1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:03,440 Speaker 1: Now here's a highlight from Coast to Coast am on 2 00:00:03,560 --> 00:00:06,960 Speaker 1: iHeart Radio and welcome back to Coast to Coast George 3 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:09,639 Speaker 1: nor with you, Harvey Kopernick back with us. Noted author 4 00:00:09,680 --> 00:00:12,399 Speaker 1: of many books, including Canyon of Dreams, The Magic and 5 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:15,880 Speaker 1: the Music of Laurel Canyon, and Turn Up the Radio, Rock, 6 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:19,480 Speaker 1: Pop and Roll in Los Angeles, Harvey is very active 7 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:23,560 Speaker 1: in the music, documentary and TV film world. In twenty twenty, 8 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:26,480 Speaker 1: he served as consultant on the Laurel Canyon A Place 9 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:29,040 Speaker 1: in Time. I think about Laurel Canyon every time I'm 10 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:32,559 Speaker 1: on a Harvey thinking about you. Welcome back. Always a 11 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:36,160 Speaker 1: pleasure to do your program. Thank you have you been. 12 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:40,280 Speaker 1: I've been doing great. We miss you at the Greek Restaurant, 13 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:42,640 Speaker 1: but you're still with us all the time. I'll be 14 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:45,479 Speaker 1: back in a few weeks for my winter days in 15 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:47,960 Speaker 1: La so I'm looking forward to that. We'll get together 16 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 1: out there. How did you get involved in such incredible 17 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 1: interest in the music field, You know, I don't think 18 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:03,520 Speaker 1: about it. I don't even know if it's I think 19 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:07,559 Speaker 1: it was Deepak Chopra who claimed the term sincro destiny. 20 00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:12,840 Speaker 1: Part of it is I've had regional access to music. 21 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:17,800 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, going to high school and West Hollywood, 22 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:21,679 Speaker 1: being born literally overlooking the Hollywood one oh one Freeway. 23 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:26,520 Speaker 1: I'm from Hollywood. I'm a native of Los Angeles. So 24 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 1: the music and the bands have always been in front 25 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:34,679 Speaker 1: of me since like nineteen fifty six or nineteen fifty eight. 26 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:40,360 Speaker 1: And like you, I'm a child of AM radio and 27 00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:42,480 Speaker 1: we you and I grew up in a world and 28 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:45,200 Speaker 1: I still think I think it's it's still relevant now. 29 00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 1: We didn't have labels, we didn't have these genres, we 30 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:54,840 Speaker 1: didn't have these different camps. We are. We are all 31 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:59,040 Speaker 1: coming out of this kind of tribal society like music 32 00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:02,880 Speaker 1: almost as real egon, and we just heard the music. 33 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:07,600 Speaker 1: We didn't know it was rhythm and blues or country western. 34 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:10,919 Speaker 1: And where you grew up with Casey Kyson just jockeys 35 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:15,120 Speaker 1: in Detroit, you could hear Marty Robbins next to the 36 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:19,640 Speaker 1: current or new music of Motown and it just stuck 37 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 1: in our DNA, all of us, including your listeners. And 38 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:27,919 Speaker 1: now it's so multigenerational, and rock and roll is forty 39 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:32,399 Speaker 1: fifty sixty years old, and Alice's being so well documented 40 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:36,800 Speaker 1: because of the platforms of downloading and streaming and of 41 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:40,520 Speaker 1: course music documentaries, and are there are people like me 42 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 1: who are who are assuming these librarian custodian positions simply 43 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:51,840 Speaker 1: because we have been reporters for half a century and 44 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:58,639 Speaker 1: we're not Wikipedia children. We were there at the birth witnesses, 45 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:03,320 Speaker 1: my friend witnesses. I've grown my appreciation and someone like 46 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:07,880 Speaker 1: Bob Dylan and Frank Sinatra has grown in my later years, 47 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:10,720 Speaker 1: but not when they were their stars at the at 48 00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 1: their peak. Why is that? Why is it? Why did 49 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:18,240 Speaker 1: it take me so long, Harvey to appreciate them? Part 50 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:21,640 Speaker 1: of it is the cycle of life. You hear it 51 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:24,680 Speaker 1: when you're five or ten, or twenty or twenty five. 52 00:03:25,639 --> 00:03:29,360 Speaker 1: Before you realize it you're forty five or fifty, and 53 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:33,920 Speaker 1: then you start hearing these recordings in the dental office 54 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:38,800 Speaker 1: and an elevator at somebody's house, or your kid or 55 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:43,400 Speaker 1: your grandkid is bringing you, you know, some something on 56 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 1: an iPod to hear strangers in the night, and you 57 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:50,200 Speaker 1: remember when it came out in nineteen sixty six, when 58 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 1: you heard it, and and it's it's it's so embedded 59 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 1: in our souls that we all have this collective appreciation 60 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:04,600 Speaker 1: because the music also, I mean, it's so overrated to go, oh, 61 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:07,880 Speaker 1: it's the soundtrack of our lives, but it's it's not 62 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:12,520 Speaker 1: just the soundtrack of our lives. It's a reminder of 63 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:16,600 Speaker 1: our life. And as we get older and we live 64 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:21,760 Speaker 1: in such a terrifying society at times we want the comfort, 65 00:04:22,839 --> 00:04:25,920 Speaker 1: you know, of some of this music, which was if 66 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:29,960 Speaker 1: it wasn't soothing, it kind of was a guidepost. It 67 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:34,039 Speaker 1: was kind of a compass for our own sonic explorations, 68 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: and it just sticks with us absolutely. And I also 69 00:04:37,839 --> 00:04:42,880 Speaker 1: remember hard my mother playing records in those days over 70 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:46,240 Speaker 1: and over again, and that's how I learned how to 71 00:04:46,279 --> 00:04:48,279 Speaker 1: sing by the way I sing at our live events, 72 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:50,760 Speaker 1: and I learned how to sing by listening to my 73 00:04:50,839 --> 00:04:53,920 Speaker 1: mother's records. Well, it's about vinyl. I mean, you have 74 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:58,119 Speaker 1: somebody like Taylor Swift right now who's accomplished a pretty 75 00:04:58,160 --> 00:05:02,159 Speaker 1: interesting we'll call it a reap tail accomplishment where her 76 00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:08,400 Speaker 1: most recent product, the vinyl, has outsold like the CD format, 77 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:12,560 Speaker 1: I mean, and there has been a renaissance in vinyl 78 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:17,160 Speaker 1: and Menorah Records. And part of the reason for the vinyl, 79 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:20,640 Speaker 1: you know, explosion, part of it is traced to maybe 80 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:25,680 Speaker 1: National Record Store Day. But the mastering engineer, Bill Inglot, 81 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:28,599 Speaker 1: and I have discussed this and he pointed out to 82 00:05:28,640 --> 00:05:34,040 Speaker 1: me and reminded me listening to a record vinyl is 83 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:39,480 Speaker 1: a very almost romantic experience because you're one to one 84 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:46,240 Speaker 1: with the unit. You are stationary. It's not transportive where 85 00:05:46,279 --> 00:05:50,000 Speaker 1: you're in your car or you're having earbuds or something. 86 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:53,920 Speaker 1: You are trapped in a room in a stereo system 87 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:58,320 Speaker 1: or a home entertainment center and you're just stuck right there. 88 00:05:58,320 --> 00:06:01,760 Speaker 1: Are You either absorb it or you run away from it, 89 00:06:02,160 --> 00:06:06,320 Speaker 1: but you start picking up these nuances when you are 90 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:10,640 Speaker 1: one to one with the delivery mode coming at you. 91 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:13,760 Speaker 1: There's something about putting the knee alarm on a record 92 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:17,280 Speaker 1: and watching its spin around that's really neat. Yes, I 93 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:21,599 Speaker 1: agree in it. That's not to you know, newter the 94 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:26,280 Speaker 1: other delivery modes, but there is just something because we 95 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:29,040 Speaker 1: all remember, I mean, one of the reasons I'm still 96 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:34,280 Speaker 1: in this game what I do. I still get excited 97 00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:38,599 Speaker 1: when I get a vinyl album or a CD and 98 00:06:38,680 --> 00:06:42,839 Speaker 1: I break the plastic or I use my fingernails to 99 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:47,160 Speaker 1: do this slip to pull out the vinyl there. I've 100 00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:51,920 Speaker 1: never lost that feeling of discovery. And I think my fans, 101 00:06:52,040 --> 00:06:55,560 Speaker 1: my readers, my you know, global brand that's out there 102 00:06:55,640 --> 00:06:59,680 Speaker 1: as these books are published in China and Russia and England. 103 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:04,679 Speaker 1: People know that it's something that propels me and makes 104 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:09,159 Speaker 1: me dig deeper as an investigative writer and also somebody 105 00:07:09,200 --> 00:07:13,880 Speaker 1: who's has a cinematic approach to writing, simply because I'm 106 00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:17,239 Speaker 1: a child of Hollywood. And I remember our record player 107 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:20,080 Speaker 1: in the living room of our house back in the 108 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:23,640 Speaker 1: Detroit area was like a piece of furniture. I mean 109 00:07:23,680 --> 00:07:27,400 Speaker 1: the thing was like seven feet long, and of course 110 00:07:27,440 --> 00:07:30,760 Speaker 1: the record was inside the record player and you just 111 00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:33,240 Speaker 1: lifted up and do your thing. But I mean it 112 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:37,320 Speaker 1: was a beautiful piece of furniture. Harvey, Well, this is 113 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:42,160 Speaker 1: something Barry Gordy Junior and I discussed. I interviewed him 114 00:07:42,200 --> 00:07:45,800 Speaker 1: at his mansion in nineteen ninety five when his autobiography 115 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:50,440 Speaker 1: came out, and I know how important motown music is 116 00:07:50,480 --> 00:07:55,520 Speaker 1: to your life. Yeah, And I said, I said, mister Gordy, 117 00:07:57,120 --> 00:07:59,960 Speaker 1: I just want to know. I'm not asking you see 118 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:06,080 Speaker 1: grits of songwriting or distribution or production. And I said, 119 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:09,920 Speaker 1: I said, what is the key to the music of 120 00:08:10,080 --> 00:08:14,040 Speaker 1: motown and he said, well, it's all about the hooks 121 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:16,360 Speaker 1: at the beginning of the records. You've got to hook 122 00:08:16,400 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 1: them real early. And I said, okay, But I said, 123 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:25,400 Speaker 1: what about the consumer And he said the consumer He said, 124 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:30,520 Speaker 1: young man, you gotta love that record. You've got to 125 00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:33,319 Speaker 1: put out something where they love it and have to 126 00:08:33,480 --> 00:08:37,760 Speaker 1: own it. They just can't like it. And I think 127 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:42,280 Speaker 1: that is probably translates to anybody who's on the charts 128 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:46,640 Speaker 1: or selling. And he knew because he had owned a 129 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:52,400 Speaker 1: record store that the record player was your best friend. 130 00:08:52,440 --> 00:08:57,760 Speaker 1: At times you could turn to that record player for discovery, 131 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:03,680 Speaker 1: for salvation, for inspiration, but it also became something where 132 00:09:03,679 --> 00:09:09,840 Speaker 1: everybody bonded together because who could afford to buy records 133 00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:13,880 Speaker 1: every day or every week. Finding that seventy nine cents 134 00:09:13,960 --> 00:09:17,400 Speaker 1: for a single when you're a babysitter or something, it 135 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:19,520 Speaker 1: was tough. And remember, you and I grew up in 136 00:09:19,520 --> 00:09:24,839 Speaker 1: a world where there were only three channels or three networks. 137 00:09:25,160 --> 00:09:27,880 Speaker 1: There was no cable television and by the way, FM 138 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:31,760 Speaker 1: rock radio doesn't really start till late nineteen sixty six, 139 00:09:32,400 --> 00:09:35,920 Speaker 1: so we are listening to Top thirty or Top forty 140 00:09:36,040 --> 00:09:40,160 Speaker 1: AM radio where a lot of the playlists were the same, 141 00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:44,800 Speaker 1: and so we have this commonality and this bond and 142 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:48,959 Speaker 1: this link that is like cybal you know, it's just 143 00:09:49,400 --> 00:09:53,600 Speaker 1: it's beyond tribal. It's almost like a piece of jewelry 144 00:09:54,200 --> 00:09:59,199 Speaker 1: that we wear that's invisible. Berry Gordon's ninety three years old. Now, 145 00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:01,480 Speaker 1: what are the odds when I get back to Los 146 00:10:01,520 --> 00:10:04,720 Speaker 1: Angeles having you and him in the studio for a 147 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:07,719 Speaker 1: couple hours. Well, let me tell you something. And at 148 00:10:07,720 --> 00:10:12,400 Speaker 1: the end of January, Barry Gordy Junior and William Smokey 149 00:10:12,520 --> 00:10:15,480 Speaker 1: Robinson Smokey was on our show. By the way, I was, well, 150 00:10:15,520 --> 00:10:17,640 Speaker 1: the reason I'm telling you this, they're both going to 151 00:10:17,679 --> 00:10:21,640 Speaker 1: be honored in Los Angeles as the Music Cares People 152 00:10:21,760 --> 00:10:25,240 Speaker 1: of the Year. And I think Barry's being a little 153 00:10:25,240 --> 00:10:29,839 Speaker 1: bit more visible these days. I haven't talked to him 154 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:31,720 Speaker 1: in a while. I've seen him in a couple events, 155 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:36,079 Speaker 1: and I mean, listen, when I interviewed him his brother 156 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:39,600 Speaker 1: Robert Gordy, who ran the publishing division for Motown, they 157 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:43,320 Speaker 1: filmed me for the Motown Museum in Detroit. I mean, 158 00:10:43,360 --> 00:10:47,880 Speaker 1: I could retire after that one, you know. And Barry, 159 00:10:47,960 --> 00:10:51,600 Speaker 1: but with the Hitsville documentary, that just came out, and 160 00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:54,760 Speaker 1: twenty years ago the Funk Brothers, the Fanning in the 161 00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:59,760 Speaker 1: Shadow of Motown documentary came out. Motown Music Is For. 162 00:11:00,040 --> 00:11:03,800 Speaker 1: They're expanding more than ever, and I'll put out the 163 00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:06,880 Speaker 1: smoke signal of all hook you up. Listen to more 164 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:10,480 Speaker 1: Coast to Coast AM every weeknight at one am Eastern, 165 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:13,160 Speaker 1: and go to Coast to Coast am dot com for 166 00:11:13,280 --> 00:11:13,480 Speaker 1: more