Fifteen years ago, I used to attend semi-regular dinners with my uncle Mike and his two best buds, legendary music manager Andy Gould and Rick Sales, my former employer and Slayer's manager. I used to sit quietly and listen to the three rock industry vets shoot the shit and talk about "the good old days". They regaled me with industry lore, drummer jokes (mainly aimed at Tommy Lee), and stories that seemed too-crazy-to-be-true. My 39-year-old-self regrets that my 24-year-old-self had not recorded the dinner conversations -- there was definitely enough material for a comic industry tell-all.
Anyone who cares about attending a masterclass with someone who's worked hard, for a long time, in an ever changing media industry should carve out 45 minutes of their day and watch this interview by Ian Rogers for This Week In Music. My two favorite takeaways:
"I want new music to succeed more than ever."
"I never really managed anyone that I didn't like."
These are semi-serious thoughts from someone who's always made me laugh.
It was especially cool to stumble upon Andy's interview, considering I ran into Nigel Grainge yesterday at Uncle Mike's house (Ian, you should interview him too) and there's something to learn from all these guys.
I'm looking forward to following this video series... very, very cool!
