Lunch At The Grill
Let’s go down to the Sunset Grill
I never talk on the telephone and I never go to lunch.
That’s just how busy I am. Actually, that’s because everybody wants to waste my time, selling me their wares. Don’t ask to pick my brain, ask what you can do for ME!
But I have a long-standing tradition of going to lunch with Don Passman and we’d been working on a date for months and today was the day.
Don reserved the number one table. The one I’d previously occupied with Irving and Penske. But that’s another story…
And on the steps of the Grill, the Beverly Hills outlet, on the alley, not the hamburger stand in the Don Henley song, I ran into my dentist. The most expensive in the world. Who saved my tooth. Shouldn’t he be back in the office practicing? But I guess everybody’s living the lifestyle of the rich and famous in Beverly Hills.
Also on the steps we encountered Bruce Ramer, Don’s law partner. Who was intimate and cracked jokes. Was this his personality or could it be that inside the clubhouse everybody’s friends? I’m not sure.
And after sitting down, Bernie Yuman came by.
Huh?
He knew me but I didn’t know him.
And then Don told me Bernie was the manager of Siegfried and Roy, the Vegas connection.
And then came Jerry Bruckheimer.
Now it was getting ridiculous. I don’t know Jerry, but Don does. I felt like I was doing myself a disservice sitting in front of the computer at home, that some things never changed, that business was personal, and you were best to show up.
And as I was contemplating this, someone sat right down next to me in the booth.
TROY CARTER!
I just read the “Fast Company” piece last night!
We discussed John Mayer and POPwater and talked about getting together and I wondered if there was no one who was not here.
But then Irving came by and I knew it was untrue, that everybody was here. And for the moment, I was exactly where it was happening.
P.S. Do you think I don’t know you’re making fun of me right now? All you big shots with your hundreds of Twitter followers? The truth is business is not democratic, each and every one is run by a club. And you know if you’re inside. And as George Carlin would say, you’re not. Sorry.
P.P.S. Reach a level of success and you become gun-shy. You’re afraid to play because of the blowback. Which is why you can’t meet the stars. They’re afraid of your smartphones and your inability to understand that just because you’ve listened to their music or seen their TV shows, you really know nothing about them and they know nothing about you.
P.P.P.S. I heard about the history of Gang, Tyre, Ramer and Brown. Gang started off in the thirties taking everything that came through the door. Specialization comes down the road. You take every gig that’s offered on the way in.
P.P.P.P.S. Gene Salomon told me his eleven year old was already over One Direction. They got a year. That’s right, while you’re plotting your next album, the audience is already forgetting about you.
P.P.P.P.P.S. We discussed the future of the music business. I said there will be fewer acts who will become more successful. Everybody hates to hear this. They want to believe the Internet gives them opportunity. But the truth is in the era of cacophony, when everything is at our fingertips, we gravitate to excellence, authorized by our compatriots. Don’t shoot the messenger. People would rather listen to the work of the superstar than your wannabe band. As for listening to your CD a few times…Gene told me he doesn’t watch TV, I don’t either, other than Bill Maher, we don’t have any time, no one’s got any time.
P.P.P.P.P.P.S. I met with Michael Gudinski at the Peninsula before this. It was that kind of day, a Beverly Hills one. Gudinski flew in for the Peter Grosslight tribute at the Forum. That’s the biggest story in the music business this week, the reopening of the gussied up L.A. Forum with the Eagles. You might think what happens on your blog is important, but the truth is this is a controlled business, run by the usual suspects, and the only people knocking on the door to get in are those who cannot. Because those who could truly revolutionize the business don’t want in, there’s not enough money involved, never mind opportunity.
P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S. And that’s a day in the life in L.A. Where right now it’s 77 degrees in Santa Monica and there’s not a cloud in the sky. Yes, you can make it anywhere, but then why do all the techies move to San Francisco?
