01:10:21,400 Speaker 1: Trudy was my girlfriend at the time, and we moved 1212 01:10:21,400 --> 01:10:24,400 Speaker 1: into a one room apartment with a four poster bed 1213 01:10:24,439 --> 01:10:29,000 Speaker 1: in My guitar and I I was friendly with. I 1214 01:10:29,120 --> 01:10:32,040 Speaker 1: met Graham Nash through the Hollies because the Hollies were 1215 01:10:32,040 --> 01:10:34,839 Speaker 1: assigned to CBS. They were the first people to actually 1216 01:10:34,840 --> 01:10:39,160 Speaker 1: cover Springsteen with a song called Sandy, and Alan Clark 1217 01:10:39,360 --> 01:10:41,760 Speaker 1: was the lead singer. He had to have these my 1218 01:10:41,840 --> 01:10:45,160 Speaker 1: brother here that I breathed and Alan wanted to make 1219 01:10:45,200 --> 01:10:48,759 Speaker 1: a solo record and he asked me if I would produce. 1220 01:10:48,960 --> 01:10:52,000 Speaker 1: That was the first time I took a superstar like that, 1221 01:10:52,040 --> 01:10:54,080 Speaker 1: although I had worked with Tea and I've worked with Paul. 1222 01:10:54,479 --> 01:10:57,439 Speaker 1: Remember I'm a punk and I make a solo record 1223 01:10:57,439 --> 01:11:01,320 Speaker 1: with Alan. David Geffen had ship. It's just in the 1224 01:11:01,360 --> 01:11:06,360 Speaker 1: process of leaving Asylum. But I actually played him a 1225 01:11:06,400 --> 01:11:08,960 Speaker 1: couple of songs that I decided I wanted to do 1226 01:11:09,479 --> 01:11:12,600 Speaker 1: with Alan because Alan had a voice of gold. I 1227 01:11:12,720 --> 01:11:15,639 Speaker 1: loved Alan. I thought Alan his real name is Harold Clark, 1228 01:11:15,880 --> 01:11:18,400 Speaker 1: and he and Graham Nash, who is still my friend today, 1229 01:11:18,640 --> 01:11:23,240 Speaker 1: close friend love Graham Um started the Hollies. So I 1230 01:11:23,320 --> 01:11:26,880 Speaker 1: made the deal with Geffen. We made the deal on Asylum, 1231 01:11:27,680 --> 01:11:30,519 Speaker 1: and I made the album with Alan. What I did 1232 01:11:30,680 --> 01:11:32,720 Speaker 1: is I made a few dollars on that because I 1233 01:11:32,760 --> 01:11:35,320 Speaker 1: was partnered with that, and I made a decent deal, 1234 01:11:35,800 --> 01:11:38,400 Speaker 1: so we got to keep what we didn't spend. So 1235 01:11:38,880 --> 01:11:41,000 Speaker 1: I had friends because remember I was at u A, 1236 01:11:41,280 --> 01:11:44,240 Speaker 1: so I'd make deals with studios and stuff. I made 1237 01:11:44,280 --> 01:11:48,200 Speaker 1: the album for less money than I got from Lecture Asylum, 1238 01:11:48,520 --> 01:11:51,160 Speaker 1: so that helped me a little bit. That's the beginning 1239 01:11:51,280 --> 01:11:54,519 Speaker 1: of Pasha, Let's slow down now here, you make the 1240 01:11:54,600 --> 01:11:57,640 Speaker 1: deal for the Alan Clark record, which is not a 1241 01:11:57,720 --> 01:12:01,320 Speaker 1: hit record. Geffen leaves as he thinks he's gonna die, 1242 01:12:01,400 --> 01:12:04,320 Speaker 1: which turns out to be untrue. Where does that leave you? 1243 01:12:06,080 --> 01:12:09,839 Speaker 1: Knowing that cut one side one of Alan's album Blinded 1244 01:12:09,880 --> 01:12:13,960 Speaker 1: by the Light was a hit because Alan lived near 1245 01:12:14,040 --> 01:12:20,800 Speaker 1: Manford Mann, who in England, and Joe Smith came over 1246 01:12:20,880 --> 01:12:23,839 Speaker 1: to take over. He and Mel Posner were running elect 1247 01:12:25,080 --> 01:12:29,160 Speaker 1: and I did Alan's album that was cut one side one. 1248 01:12:29,479 --> 01:12:31,760 Speaker 1: We did a rock version of Blinded by the Light. 1249 01:12:32,439 --> 01:12:35,800 Speaker 1: When I'm told that whoever wrote that the lyrics are 1250 01:12:35,800 --> 01:12:39,240 Speaker 1: to us so terror it's too off the wall. We 1251 01:12:39,280 --> 01:12:42,680 Speaker 1: don't understand it. And Nikki Chan of My Chapman had 1252 01:12:42,800 --> 01:12:45,840 Speaker 1: had some hits and I knew Nikki pretty well, and 1253 01:12:46,320 --> 01:12:50,960 Speaker 1: so they picked that song to release his single didn't happen. 1254 01:12:51,400 --> 01:12:54,120 Speaker 1: I was pushing Blinded by the Light. People told me 1255 01:12:54,160 --> 01:12:57,639 Speaker 1: I was nuts. Manford Man covered it had the record 1256 01:12:57,680 --> 01:13:02,080 Speaker 1: of the year. Where did it leave me? Frustrated? But 1257 01:13:02,240 --> 01:13:05,919 Speaker 1: I had some frustration with Billy Thorpe when that company 1258 01:13:06,360 --> 01:13:12,200 Speaker 1: Capricorn a little bit slower? Okay, Yallen Clark album comes out. 1259 01:13:12,560 --> 01:13:15,559 Speaker 1: Are you then done with Asylum? And how do you 1260 01:13:15,600 --> 01:13:20,639 Speaker 1: get hooked up with Billy Thorpe? Okay, these are great questions. 1261 01:13:20,840 --> 01:13:23,519 Speaker 1: You did your homework, man, Thank you. I remember all 1262 01:13:23,560 --> 01:13:28,040 Speaker 1: this keep going okay, and I remember it too. And 1263 01:13:28,120 --> 01:13:30,719 Speaker 1: the only reason I'm a little more long winded about 1264 01:13:30,760 --> 01:13:34,720 Speaker 1: it is because nobody has asked me these questions. No, no, no, no, 1265 01:13:34,920 --> 01:13:36,880 Speaker 1: go into this is what this is the juice, this 1266 01:13:36,960 --> 01:13:41,320 Speaker 1: is what I'm interested in. Okay, all right. I made 1267 01:13:41,320 --> 01:13:46,200 Speaker 1: four albums with Alan, not one even though it failed. 1268 01:13:46,240 --> 01:13:48,680 Speaker 1: The next album I did, I made the deal with 1269 01:13:48,800 --> 01:13:52,240 Speaker 1: Ahmed Atlantic. We had actually we had a hit, but 1270 01:13:52,280 --> 01:13:54,120 Speaker 1: I'll tell you about that in a minute, because he 1271 01:13:54,160 --> 01:13:58,000 Speaker 1: didn't ask me what to talk about Billy Thorpe. So 1272 01:13:59,640 --> 01:14:03,680 Speaker 1: I went to a party in nineteen. So I'm now 1273 01:14:03,720 --> 01:14:06,960 Speaker 1: working for myself and I have a few dollars because 1274 01:14:07,000 --> 01:14:09,839 Speaker 1: I made the Silent Clark deal and it was a stiff, 1275 01:14:10,560 --> 01:14:13,840 Speaker 1: but I still I made my follow up to the 1276 01:14:13,880 --> 01:14:16,640 Speaker 1: Billy Thorpe album with Electric Silent. They gave me a 1277 01:14:16,760 --> 01:14:19,559 Speaker 1: lot of money to do that because Thorpe Children of 1278 01:14:19,560 --> 01:14:22,000 Speaker 1: the Son was a big deal, but Capricorn had gone 1279 01:14:22,000 --> 01:14:25,880 Speaker 1: belly up and Billy. Whooooooa, whoa, whoa. You're doing the 1280 01:14:25,920 --> 01:14:30,240 Speaker 1: Alan Clark record. How do you find Billy Thorpe and 1281 01:14:30,439 --> 01:14:35,280 Speaker 1: end up on Capricorn? Okay, So while I'm making the 1282 01:14:35,400 --> 01:14:40,320 Speaker 1: Alan Clark album, I'm invited to a party at a 1283 01:14:40,439 --> 01:14:45,240 Speaker 1: lawyer's house and mc fleetwood was there, and Alan Parsons 1284 01:14:45,400 --> 01:14:48,080 Speaker 1: was there, and all these people were there, and Billy 1285 01:14:48,160 --> 01:14:51,479 Speaker 1: Thorpe was there. Who's Billy Thorpe. Billy Thorpe was the 1286 01:14:51,600 --> 01:14:56,040 Speaker 1: spring stand up Australia. Billy Thorpe could sell out stadiums 1287 01:14:56,240 --> 01:14:59,320 Speaker 1: and he wanted to come to America to make a mark. 1288 01:15:00,120 --> 01:15:02,720 Speaker 1: He was going to work with Alan Parsons, who was 1289 01:15:02,800 --> 01:15:06,879 Speaker 1: a brilliant talent before he started the Alan Parsons project. 1290 01:15:07,280 --> 01:15:09,639 Speaker 1: But Alan had just produced a record by a group 1291 01:15:09,640 --> 01:15:14,160 Speaker 1: on Capitol called Pilot, and they thought that they should 1292 01:15:14,600 --> 01:15:17,960 Speaker 1: do the follow up with their uncle's brother's cousin or whoever. 1293 01:15:18,320 --> 01:15:21,519 Speaker 1: So Alan didn't get the nod to produce the follow 1294 01:15:21,560 --> 01:15:24,680 Speaker 1: up after having its Magic being a huge hit, so 1295 01:15:26,240 --> 01:15:28,840 Speaker 1: I think Alan wanted to start his own thing. That's 1296 01:15:28,840 --> 01:15:31,559 Speaker 1: when he started the Allen Parson's project. He was going 1297 01:15:31,600 --> 01:15:34,280 Speaker 1: to work with Billy admit Billy at the party, so 1298 01:15:34,720 --> 01:15:38,559 Speaker 1: we just started talking. And I had just bought some 1299 01:15:38,640 --> 01:15:43,080 Speaker 1: paintings by a surrealist named Ario Campanelli, and I knew 1300 01:15:43,120 --> 01:15:47,360 Speaker 1: that Billy was kind of like thinking about things that 1301 01:15:47,439 --> 01:15:50,920 Speaker 1: are very extra tresteal and very you know, very tripped out, 1302 01:15:51,200 --> 01:15:56,519 Speaker 1: and I like, uh, I like impressionistic guard, I love mone, 1303 01:15:56,640 --> 01:15:59,679 Speaker 1: I love and Go. But I also like mcgreet and Dali, 1304 01:16:00,640 --> 01:16:04,320 Speaker 1: and Billy did too, So we started having an art conversation. 1305 01:16:04,640 --> 01:16:08,880 Speaker 1: Then we started having a music conversation. And Close Encounters 1306 01:16:08,880 --> 01:16:11,960 Speaker 1: had just come out as a movie, and you see 1307 01:16:12,000 --> 01:16:14,639 Speaker 1: the last scene aliens to make contact with you don't 1308 01:16:14,640 --> 01:16:17,599 Speaker 1: know what happened after them. So Billy and are hanging out. 1309 01:16:17,600 --> 01:16:20,320 Speaker 1: There were too many cute girls at the party. And 1310 01:16:20,479 --> 01:16:23,040 Speaker 1: he's a guitar player. He's a great guitar player. Was 1311 01:16:23,040 --> 01:16:25,400 Speaker 1: a great guitar player. I played a little bit. So 1312 01:16:25,439 --> 01:16:27,840 Speaker 1: we said, why don't we go out and see this movie? 1313 01:16:27,960 --> 01:16:30,880 Speaker 1: Then let's go to my house and jam. So we did, 1314 01:16:31,840 --> 01:16:34,719 Speaker 1: and we saw Close Encounters. Then we went to my house. 1315 01:16:34,840 --> 01:16:37,200 Speaker 1: We smoke a couple of joints, we drank some Corvosier. 1316 01:16:37,800 --> 01:16:41,160 Speaker 1: We were hanging out and Billy I was reading Carl 1317 01:16:41,200 --> 01:16:45,360 Speaker 1: Sagan's Cosmos, and Billy was a fan of extraterrestrials, so 1318 01:16:45,439 --> 01:16:47,960 Speaker 1: we made up a thing the Earth was going to 1319 01:16:48,120 --> 01:16:52,719 Speaker 1: self destruct in the year this is down nineteen seventy 1320 01:16:52,760 --> 01:16:57,000 Speaker 1: seven seventy eight, and Eastern Afghana standing in crisis was 1321 01:16:57,080 --> 01:17:00,920 Speaker 1: happening politically, so we said we were talked, is really smart? 1322 01:17:01,120 --> 01:17:05,479 Speaker 1: I like smart people. So Billy said, Americans and the 1323 01:17:05,479 --> 01:17:09,599 Speaker 1: Afghanistans are Afghanistanians are going to team up to fight 1324 01:17:09,640 --> 01:17:13,200 Speaker 1: the Russians and the world will blow up. So why 1325 01:17:13,200 --> 01:17:16,720 Speaker 1: don't we write a song about that? Because we're off 1326 01:17:16,720 --> 01:17:19,519 Speaker 1: the wall kind of guys. And we made up a 1327 01:17:19,600 --> 01:17:22,559 Speaker 1: friendly race from another galaxy called the Children of the Sun. 1328 01:17:22,640 --> 01:17:25,599 Speaker 1: We're going to watch the self destruction and come down 1329 01:17:25,680 --> 01:17:28,600 Speaker 1: from a crystal planet, made up planet to offer the 1330 01:17:28,640 --> 01:17:31,120 Speaker 1: Earth links and choice of staying or leaving. By the 1331 01:17:31,200 --> 01:17:33,760 Speaker 1: end of the song, they're gonna leave by the end 1332 01:17:33,800 --> 01:17:36,719 Speaker 1: of the album. That who started new civilization? That became 1333 01:17:36,760 --> 01:17:40,720 Speaker 1: my laser lightshop. So we wrote this song five in 1334 01:17:40,720 --> 01:17:43,160 Speaker 1: the morning. We finished it. It was like seven minutes. 1335 01:17:43,400 --> 01:17:45,559 Speaker 1: That's why I fell in love with the Don McLean song, 1336 01:17:45,720 --> 01:17:48,360 Speaker 1: because I wasn't afraid of long songs. As long as 1337 01:17:48,400 --> 01:17:51,040 Speaker 1: they told the story. And Children of the Sun told 1338 01:17:51,040 --> 01:17:54,559 Speaker 1: the story, told the story of the self destruction, of 1339 01:17:54,640 --> 01:17:57,720 Speaker 1: the destruction of the earth, and the optionality for the 1340 01:17:57,760 --> 01:18:01,240 Speaker 1: people who were left. That was the song. Okay, Capricorn, 1341 01:18:02,000 --> 01:18:06,200 Speaker 1: I went shopping that we had the song. So I 1342 01:18:06,280 --> 01:18:08,240 Speaker 1: knew a couple of people because I just come out 1343 01:18:08,280 --> 01:18:12,400 Speaker 1: of you a. Everybody hated it, hated it, just like 1344 01:18:12,439 --> 01:18:15,439 Speaker 1: they hated quiet. Right, So I'm not used. I'm not 1345 01:18:15,560 --> 01:18:18,240 Speaker 1: against being told no because I know how to say no. 1346 01:18:18,520 --> 01:18:21,120 Speaker 1: He turned it in DS through the side door. Okay. 1347 01:18:21,560 --> 01:18:26,320 Speaker 1: So there's a promotion guy who's working at ABC Records 1348 01:18:26,360 --> 01:18:29,599 Speaker 1: at the time named John Scott. I don't know if 1349 01:18:29,640 --> 01:18:31,559 Speaker 1: you know John. Of course I know John Scott. It 1350 01:18:31,560 --> 01:18:33,639 Speaker 1: takes a lot of credit for the success of Tom 1351 01:18:33,640 --> 01:18:37,200 Speaker 1: Petty's career. Okay, Well, he can take credit for this. 1352 01:18:37,960 --> 01:18:41,160 Speaker 1: He heard Children of the Son, he got it, and 1353 01:18:41,240 --> 01:18:44,679 Speaker 1: he was working at ABC. What did ABC Records mean 1354 01:18:44,720 --> 01:18:47,960 Speaker 1: to me? Well, Trudy and I started the management company 1355 01:18:48,160 --> 01:18:51,160 Speaker 1: and our first client with Stephen Bishop and save it 1356 01:18:51,200 --> 01:18:53,519 Speaker 1: for Ray. Need to add on and on for number 1357 01:18:53,520 --> 01:18:57,280 Speaker 1: one records on ABC. John Scott was a promotion man 1358 01:18:57,320 --> 01:19:01,800 Speaker 1: at ABC together with Charlie Minor to ABC, so I 1359 01:19:01,920 --> 01:19:04,479 Speaker 1: knew John and I called John and I said, hey, 1360 01:19:04,479 --> 01:19:07,240 Speaker 1: I'm getting all these people that passed on the Children 1361 01:19:07,280 --> 01:19:11,400 Speaker 1: of the Sun song. What do you think? He said, 1362 01:19:11,720 --> 01:19:17,000 Speaker 1: fucking great. And I'm trying to remember the chronology of 1363 01:19:17,160 --> 01:19:20,120 Speaker 1: when I made the record, which I made on my 1364 01:19:20,240 --> 01:19:23,559 Speaker 1: dime on spec because I just built a studio. That's 1365 01:19:24,000 --> 01:19:26,479 Speaker 1: another story. And how I built Pasha, how I used 1366 01:19:26,479 --> 01:19:29,880 Speaker 1: my money and all that. But anyway, John was friends 1367 01:19:29,920 --> 01:19:32,840 Speaker 1: of Frank Fentor and Phil Walden. He used to party 1368 01:19:32,880 --> 01:19:38,000 Speaker 1: with those guys. So when he told them about it, 1369 01:19:38,320 --> 01:19:41,640 Speaker 1: they came to Pasha, which I had just built. I 1370 01:19:41,720 --> 01:19:45,640 Speaker 1: lit some candles, I burned some incense. I played them 1371 01:19:45,720 --> 01:19:48,559 Speaker 1: Children of the Sun. They got it, so they said, 1372 01:19:48,760 --> 01:19:53,360 Speaker 1: won't put it out? Okay? I had everybody else passed 1373 01:19:53,400 --> 01:19:56,479 Speaker 1: on it. John Scott promoted it for me because he 1374 01:19:56,560 --> 01:20:01,080 Speaker 1: left ABC became an independent promotion man. The rest that 1375 01:20:01,080 --> 01:20:04,040 Speaker 1: that was a struggle to that record only happened regionally. 1376 01:20:04,320 --> 01:20:07,320 Speaker 1: It happened in phases. Ultimately it caught on. It became 1377 01:20:07,400 --> 01:20:10,360 Speaker 1: the biggest rock record after My Sharona. I think My 1378 01:20:10,439 --> 01:20:13,000 Speaker 1: Sharona beat it, but it was a number two it's 1379 01:20:13,000 --> 01:20:16,040 Speaker 1: still on Syrious Sex Sem on Deep Tracks is one 1380 01:20:16,080 --> 01:20:18,680 Speaker 1: of the biggest recurrens of all time. But that was 1381 01:20:20,120 --> 01:20:24,240 Speaker 1: seventy eight, was on Capricorn, the Almond Brothers suit Felt Walden. 1382 01:20:25,000 --> 01:20:28,400 Speaker 1: There was a lot of money changing hands sideways, and 1383 01:20:28,560 --> 01:20:30,479 Speaker 1: I got stuck in it because I had a number 1384 01:20:30,520 --> 01:20:32,800 Speaker 1: one record and you couldn't buy the record because they 1385 01:20:32,800 --> 01:20:43,120 Speaker 1: couldn't press them because the company went back. Okay, how 1386 01:20:43,120 --> 01:20:46,320 Speaker 1: did you decide and where did you get the money 1387 01:20:46,439 --> 01:20:52,640 Speaker 1: to build Pasha? Right there on Melrose. Okay, when I 1388 01:20:52,720 --> 01:20:56,720 Speaker 1: made my Alan Clark record, I made the deal. And 1389 01:20:57,280 --> 01:21:00,599 Speaker 1: I'm a big believer in the world outside of because 1390 01:21:00,640 --> 01:21:04,120 Speaker 1: I came from there. So I made a deal X, 1391 01:21:04,479 --> 01:21:08,519 Speaker 1: the Asylum deal, the Electric deal with US in Canada. 1392 01:21:09,400 --> 01:21:12,519 Speaker 1: I had built a relationship with a guy named Freddie 1393 01:21:12,560 --> 01:21:14,960 Speaker 1: Hind who had also passed to all these guys bomb 1394 01:21:15,000 --> 01:21:18,840 Speaker 1: are leaving us or and I produced a band called 1395 01:21:18,920 --> 01:21:21,559 Speaker 1: Randy Pie. It was a platinum record in Europe. The 1396 01:21:21,640 --> 01:21:23,960 Speaker 1: only guy who spoke English was the lead singer of 1397 01:21:24,040 --> 01:21:26,840 Speaker 1: the rest of the guy spoke German and French, and 1398 01:21:26,920 --> 01:21:29,599 Speaker 1: I speak fluent German. So I made the record there 1399 01:21:30,000 --> 01:21:34,720 Speaker 1: when they had the gold record party. PolyGram flew me 1400 01:21:34,800 --> 01:21:38,479 Speaker 1: to Hamburg as the guest of being the producer. I 1401 01:21:38,600 --> 01:21:43,120 Speaker 1: met Don dr Verner Vogel Sang, who was a Nazi, 1402 01:21:43,520 --> 01:21:47,040 Speaker 1: I think, but I spoke fluent German, which is pretty cool, 1403 01:21:47,160 --> 01:21:50,520 Speaker 1: and I produced the record. He offered me the presidency 1404 01:21:50,560 --> 01:21:53,400 Speaker 1: of Polydor Records. I had already left you a because 1405 01:21:53,400 --> 01:21:56,200 Speaker 1: I had done Alec clark solo record, worked with Clark, 1406 01:21:56,560 --> 01:21:59,360 Speaker 1: and I didn't want the job. I said, why don't 1407 01:21:59,360 --> 01:22:02,200 Speaker 1: I do it? Produce action deal with you, and we 1408 01:22:02,280 --> 01:22:05,360 Speaker 1: did a five album deal. I negotiated. My lawyer at 1409 01:22:05,360 --> 01:22:07,800 Speaker 1: the time was Don Passman, who's turned out to be 1410 01:22:07,880 --> 01:22:11,320 Speaker 1: a fantastic lawyer and he graduated to be one of them. 1411 01:22:11,479 --> 01:22:13,840 Speaker 1: He's still a dear friend of mine now fifty years later. 1412 01:22:14,360 --> 01:22:16,760 Speaker 1: And I called on. I said, these guys wanted to 1413 01:22:16,800 --> 01:22:18,559 Speaker 1: do a five album deal with me. Can you get 1414 01:22:18,600 --> 01:22:21,400 Speaker 1: on a plane? He said, well, he just started his 1415 01:22:21,439 --> 01:22:25,120 Speaker 1: gang tyrant round thing and he couldn't. But I sat 1416 01:22:25,240 --> 01:22:27,840 Speaker 1: there and I made notes, and he gave me all 1417 01:22:27,840 --> 01:22:29,559 Speaker 1: the notes that I should do. I go into a 1418 01:22:29,640 --> 01:22:32,840 Speaker 1: meeting the next day. I make this five album deal 1419 01:22:32,840 --> 01:22:34,840 Speaker 1: in the form of a loan. The guys were speaking 1420 01:22:34,880 --> 01:22:36,960 Speaker 1: German to each other. They didn't think I knew. They 1421 01:22:36,960 --> 01:22:39,080 Speaker 1: didn't know I had a lot of degree. I'm listening 1422 01:22:39,160 --> 01:22:41,280 Speaker 1: to it all. I actually had to take a leak. 1423 01:22:41,360 --> 01:22:44,439 Speaker 1: I started cracking up because they didn't know that. I 1424 01:22:44,479 --> 01:22:50,160 Speaker 1: closed the deal and I took the recording budgets of 1425 01:22:50,280 --> 01:22:54,679 Speaker 1: that some cash. I then went to City National Bank, 1426 01:22:54,720 --> 01:22:59,439 Speaker 1: a local bank. I got matching funds. I had Larry Brown, 1427 01:22:59,479 --> 01:23:02,160 Speaker 1: who was the engineer that Duane Barron took over for. 1428 01:23:02,840 --> 01:23:06,479 Speaker 1: His dad was a builder, and we built Pasha. How 1429 01:23:06,479 --> 01:23:10,960 Speaker 1: did you get the space? It was garbage space on 1430 01:23:11,040 --> 01:23:14,800 Speaker 1: Melrose next to Astro Burger, and I wanted to be 1431 01:23:14,880 --> 01:23:17,960 Speaker 1: in Hollywood because I thought it would be cool and 1432 01:23:18,160 --> 01:23:22,040 Speaker 1: it was available space, and we just gutted it and 1433 01:23:22,160 --> 01:23:25,600 Speaker 1: Larry Brown's dad and Larry designed it to my aspects. 1434 01:23:25,920 --> 01:23:28,720 Speaker 1: I listened to it. We really made it. Stated the 1435 01:23:28,840 --> 01:23:32,799 Speaker 1: art to speaker systems, I sink up machines, and Larry 1436 01:23:33,000 --> 01:23:35,280 Speaker 1: is brilliant to this day. If you go into my website. 1437 01:23:35,600 --> 01:23:38,439 Speaker 1: He's now an Emmy winning composer, but he was an 1438 01:23:38,439 --> 01:23:42,400 Speaker 1: engineering engineered a lot of stuff for Zeppelin earlier. I'm 1439 01:23:42,439 --> 01:23:45,439 Speaker 1: a big believer that you keep your friends that are 1440 01:23:45,479 --> 01:23:48,479 Speaker 1: your friends. I just met most of mine through the business. 1441 01:23:48,800 --> 01:23:50,920 Speaker 1: My wife has a lot of friends that she met 1442 01:23:51,160 --> 01:23:53,600 Speaker 1: not as a publisher the Early Weekly, but as a 1443 01:23:53,680 --> 01:23:56,920 Speaker 1: pure soul, as as a good person. My friends I've 1444 01:23:56,920 --> 01:23:59,240 Speaker 1: met through the business, but some of them are great 1445 01:23:59,240 --> 01:24:03,839 Speaker 1: people that my friends. Okay, did you leased the building 1446 01:24:03,920 --> 01:24:06,879 Speaker 1: or own the at least it I had an option 1447 01:24:06,960 --> 01:24:08,960 Speaker 1: to buy it. I was a schmuck. I should have. 1448 01:24:09,600 --> 01:24:12,640 Speaker 1: I didn't because there was a leak once and my 1449 01:24:12,720 --> 01:24:17,160 Speaker 1: current lawyer, my litigator, who's the smartest lawyer litigator I know. 1450 01:24:17,640 --> 01:24:21,800 Speaker 1: We took on the landlord and then he got set 1451 01:24:21,880 --> 01:24:24,040 Speaker 1: with me because we beat him. He had to pay 1452 01:24:24,080 --> 01:24:28,040 Speaker 1: for the damage to somebody inside of Pasha, and therefore 1453 01:24:28,160 --> 01:24:30,479 Speaker 1: he wouldn't sell me the building. So the answer is, 1454 01:24:30,600 --> 01:24:34,680 Speaker 1: at least okay, Now you have the studio. What are 1455 01:24:34,680 --> 01:24:42,360 Speaker 1: you making making fourteen years of a couple of hundred albums? 1456 01:24:42,400 --> 01:24:45,080 Speaker 1: But because I could build back studio time under my 1457 01:24:45,160 --> 01:24:48,080 Speaker 1: label deal, I would make a few extra dollars. What 1458 01:24:48,160 --> 01:24:52,840 Speaker 1: am I making? Archie Trick Little I mixed my little 1459 01:24:52,920 --> 01:24:55,599 Speaker 1: river band record there. I've worked with a lot of 1460 01:24:55,800 --> 01:24:59,240 Speaker 1: famous things and not so famous things. John Butcher, black 1461 01:24:59,320 --> 01:25:03,679 Speaker 1: artist who channeled I did four albums with John, including 1462 01:25:03,720 --> 01:25:07,280 Speaker 1: one with Glenn Ballard, who wound up becoming his own guy. 1463 01:25:07,360 --> 01:25:10,920 Speaker 1: So I made good records there. It was great sounding 1464 01:25:10,960 --> 01:25:14,040 Speaker 1: stuff because I come from there. But when my kids 1465 01:25:14,360 --> 01:25:20,519 Speaker 1: came onto the planet Sterling in more eight, I decided 1466 01:25:20,560 --> 01:25:23,559 Speaker 1: to sell out. I didn't want to make records anymore, 1467 01:25:23,640 --> 01:25:27,000 Speaker 1: although I could, and subsequently I still ten years later, 1468 01:25:27,200 --> 01:25:30,400 Speaker 1: did three records with Stevie Wonder. I did stuff, but 1469 01:25:30,520 --> 01:25:32,640 Speaker 1: I didn't want to do that as a career. I 1470 01:25:32,760 --> 01:25:34,880 Speaker 1: kind of wanted to graduate and I was all of 1471 01:25:34,920 --> 01:25:38,439 Speaker 1: my visual correlations and stuff anyway when I started with 1472 01:25:38,479 --> 01:25:41,880 Speaker 1: Thorpe when I was shipped twenty seven years old, so 1473 01:25:42,040 --> 01:25:45,439 Speaker 1: I decided I kind of wanted to go into that 1474 01:25:45,560 --> 01:25:50,320 Speaker 1: realm and put music and visual together. So that happened. 1475 01:25:50,680 --> 01:25:54,479 Speaker 1: My dad died finally, unfortunately, I moved up to santy 1476 01:25:54,560 --> 01:25:58,040 Speaker 1: Andez before Bernie Toppon did. I bought a ranch and 1477 01:25:58,120 --> 01:26:00,559 Speaker 1: I lived there for a year. That I came back 1478 01:26:00,600 --> 01:26:02,439 Speaker 1: and a friend of mine became the head of Showtime, 1479 01:26:02,520 --> 01:26:05,320 Speaker 1: Jerry off site, So Jerry said, I'm going to change 1480 01:26:05,320 --> 01:26:07,200 Speaker 1: the what we got together. We had lung Time down. 1481 01:26:07,280 --> 01:26:09,960 Speaker 1: Jerry used to be a lawyer, low below, and he said, 1482 01:26:10,880 --> 01:26:14,160 Speaker 1: I'm gonna change the look of this network Showtime. Would 1483 01:26:14,200 --> 01:26:16,679 Speaker 1: you help me change the sound of it? I said, 1484 01:26:16,720 --> 01:26:18,479 Speaker 1: I don't want a job. I don't need a job. 1485 01:26:18,720 --> 01:26:22,280 Speaker 1: He said, but if you put the compoke you, you 1486 01:26:22,360 --> 01:26:25,880 Speaker 1: hired composers, you decide what music goes where. We'll do 1487 01:26:26,080 --> 01:26:27,880 Speaker 1: the kind of deal you want. So I did a 1488 01:26:27,920 --> 01:26:30,360 Speaker 1: back end deal. I didn't take big fees, but I 1489 01:26:30,400 --> 01:26:34,439 Speaker 1: took a piece of I took half the publishing every 1490 01:26:34,680 --> 01:26:38,320 Speaker 1: film I've worked on. You don't like that. I got 1491 01:26:38,320 --> 01:26:43,000 Speaker 1: a book a it was VHS at the time. Every 1492 01:26:43,040 --> 01:26:47,559 Speaker 1: Showtime movie turned into a VHS, and Jerry had great taste. 1493 01:26:47,800 --> 01:26:50,479 Speaker 1: We made some great movies, so I got a lot 1494 01:26:50,520 --> 01:26:52,720 Speaker 1: of back in that was good. So I did that 1495 01:26:52,760 --> 01:26:56,920 Speaker 1: for seven years. Okay, just we'll go back before we 1496 01:26:56,960 --> 01:27:00,200 Speaker 1: go forward. You have this deal with Polly do her 1497 01:27:00,960 --> 01:27:04,960 Speaker 1: for X number of albums? How do you end up 1498 01:27:05,000 --> 01:27:11,840 Speaker 1: going to CBS? Because okay, I have the polydordeal. The 1499 01:27:11,840 --> 01:27:14,320 Speaker 1: Thorpe deal happens that they put out Children the Sun 1500 01:27:14,400 --> 01:27:18,680 Speaker 1: internationally does good, put out some other records or noble failures. 1501 01:27:18,840 --> 01:27:21,880 Speaker 1: They're really good, but they didn't make it. And I 1502 01:27:21,960 --> 01:27:27,320 Speaker 1: knew Yetnikov when he was running international, when Clive Davis 1503 01:27:27,400 --> 01:27:32,280 Speaker 1: was president, and yet Nikov became the chairman of CBS. 1504 01:27:33,000 --> 01:27:35,760 Speaker 1: And when I got stiffed on the Thorpe record and 1505 01:27:35,800 --> 01:27:39,960 Speaker 1: the Polydor deal was ex North America, I wanted and 1506 01:27:40,080 --> 01:27:44,000 Speaker 1: Jimmy Garcio started Cariboo and he was a producer. He 1507 01:27:44,080 --> 01:27:47,519 Speaker 1: started Cariboo a seventy two. But and and Clarence Avon 1508 01:27:47,640 --> 01:27:51,880 Speaker 1: had Taboo. These are really great guys, terrific guys who 1509 01:27:51,920 --> 01:27:54,040 Speaker 1: had their own labels. I thought, you know what, I 1510 01:27:54,080 --> 01:27:57,360 Speaker 1: should have a label, not because my ego. I should 1511 01:27:57,360 --> 01:27:59,280 Speaker 1: have a label because I'm going to do stuff different 1512 01:27:59,320 --> 01:28:02,280 Speaker 1: than the guy don't block. So I'd like to find 1513 01:28:02,520 --> 01:28:05,960 Speaker 1: talent and do something with it. So I called Walter, 1514 01:28:06,920 --> 01:28:10,280 Speaker 1: and Walter said, boy, chick, you can understand one worse. 1515 01:28:12,000 --> 01:28:15,679 Speaker 1: You should meet Tony Martell. Because Tony Martell got rest 1516 01:28:15,760 --> 01:28:20,320 Speaker 1: Hissal Martel Foundation ran the division feeding into Don dem 1517 01:28:20,400 --> 01:28:24,320 Speaker 1: c an epic and subsequent is funny enough. When Don 1518 01:28:24,400 --> 01:28:26,960 Speaker 1: Dempsey left, the guy who took this place with Ray Anderson, 1519 01:28:26,960 --> 01:28:31,400 Speaker 1: who used to work for me, crazy. Okay, it's six degrees. 1520 01:28:31,439 --> 01:28:34,080 Speaker 1: It's not six degrees for me. It's two degrees. Anyway, 1521 01:28:34,439 --> 01:28:39,320 Speaker 1: the punchline is Walter introduced me to Tony. He said, 1522 01:28:39,479 --> 01:28:42,200 Speaker 1: a guy like you should have a label. Tony was 1523 01:28:42,240 --> 01:28:45,960 Speaker 1: a match. He said, okay, So we did a really 1524 01:28:46,160 --> 01:28:51,200 Speaker 1: horrible deal. A guy named Zach Horol was represented CBS 1525 01:28:52,439 --> 01:28:55,160 Speaker 1: the way before he went to Universal. This is Zach 1526 01:28:55,560 --> 01:28:59,160 Speaker 1: as a lawyer on staff, and Zach did the deal 1527 01:28:59,240 --> 01:29:02,120 Speaker 1: with me. It was a great deal for CBS and 1528 01:29:02,160 --> 01:29:05,400 Speaker 1: a horrible deal for me. But that's why I went 1529 01:29:05,479 --> 01:29:08,240 Speaker 1: to do an any money project because I could get 1530 01:29:08,240 --> 01:29:11,000 Speaker 1: paid as a producer. Because my label deal was seventy 1531 01:29:11,040 --> 01:29:14,240 Speaker 1: five grand all in for the world. Well, guess what 1532 01:29:14,840 --> 01:29:17,800 Speaker 1: how much money can I make? Recording costs? Even if 1533 01:29:17,800 --> 01:29:20,439 Speaker 1: I own the studio, I still have hard costs. Still 1534 01:29:20,479 --> 01:29:22,800 Speaker 1: got to give it. I did a fifty deal with 1535 01:29:22,880 --> 01:29:25,200 Speaker 1: the band I do with all my people, have done 1536 01:29:25,200 --> 01:29:29,000 Speaker 1: this my whole life until today. So I made nothing, 1537 01:29:29,400 --> 01:29:33,799 Speaker 1: but I got a label there. But then the first 1538 01:29:33,840 --> 01:29:37,519 Speaker 1: record I put out was the subsequent Thought record, which stiffed. 1539 01:29:38,240 --> 01:29:41,200 Speaker 1: So that's when I said that Pat Armstrong, who had 1540 01:29:41,240 --> 01:29:44,599 Speaker 1: Molly Hatchett an epic, what the funk? I heard um 1541 01:29:44,880 --> 01:29:47,320 Speaker 1: come on field the noise on the radio. That was 1542 01:29:47,360 --> 01:29:50,000 Speaker 1: the second record I put out through my deal. There 1543 01:29:50,000 --> 01:29:54,679 Speaker 1: you go. You say you had a fifty fifty deal 1544 01:29:54,840 --> 01:29:57,920 Speaker 1: with the acts, go a little bit deeper. Fifty fifty 1545 01:29:58,000 --> 01:30:03,280 Speaker 1: of net, No, fifty fifty of anything I make. If 1546 01:30:03,080 --> 01:30:05,719 Speaker 1: if something comes off the top, it comes off the top. 1547 01:30:05,840 --> 01:30:08,479 Speaker 1: That's the same deal I do with investors and people. 1548 01:30:08,479 --> 01:30:11,280 Speaker 1: Now you give me a dollar, you recoup your dollar. 1549 01:30:11,439 --> 01:30:14,760 Speaker 1: I don't get anything once it's recouped. If its success, 1550 01:30:14,960 --> 01:30:21,560 Speaker 1: will whack it up. Okay, So whiir Riot was signed 1551 01:30:21,600 --> 01:30:27,439 Speaker 1: to you? Correct? So you weren't worried about a producer 1552 01:30:27,520 --> 01:30:31,120 Speaker 1: royalty because you were the label. Correct. But you'll like 1553 01:30:31,280 --> 01:30:35,200 Speaker 1: this as a lawyer. The label was signed you know, 1554 01:30:35,280 --> 01:30:40,120 Speaker 1: corporations in California or people. But Spencer is an individual. 1555 01:30:41,080 --> 01:30:43,880 Speaker 1: So Baskar Mannett and I had a relationship. I did 1556 01:30:43,880 --> 01:30:46,439 Speaker 1: a bunch of records at Capital as a producer. Little 1557 01:30:46,479 --> 01:30:50,479 Speaker 1: River Band put Butcher Dempsey didn't think black people could rock, 1558 01:30:50,920 --> 01:30:52,960 Speaker 1: and John Butcher wanted to make a record with me. 1559 01:30:53,120 --> 01:30:55,120 Speaker 1: So I went to Capital. I made it three Alton 1560 01:30:55,200 --> 01:30:58,639 Speaker 1: deal as a partner with John. But Pasha was here. 1561 01:30:59,200 --> 01:31:01,960 Speaker 1: I had records of Pasha after quite right, I had 1562 01:31:02,000 --> 01:31:05,400 Speaker 1: a lot more and I was producing Records on Capital 1563 01:31:05,439 --> 01:31:08,360 Speaker 1: to Carmine. Hit Piece has banned King Cobra. I did 1564 01:31:08,400 --> 01:31:10,679 Speaker 1: a bunch of stuff there. I'm one of those crazy 1565 01:31:10,720 --> 01:31:14,840 Speaker 1: guys that loves to work. Okay, but if you're getting 1566 01:31:14,880 --> 01:31:19,639 Speaker 1: seventy k an album YEP for Quiet Riot YEP, and 1567 01:31:19,720 --> 01:31:25,600 Speaker 1: the record recoups, how's the money whacked up? Well, to 1568 01:31:25,720 --> 01:31:30,400 Speaker 1: answer your question, before it recoups, you do the second record. 1569 01:31:30,800 --> 01:31:34,439 Speaker 1: Then the band wants to do videos. My cheap videos 1570 01:31:34,560 --> 01:31:38,599 Speaker 1: became they wanted the biggest directors. All of a sudden, 1571 01:31:38,680 --> 01:31:41,240 Speaker 1: videos are now a hundred thousand dollars. I meet my 1572 01:31:41,400 --> 01:31:46,080 Speaker 1: video for nineteen, But that's recoupable. Zach Horowitz did a 1573 01:31:46,120 --> 01:31:50,200 Speaker 1: good deal. Everything is recoupable. So my deal is fifty 1574 01:31:50,240 --> 01:31:54,519 Speaker 1: fifty after recoupment. But we weren't recouped until years and 1575 01:31:54,600 --> 01:31:58,160 Speaker 1: years later because we did a second record that advanced 1576 01:31:58,200 --> 01:32:01,000 Speaker 1: was bigger. The band got a big vance. Then there 1577 01:32:01,080 --> 01:32:04,960 Speaker 1: was a third record. They were never recouped. But so 1578 01:32:05,120 --> 01:32:07,439 Speaker 1: at the end of the day, did I get paid 1579 01:32:07,479 --> 01:32:10,679 Speaker 1: as a producer a pittance? Because I own the label? 1580 01:32:11,160 --> 01:32:14,040 Speaker 1: So I did I get a label share? Yeah? But 1581 01:32:14,400 --> 01:32:17,960 Speaker 1: do I get paid retroactive to record one as a producer? Yes? 1582 01:32:18,160 --> 01:32:21,280 Speaker 1: When it recoups didn't recoup. Did I get my label 1583 01:32:21,320 --> 01:32:23,840 Speaker 1: share when you cross collateral lives that it gives the 1584 01:32:23,880 --> 01:32:26,439 Speaker 1: other eight albums? Did I see any money there? No? 1585 01:32:27,320 --> 01:32:30,200 Speaker 1: So the point is did I see money at Capital 1586 01:32:30,200 --> 01:32:34,560 Speaker 1: because I wasn't getting at CBS. Sure, I'm a survivor 1587 01:32:34,680 --> 01:32:38,640 Speaker 1: and I'm a survivor's kid. Okay, So you work with Showtime? 1588 01:32:38,680 --> 01:32:42,800 Speaker 1: What comes after Showtime? Your present? Uh? Now? Endeavor? No, 1589 01:32:43,920 --> 01:32:48,800 Speaker 1: so Jerry leaf Showtime. After building that network up, I 1590 01:32:48,920 --> 01:32:53,240 Speaker 1: then make a movie for VH one. I'd make an 1591 01:32:53,400 --> 01:32:58,400 Speaker 1: MTV deal to build media using their platform. I then 1592 01:32:58,520 --> 01:33:00,720 Speaker 1: team up with an old friend of mine who you 1593 01:33:00,760 --> 01:33:04,280 Speaker 1: know who managed Monthly Crew at the time, named Doc McGee. 1594 01:33:05,080 --> 01:33:07,839 Speaker 1: And Doc and I set up a company called McGee Proffer. 1595 01:33:08,439 --> 01:33:13,719 Speaker 1: We set up joint venture together, partners, and we get 1596 01:33:13,800 --> 01:33:17,479 Speaker 1: offices together. That's how I met Darius Rucker because Doc 1597 01:33:17,640 --> 01:33:21,280 Speaker 1: was you know, Doc ultimately managed Arius. Doc is a 1598 01:33:21,360 --> 01:33:24,200 Speaker 1: real good guy. But he managed. He didn't manage Kiss, 1599 01:33:24,479 --> 01:33:27,800 Speaker 1: now I think he did. Yeah, he did. He managed Kiss. 1600 01:33:27,880 --> 01:33:30,960 Speaker 1: He didn't manage Von Jovi or Monthly Crew anymore. But 1601 01:33:31,040 --> 01:33:33,880 Speaker 1: I met Doc at Pasha when Monthly Crew made their 1602 01:33:33,920 --> 01:33:37,840 Speaker 1: first record there so Doc and I got together. Socially, 1603 01:33:38,240 --> 01:33:40,719 Speaker 1: I don't like Doc a lot. He's a very smart guy, 1604 01:33:40,800 --> 01:33:44,439 Speaker 1: he's very honorable, he's very ethical, and so my next 1605 01:33:44,520 --> 01:33:47,720 Speaker 1: chapter was Mgee Proffer and I would do stuff. I 1606 01:33:47,760 --> 01:33:49,880 Speaker 1: made a deal at the h one. We made a 1607 01:33:49,880 --> 01:33:54,000 Speaker 1: deal with um Brian Becker, whose chairman of Clear Channel, 1608 01:33:54,320 --> 01:33:57,800 Speaker 1: Mike would consult them on building assets out of Clear 1609 01:33:57,920 --> 01:34:02,320 Speaker 1: Channel properties. It was an interesting period where I decided, 1610 01:34:02,479 --> 01:34:05,679 Speaker 1: ultimately I want to do stuff with music and visual 1611 01:34:06,120 --> 01:34:09,479 Speaker 1: and you know, Doc moved to Nashville with Arius. Then 1612 01:34:09,560 --> 01:34:15,479 Speaker 1: I started this next chapter, Medior seventeen. Okay, how do 1613 01:34:15,520 --> 01:34:20,080 Speaker 1: you get hooked up with space Camp? Morgan, my son 1614 01:34:20,479 --> 01:34:23,479 Speaker 1: who is now flying for United Airlines for aur RA. 1615 01:34:23,880 --> 01:34:27,880 Speaker 1: He's thirty four years old, always wanted to be a 1616 01:34:27,880 --> 01:34:31,200 Speaker 1: pilot from the age of five. When my I love 1617 01:34:31,240 --> 01:34:34,200 Speaker 1: my children. My children mean everything by holding companies called 1618 01:34:34,200 --> 01:34:39,160 Speaker 1: Morlan Morgan sterling. Okay, Morgan, when he went to the bathroom, 1619 01:34:39,200 --> 01:34:41,120 Speaker 1: when he sat down on the john, there was a 1620 01:34:41,200 --> 01:34:44,040 Speaker 1: seven forty seven cockpit there, so he took off every 1621 01:34:44,040 --> 01:34:50,320 Speaker 1: time he took off. Okay, So Morgan decided he found 1622 01:34:50,600 --> 01:34:53,479 Speaker 1: his credit space Camp. There was a space Camp in 1623 01:34:53,520 --> 01:34:58,000 Speaker 1: northern California. Then there's the headquarters in Huntsville. So Morgan 1624 01:34:58,479 --> 01:35:02,840 Speaker 1: went to Space Camp first sleep away camp. I went there, 1625 01:35:03,200 --> 01:35:07,840 Speaker 1: I checked him in, I came back home. When he graduated, 1626 01:35:07,880 --> 01:35:10,000 Speaker 1: he goes to school, he gets to be a at 1627 01:35:10,000 --> 01:35:15,679 Speaker 1: American You. He's living in Paris, and he says to me, Dad, 1628 01:35:16,479 --> 01:35:18,720 Speaker 1: I want to go and do some gift back back 1629 01:35:18,760 --> 01:35:21,639 Speaker 1: to Space Camp because I learned fraternal skills. He went 1630 01:35:21,720 --> 01:35:25,960 Speaker 1: there eight consecutive summers as a camper. I'm very proud 1631 01:35:26,040 --> 01:35:28,240 Speaker 1: of my kids. And he learned to be a match 1632 01:35:28,439 --> 01:35:31,880 Speaker 1: at the highest order. And he said, Dad, I'm going 1633 01:35:31,960 --> 01:35:34,000 Speaker 1: to go back to be a counselor for the summer 1634 01:35:34,320 --> 01:35:37,519 Speaker 1: profile dollar. I don't even know what he made because 1635 01:35:37,680 --> 01:35:40,759 Speaker 1: my kids have their things. That's there's I think mine, 1636 01:35:40,960 --> 01:35:44,360 Speaker 1: But my thing is there's still anyways. Bottom line is 1637 01:35:44,400 --> 01:35:47,719 Speaker 1: he said, Dad, there's a movie here. I said, what, 1638 01:35:47,720 --> 01:35:50,360 Speaker 1: what are you talking about? He said, there's a movie here. 1639 01:35:50,720 --> 01:35:53,479 Speaker 1: Because there's so many kids who aspirationally want to be 1640 01:35:53,560 --> 01:35:56,920 Speaker 1: astronauts and they want to be what I wanted to be. 1641 01:35:57,200 --> 01:36:00,880 Speaker 1: Let me introduce you to the CEO Space Camp. So 1642 01:36:01,439 --> 01:36:05,519 Speaker 1: I got hooked up initially because Morgan went there but 1643 01:36:05,640 --> 01:36:08,600 Speaker 1: then to make a movie there. Morgan introduced me to 1644 01:36:08,640 --> 01:36:11,000 Speaker 1: Deborah Barnhardt, who was the CEO of Space Camp. I 1645 01:36:11,040 --> 01:36:14,040 Speaker 1: got on the plane, I flew there. I said, blah 1646 01:36:14,080 --> 01:36:15,800 Speaker 1: blah blah. I can do this, I can do that. 1647 01:36:16,240 --> 01:36:19,200 Speaker 1: I'd like to. I had an idea to make a 1648 01:36:19,280 --> 01:36:23,760 Speaker 1: film about the campers and make it some joy long 1649 01:36:23,800 --> 01:36:26,759 Speaker 1: story short on how the story came together, but Morgan 1650 01:36:26,920 --> 01:36:29,840 Speaker 1: helped me sculpt it because he lived it. I made 1651 01:36:29,840 --> 01:36:32,280 Speaker 1: the deal, and I also fell so in love with 1652 01:36:32,320 --> 01:36:35,240 Speaker 1: the ethos of the place. I gave twenty five scholarships 1653 01:36:35,240 --> 01:36:38,439 Speaker 1: out of my pocket for kids who wanted to be 1654 01:36:38,760 --> 01:36:43,480 Speaker 1: Space Campers. We made the movie Walden Media, where my partners, 1655 01:36:43,560 --> 01:36:47,720 Speaker 1: Walden Media still Entrances company. My Clarity was the lead guy. 1656 01:36:47,880 --> 01:36:50,280 Speaker 1: We made the movie Danny Glover of Mirrors or you 1657 01:36:50,360 --> 01:36:53,840 Speaker 1: know There's some good people. It's called Space Warriors, and 1658 01:36:53,920 --> 01:36:56,439 Speaker 1: they had a put deal. We thought it should be 1659 01:36:56,560 --> 01:37:01,000 Speaker 1: Disney Sunday Night movie, but the Walden had a with Hallmark, 1660 01:37:01,320 --> 01:37:03,599 Speaker 1: so the movie had to go on the Hallmark channel. 1661 01:37:04,000 --> 01:37:06,360 Speaker 1: I don't think it was the right channel for that movie, 1662 01:37:06,800 --> 01:37:09,320 Speaker 1: but what it was, it was wonderful. We won the 1663 01:37:09,360 --> 01:37:12,240 Speaker 1: Set Award for the best movie of the year. Teaching 1664 01:37:12,520 --> 01:37:15,840 Speaker 1: kids about science, space and education. I give all the 1665 01:37:15,880 --> 01:37:19,599 Speaker 1: credit to my son Morgan. So a couple of times 1666 01:37:19,640 --> 01:37:23,280 Speaker 1: you mentioned politics and being on the left side of 1667 01:37:23,320 --> 01:37:27,880 Speaker 1: the divide. There's someone who's very worldly and has had 1668 01:37:27,920 --> 01:37:33,559 Speaker 1: the perspective of growing up and immigrating from Europe to America. 1669 01:37:33,920 --> 01:37:37,800 Speaker 1: How do you see today's world divided the way that 1670 01:37:37,880 --> 01:37:41,160 Speaker 1: Don McLean did when he wrote American Pie. We were 1671 01:37:41,200 --> 01:37:46,439 Speaker 1: a divided country back in seventy two when there was 1672 01:37:46,520 --> 01:37:51,240 Speaker 1: Nixon until things changed. How do I see it? I 1673 01:37:51,439 --> 01:37:55,360 Speaker 1: kind of I'm that immigrant dreamer guy who just wants 1674 01:37:55,400 --> 01:37:58,439 Speaker 1: to do right. I want people to have the lives. 1675 01:37:58,479 --> 01:38:00,960 Speaker 1: I want people to earn what they make. I want 1676 01:38:01,000 --> 01:38:03,960 Speaker 1: them to keep what they earn. I'm a big believer 1677 01:38:04,120 --> 01:38:08,280 Speaker 1: in treating people right, never lying, ever cheating, keeping to 1678 01:38:08,680 --> 01:38:10,720 Speaker 1: who you are, Like I was brought up by my 1679 01:38:10,800 --> 01:38:13,200 Speaker 1: parents that I told you about. So, how do I 1680 01:38:13,240 --> 01:38:17,120 Speaker 1: see the world messed up? Um? How do I feel 1681 01:38:17,160 --> 01:38:19,599 Speaker 1: about it? I want to make a difference in media, 1682 01:38:20,360 --> 01:38:23,479 Speaker 1: in pop culture, using media because I can't. That's why 1683 01:38:23,520 --> 01:38:25,479 Speaker 1: I did the Rock and the Core thing for the U. 1684 01:38:25,520 --> 01:38:27,120 Speaker 1: S Marine cars. I don't know if you know about that. 1685 01:38:27,479 --> 01:38:30,200 Speaker 1: Quincy Jones and I teamed up in two thousand five 1686 01:38:30,680 --> 01:38:33,280 Speaker 1: and we did an event at Camp Pendleton for forty 1687 01:38:33,320 --> 01:38:37,720 Speaker 1: five thousand marines. Beyonce and Kiss headlined it. Doc let 1688 01:38:37,760 --> 01:38:40,840 Speaker 1: me have his production crew. We produced the event and 1689 01:38:40,880 --> 01:38:42,880 Speaker 1: we formed a five or one C three so the 1690 01:38:42,960 --> 01:38:45,519 Speaker 1: proceeds could go to the people coming back from Iraq, 1691 01:38:46,080 --> 01:38:50,000 Speaker 1: Education Fund for returning troops, Reparation fund for the families 1692 01:38:50,000 --> 01:38:52,519 Speaker 1: that got killed. I produced it. Doc McGhee was my 1693 01:38:52,640 --> 01:38:56,080 Speaker 1: partner on it. Quincy Jones was the executive producer. But 1694 01:38:56,680 --> 01:38:59,240 Speaker 1: I didn't do that for politics. I did it because 1695 01:38:59,520 --> 01:39:02,479 Speaker 1: guys needed If you're a if you're a soldier man, 1696 01:39:02,760 --> 01:39:05,960 Speaker 1: you're fighting for what you believe in, whether you're on 1697 01:39:06,000 --> 01:39:08,320 Speaker 1: the left or the right. The bullets don't have a 1698 01:39:08,360 --> 01:39:11,559 Speaker 1: donkey or an elephant on it. So where do I 1699 01:39:11,640 --> 01:39:14,439 Speaker 1: come out. I come out right in the middle. I 1700 01:39:14,520 --> 01:39:17,360 Speaker 1: want everyone to get married and to be a unit. 1701 01:39:17,760 --> 01:39:19,960 Speaker 1: Is that the way of the world today? Now? Whose 1702 01:39:20,000 --> 01:39:23,760 Speaker 1: fault is? It? Not my place to say on your podcast. 1703 01:39:23,960 --> 01:39:26,280 Speaker 1: But what I want to do is I want to 1704 01:39:26,320 --> 01:39:30,519 Speaker 1: tell stories of brilliant music people don McLean being at 1705 01:39:30,520 --> 01:39:33,960 Speaker 1: the top of that list. Lamont Stephen Schwartz Del Bryant, 1706 01:39:33,960 --> 01:39:36,920 Speaker 1: who's a kid who grew up with his parents being bohemians. 1707 01:39:37,040 --> 01:39:41,880 Speaker 1: And there's more Lee Abrams. You know the Abrams very well. Well. 1708 01:39:41,960 --> 01:39:44,960 Speaker 1: Lee and I are doing a project called Sonic Messengers. 1709 01:39:45,439 --> 01:39:48,400 Speaker 1: It's about radio's impact on pop culture in the world. 1710 01:39:48,840 --> 01:39:52,040 Speaker 1: We just got John Clice to be our executive producer 1711 01:39:52,080 --> 01:39:54,200 Speaker 1: because I want to see I want there to be 1712 01:39:54,240 --> 01:39:58,439 Speaker 1: an English perspective on American radio to the fifties, sixties, seventies, eighties. 1713 01:39:58,880 --> 01:40:02,280 Speaker 1: Lee had the oumption. I met Lee when brook Hard 1714 01:40:02,400 --> 01:40:05,840 Speaker 1: Abrams took My Billy Thorpe Blazer Light Show and he 1715 01:40:05,880 --> 01:40:08,400 Speaker 1: ad Means the guest speaker, and I premiered as the 1716 01:40:08,479 --> 01:40:11,560 Speaker 1: Rubeny Fleet Space Theater in San Diego. Became friends with 1717 01:40:11,680 --> 01:40:15,040 Speaker 1: Lee in nine seventy nine. So Lee and I got 1718 01:40:15,040 --> 01:40:18,360 Speaker 1: back in touch. We're doing a project together two as partners, 1719 01:40:18,479 --> 01:40:20,800 Speaker 1: Lee and I fifty fifty. So those are the kind 1720 01:40:20,840 --> 01:40:23,080 Speaker 1: of people I like to work with. People who are smart, 1721 01:40:23,800 --> 01:40:27,120 Speaker 1: who are ethical, who have vision, and who want to 1722 01:40:27,160 --> 01:40:29,639 Speaker 1: make a difference. And Lee wants to talk about how 1723 01:40:29,760 --> 01:40:32,559 Speaker 1: radio form pop culture all the way to when he 1724 01:40:32,560 --> 01:40:35,639 Speaker 1: founded XM Radio. And you know, we wanted to we'll 1725 01:40:35,680 --> 01:40:38,400 Speaker 1: do some podcasts with you. We'll figure out what we 1726 01:40:38,479 --> 01:40:41,840 Speaker 1: need to do. But leaves. My friend Del Bryant is 1727 01:40:41,880 --> 01:40:44,040 Speaker 1: my friend Stephen Schwartz, and my friend Don McLean has 1728 01:40:44,080 --> 01:40:47,960 Speaker 1: become my friend. Why because I'm that kind of guy. 1729 01:40:48,280 --> 01:40:53,120 Speaker 1: I don't know. Well, you're a great talker, great salesman. 1730 01:40:53,240 --> 01:40:56,639 Speaker 1: You're still active. I'm sure you'll be reaching your hand 1731 01:40:56,720 --> 01:41:01,320 Speaker 1: out of the coffin trying to make one more deal. Uh, Spencer, Spencer, 1732 01:41:01,360 --> 01:41:03,160 Speaker 1: I want to thank you for taking the time to 1733 01:41:03,200 --> 01:41:06,160 Speaker 1: talk to my audience. Bob, I want to thank you 1734 01:41:06,240 --> 01:41:10,719 Speaker 1: even more for inviting me because your podcasts, your blog 1735 01:41:11,200 --> 01:41:13,200 Speaker 1: is as about as good as it gets from the 1736 01:41:13,280 --> 01:41:16,559 Speaker 1: monorn music business, at least to me. And I agree 1737 01:41:16,600 --> 01:41:18,720 Speaker 1: with when you have your people right, and when you 1738 01:41:19,000 --> 01:41:21,639 Speaker 1: people say you shouldn't have said this, I say hell 1739 01:41:21,800 --> 01:41:25,000 Speaker 1: with them. I agree with Bob. Judy loves your podcast. 1740 01:41:25,120 --> 01:41:27,840 Speaker 1: She doesn't subscribe like I do. I read it religiously, 1741 01:41:28,160 --> 01:41:30,320 Speaker 1: but my wife reads up and she does go. This 1742 01:41:30,360 --> 01:41:32,000 Speaker 1: guy's a good guy. You should talk to him one 1743 01:41:32,080 --> 01:41:36,120 Speaker 1: day and guess what we're talking here? We are? Okay, 1744 01:41:36,200 --> 01:41:40,120 Speaker 1: great talk Ada Spencer. Until next time. This is Bob 1745 01:41:40,200 --> 01:41:40,759 Speaker 1: left Sex