I first met Leslie West when I produced the first Crystal Palace garden Party in 1971. Mountain were the US guest band on the bill with Pink Floyd and The Faces. The group were fabulous and were well received.
Leslie West then returned as West Bruce and Laing in 1973 and I took them around Europe. The first concert was at the Chatelet in Paris. We duly arrived and as a treat to start the tour I booked the band into the Hotel Georges Cinq.

I explained before we all retired that all the trappings in the room were real so don’t trash them.

The next morning we left for Hamburg. Leslie had had a tough night drinking and was not in the best of moods.

We landed in Hamburg and as we got to the bottom of the steps two gentlemen in raincoats were waiting for us.

They asked me to introduce them to Leslie. “What for” I asked.

They said they were from Interpol and had a warrant for his arrest for stealing a Persian antique rug from the George Cinq.

We were taken to the customs desk and sure enough there was  the rug neatly rolled up in Leslie’s case.

After a lot of waffling and explanation and autographs, tickets and apologies we managed to get Leslie off.

He was terribly grumpy and said that they should not leave such expensive items in Hotel Rooms.

Such is the world of rock and roll.

Harvey Goldsmith

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Subject: Funny Hilton Valentine yarn

Hi Bob,

 

during the mid-90s I happened to be scouting an act in Connecticut and by chance I read in Goldmine that the Hartford record show was on. As I’m a huge vinyl collector I altered my plans and made a point of dropping by the venue. I found some good records including on one table a guy selling a number of English pressings from the late sixties/seventies and bought a few of near mint condition albums including Free’s debut ‘Tons Of Sobs’ on the original UK Pink ‘eye’ Island label. A snip at $20. We chatted and it turned out he was a British silver haired fox, like me. I thought nothing of it until I overheard someone on another table talking about Hilton Valentine selling his record collection. I thought little more about it but when I got back to my apartment that evening I started to examine the albums. I opened the gatefold sleeve of ‘Tons Of Sobs’ and noticed that one of the inner band pics had been autographed by Paul Kossoff, my all-time guitar hero. I wish I’d have engaged Hilton in deeper conversation but by then it was, of course, too late. 

 

Best,

 

Derek Oliver

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Subject: Re: Tesla/Volkswagen

Very astute. Few see the potential and you draw interesting parallels here. 

Tesla is a software, storage, and energy company being compared by the Wall Street nerds to automobile manufacturers who are still operating like it is 1960. Tesla’s lead in data collection – billions of miles per year now (EVERYTHING is captured) – and autonomous driving could be insurmountable. Storage innovation could end up being the biggest thing since the invention of the laser. SpaceX delivering the Starlink satellite network will allow autonomous driving to become a global reality. People in sunny places will get completely off the grid with a solar roof, battery pack and an EV. Climate change? Musk has that covered. 

Every time I see a car commercial on TV, I think to myself – they just don’t get it. Hell, Tesla doesn’t need to advertise. 

Dave Murphy

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From: Randall Wixen

Subject: RE: Tesla/Volkswagen

I know your article was really about music and the electric car thing was only an analogy, but I wanted to comment on the analogy itself. I was an early adopter of hybrid vehicles, and then electric ones. I’ve owned 6 EVs now: Volt, RAV4 EV, Bolt, Ioniq, eTron, and Model Y. I never wanted to have a Tesla, because to me, owning a Tesla said “I’m an asshole.” But the VW/Audi eTron I had was such a dysfunctional piece of crap that I had to get rid of it before I even had 2,000 miles on it. The Tesla Model Y (so far) seems to be light years ahead of any of my previous EVs so I’m just resigned to ignoring how I feel about what the nameplate might say about the driver and driving something that actually works. There are new and better technologies, and as much as it is tempting to resist them, we have to embrace them when they’re actually better.   

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Subject: Re: Tesla/Volkswagen

Amazon will never be able to compete with Barnes and Noble and Borders!!

I remember those days well.

Brian Lukow

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Subject: Re: Mailbag

Phil called me out of the blue one day when I was developing The Chrysalis Music Group USA.

I was extremely surprised and didn’t really know how to handle such a well known producer, but I ended the conversation abruptly when he started talking to me about guns.

I have used rifles for shooting cans, but am officially anti gun.

Phil was a legend and incredibly creative.

Sad that a mental disorder destroyed such a creative genius.

Ann P Munday

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Subject: Re: Mailbag

Phil Spector

In the mid-90s, I received a call from Dave Marsh that Phil wanted to do some college lectures and would I be interested in having him come to the university.  Of course, he was just shy of three hours late and told me that he was late because he took a “Prozac Lite” and lost track of time.  From a stack of yellow legal pad pages he lectured for two hours on the great American songwriters, and recited tons of lyrics by Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter etc.  The words were just flowing out of him (and over the heads of most of the students).  His point was that these writers were great in their own time and if alive, their style would not be great today.  He was of course, referring to himself and made the point.  Not one word about the “wall of sound”!

He stayed late, signed album jackets for the students was all around gracious.

It’s a shame what happened to him…….. 

steve marcone

wayne, nj

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Subject: Re: Mailbag

My client said to me: “These digital sales are like being a hooker. You sell it, but you still got it.” Well, said. 

Willie Perkins

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From: Hennie Hugo

Subject: RE: More Quarantine

Covid19 is a real and killing virus. So many of my friends and family have been infected and died. About 10 members of our extended family contracted. Covid19 over Christmas having a huge gathering. They thought they were beyond the Covid19 gathering. It can easily happen to others. I am so pissed of with them. A family member checked himself out of hospital today and decided to receive oxygen at home. Thank God he can afford it.

Day by day people are dying from it. It is easy to compare it to HIV. But the problem of spreading the different diseases are so totally different.

Remember our esteemed leader, Thabo  Mbeki, actually denied AIDS/MIV. If there was something like it, it can be treated with garlic and beetroot. What a ficking moron

After Mbeki the plundering got an extra head of steam. It was all for nothing and everything for the total crooks. Difficult for me to say but Ramaphosa at the time when these terrible looting was taking place, was The Vice President of SA. How could he have not seen what was happening? Takes me to lines in “Tommy” Rock Opera by The Who. “Deaf and blind living in his quiet vibration land. Same as it seems his music isn’t quite so bad….”

Not being negative, I honestly believe my relative in hospital is not going to make it. Sad to say.

They had a huge party the day after Christmas with many many people attending with absolutely no social distancing or sanitizing.

Regards

Hennie

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Bob,

Maybe it isn’t about people not knowing Middlebury. In the ’70s, my family moved from Long Island to Essex Junction, Vermont, where I spent two years in high school. We then moved to NorCal, where I attended college, and where I stayed post-graduation.

Can’t tell you how many times people have since asked me “Which state is Vermont in?”

So maybe it’s about geography.

— Maxx

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Dear Bob,

 

You probably know this already, but Mountain’s manager at the time they played Woodstock was my father, the late Gary Kurfirst.  I’m not sure if Gary was “management” who opted the band out of being featured in the Woodstock film.  If he was, I am sure he had good reasons for declining the offer.  Probably was a bad deal for the band, or bad timing in terms of building the band’s brand (ie wasn’t considered a good look) or all of the above.

 

I can assure you the decision was not flippant. Everything Gary did as a manager was strategic and his intention was always to protect the artist and promote the long terms growth of the brand.

 

Maybe he got it wrong this time.

 

Maybe not.

 

I was told another story about Mountain’s experience at Woodstock.  As the story goes Mountain was to play an earlier slot on the Main Stage, but when Gary arrived (after navigating the endless traffic jam the artists and fans faced trying to reach the festival grounds) he noticed how disorganized the event was and that essentially the producers/stage manager were throwing any band out on the stage to perform that they spotted together backstage fully intact.

 

So Gary, always thinking strategy and impact, instructed the band members of Mountain to scatter, sending them to different areas of the festival grounds and told them not to be seen together until X time where they were to conveniently reconvene backstage in full view of the stage managers who were on the endless hunt to wrangle talent.  (I always visualized the band huddling up backstage like a football team listening to the QB (Gary) calling the next play… a Hail Mary to win the game.)

 

The plan worked. Mountain reconvened backstage and were “spotted” together just in time to play the coveted, primetime, 9pm slot on Saturday night. The crowd was estimated to be over 500,000 at this point, but no one really knows – the fences were pulled down on Friday and kids from all over the country were flooding the festival grounds and the rest is history….

 

Many attribute Mountain’s triumphant Woodstock set as their breakout moment, regardless of whether the film would have pushed them even higher up in the history books and who ultimately made that decision – they would not have even been in that position if not for the plan.

 

I felt inclined to respond here because Managers, who play such a pivotal role in the growth of artist/band, are often omitted from the history books.  Its no accident that great bands/artists more often than not have great managers.  Managers make the tough decisions. The great ones are able to see beyond in the instant glory (or money) and make decisions based on the long term growth of the brand.

 

Gary once infamously turned down the cover of Rolling Stone for one his clients (Talking Heads) telling the magazine it “was not the right time” for them to be on cover – that it would hurt their credibility with the underground (remember the Talking Heads first broke out of CBGB’s – they were considered a punk rock band and at the time, punk rock bands did not pose for the cover of Rolling Stone).  He seems to have gotten that one right.  The Talking Heads brand remains iconic, and they haven’t played a gig or released any new music since the mid-80’s (and eventually they were featured on the cover – timing is everything).

 

If you haven’t read Chris Frantz memoir – Remain in Love – you should do it, now.  It’s a great read. Chris (and his lovely wife, Tina Weymouth) recognized the importance of great management.  They loved Gary because he protected them and allowed them to be artists, and the feeling was mutual.

 

Gary took over managing the Ramones around 1978 and was their manager to the very end. One of their last gigs was the Lollapalooza Festival on Randalls Island in New York City in 1996 (other acts on the bill that day included Metallica, Soundgarden, Wu-Tang Clan).  There is no better example of a band whose brand has completely transcended their music, or the music business in general.  I see more young kids wearing Ramones T-shirts today than rock music legends like Led Zeppelin or the Beatles.  Ramones brand is badass.  Timeless. And forever will be the flag of punk.
Ironically, I’ve made my career in festivals.  My job as Global Head of Festivals for WME has me negotiating set times, artist fees, streaming rights, billing positions etc. etc., with the top festival promoters for some of the biggest artists on the planet.  I don’t know if it’s ‘in the blood’ as they say, but as I got older I realized that the music business was the only business where I fit and that music festivals were my calling.

 

I often think about the earlier pioneers of music festivals, like Gary, and what they endured to put on their events without all the modern technology we rely on to help produce them.  From simple tech like walkie talkies to sophisticated festival apps, scan-able wristbands and whatever tech will be needed post-pandemic to ensure the Artist and Fans have a great time and safe experience at festivals of the future.

 

But all of that was absent at original Woodstock – they didn’t even have set times!

 

Josh Kurfirst