Andrew Loog Oldham-This Week’s Podcast
How does a young fashionite lose his job after experiencing the first of numerous nervous breakdowns end up managing and producing the Rolling Stones?
By doing publicity for the Beatles and knowing a great band when he sees one (and tying up with a more experienced partner to add gravitas).
This was when Brian Jones was the spokesman. This was when the blues-revival was in full-form. This was before Mick and Keith started to write their own songs.
I’d say Andrew is self-invented, but even more he’s self-educated. Education is overrated, it squeezes the creativity right out of you, assuming you’ve got the spark to begin with. Which Andrew does, along with a ton of intelligence and insight. That’s what’s impressed me most with the podcast interviewees so far…their intelligence. It’s the way they put the words together, the way they can see things others cannot. Sure, listen to this podcast for the facts, but every once in a while Andrew drops wisdom that will drop your jaw.
He tells the story of getting Lennon and McCartney to let the Stones cut “I Wanna Be Your Man.” He runs into them serendipitously after leaving a session freaking out there’s no follow-up hit and they come to the studio and pretend to finish the song when the truth is they cut it with Ringo on vocals already. And Andrew said they didn’t do it for the money, but to see their names on the record. That was the motivation back then, TO BE PART OF IT! You sat at home looking at your 45s, to see your name under the title…WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK FOR??
Andrew was there. When “Satisfaction” was cut. The key is the acoustic guitars under Mick’s vocal that were ultimately mixed way down.
So if you’re interested in the Stones.
If you’re interested in how someone goes from zero to hero.
Listen.
