Don’t disenfranchise me.

It’s one thing to make it harder to vote, it’s quite another to cancel my vote completely and leave me without representation.

The day Trump got arraigned someone pointed me to the student protests in Nashville, how come they weren’t all over the news instead of the Former Guy. Even worse, the main story on both the “New York Times” and “Washington Post” all day was about Biden and trans athletes. Important, but compared to what was happening in Tennessee, pretty miniscule.

Chalk another victory up for the right. We’re discussing cultural issues instead of the real issues to the point that the supposed left-leaning media has taken the bait and is now down in the gutter arguing over these issues that affect almost nobody. Kind of like critical race theory, which wasn’t even taught in schools other than colleges. Do you know any trans people? If you did, you’d back down. In the past they were tortured, on the verge of suicide until they could transition. At least now being trans is out in the open, so people can feel safe coming out. And that’s a good thing. As for trans athletes… Ain’t that America, where sports are king and politics is in the rearview mirror. Come on, there aren’t that many trans athletes out there. Furthermore, you share a bathroom with your kids at home, how come they can’t share a lavatory with trans kids at school. Where exactly is the danger? Turns out gay is not contagious. Gay couples have straight kids. You can have many gay friends and not end up gay. We’ve made progress here. Then again, the same people who got rid of abortion rights want to get rid of gay marriage, and so much more. But what are you gonna say when your daughter gets pregnant? I’m old enough to remember when abortion was illegal. People were forced to have babies they didn’t want and even Catholic girls went underground and terminated pregnancies. How come everybody in America thinks it can’t happen to them? I guarantee you you have a gay person in your extended family, and if you think you don’t, they’re just afraid to come out of the closet.

I mean they’re poking us right in the eye. With not only abortion rights, but racism. The Tennessee House gets rid of two black people and keeps one white person? The optics are terrible, it’s de facto racism!

Now reasonability had a victory this week, with the Supreme Court in Wisconsin. Turns out it’s Gen-Z, the supposed nonvoters, who showed up and made the difference. Because it’s their life and they’re gonna be affected by this cockamamie rolling back of rights by old people who think they’re immune, never mind being out of touch.

Tennessee keeps telling us it’s up-to-date, hip, and then there’s no action after a school shooting, in fact they wanted to liberalize gun laws at first, and now they’re expelling three members of the House because… Protest in high school, leave the classroom, and they don’t expel you, they suspend you, for a week at most.

And what is the appropriate conduct in a legislative body? Republicans keep shouting down Democratic speakers in the U.S. House and there are no consequences, but in the rinky-dink southern state House you should be afraid of the Republicans, they’ll excise you. And the rules are vague, so there will be a chilling effect on behavior, talk about freedom of speech…

So I had a hard time with the election is stolen crap, but Biden took the office.

I had a hard time with the reduction of polling places, never mind the difficulty in registering to vote, but people still showed up.

But now? Eliminating voters’ voice willy-nilly. This is too much, they’ve gone too far.

So at what point does the public react. And every poll says most people want abortions, never mind stricter gun laws. There are more of us than there are of them. But we’re lazy, we think it’s somebody else’s problem, we don’t do anything. Thank god for the kids, it always starts with the kids, they’re pooh-poohed and marginalized, and then oldsters realize they’re right.

So antisemitism is out of control. People are fearful of telling others they are Jewish. Do I really want to put a mezuzah on the door?

Are we just going to get rolled over, or are we gonna get up and fight?

The best thing I read all week is this in the “Los Angeles Times”: 

“Why do so many young white men in America find fascism ‘cool’?”: https://lat.ms/438btCB

Because people don’t click through, let me quote some passages:

“The word ‘fascism’ is often thrown around loosely, and some may feel applying this label is overly dramatic. But its current manifestation in the U.S. mirrors its incarnation eras ago: an ideology that glorifies the traditional masculine, believes in a spiritual right to exact violence and calls for the seizure of government for authoritarian rule. The fascists are unified by their love of violence, their hatred of progress and their sinister sense of entitlement that declares that America belongs to them.

“Fascism feeds off culture wars, exploits psychological insecurities and uses deeply held resentments to convert the impressionable. At a time of intense polarization and cultural battles over race, gender and democracy, it’s not surprising that fascism has found young adherents, this time as a lifestyle, with cosplay.”

And:

“The Fascists, then and now, placed unique emphasis on propaganda. Indeed, at a meeting of radio broadcasters in Berlin in 1933, Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi minister of propaganda, gave the state broadcasters some urgent advice: ‘The first law is don’t become boring!'”

“From the start, Fascism was focused on culture.”

And:

“Today’s fascists are malleable and take on different forms, some more racist than others, some more sexist. But they’re drawn to the propaganda and symbols of racial and sexual brutality. For many young white men, fascism starts as a cultural identity, rather than as a political ideology.”

Reading this piece changed my entire focus on the crisis in America. We’ve been fighting issue by issue, and that’s a mistake. It’s time to pull back the lens and see what is really going on, there’s a rogue swath of Americans who feed on disinformation online, believe liberals are the enemy and will fight to the death. I know this if for no other reason I hear from them. Furthermore, you must toe the line. Like all those people who talked smack about Trump before he got elected, who are still paying fealty to him.

This is a battle for the soul of our country. And today’s heinous expulsion truly does remind me of Nazi Germany. Specifically in that you think you’re immune, and then they come for you. They chipped away at our rights. Now they’re chipping away at our voice?

And too many people with a buck are afraid to take a side for fear of offending bad actors. But let’s face it, they’re complicit. How is it that Disney is doing a better job of pushing back against fascism in Florida than any celebrity? Once again, corporations are taking the lead, and that’s just nuts. It’s a nation of people. And let me tell you, AI ain’t gonna fix this problem.

We can’t debate what happened in the Tennessee House today. That would be missing the point. One party used its majority to not only ensure one party rule, but to silence the voice of the opposition, literally take away their voice. If this isn’t indicative of a march to fascism, I don’t know what is.

Want to talk about patriotism, believing in America?

Those who fight this outrageous behavior are the true patriots, even if they’re not wearing flag pins. It’s about what you think, what’s inside, and if we don’t step up and stop this tsunami…our rights are going to be swept away.

Susanna Hoffs has a new novel, “This Bird Has Flown,” and a new covers album produced by Peter Asher, “The Deep End.” We talk about these two projects, growing up, the Bangles, meeting her husband and so much more! 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/susanna-hoffs/id1316200737?i=1000607684674

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/2117230c-4af0-4991-9e6f-75a1cb88bc3d/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-susanna-hoffs

https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast/episode/susanna-hoffs-301635299

Spotify playlist: https://spoti.fi/3MsWJrI

I’m not sure whether to recommend this Netflix show. There are nine episodes and I kept vacillating as to whether it was highbrow or lowbrow, fodder for the masses or something meatier.

Actually, there’s one episode about relationships that is killer. It’s episode 6, entitled “Musical Chairs.” And you could watch just that one, you’d understand it, but I don’t recommend it.

“Maestro in Blue” was shot in the Greek islands, mostly Paxos, I’ve never been, even though I listened to Joni Mitchell’s “Blue,” you know, with Carey on the Grecian isle, and now I’m eager to go. The water is so clear. And life is so slow. The only thing is I’ve lived in small communities and everybody is in everybody else’s business and I love the anonymity of the city, but still… The Greek islands are now on my list.

But the reason I’m writing about “Maestro in Blue” is the soundtrack. Because either they had a huge budget or acts did them a big favor and…

There are three tracks I want to talk about. In a perfect world, I’d write three separate essays, but then people would sign off because of too much incoming, but now I run the risk of people not getting that far in my screed.

Anyway…

WHEN LOVE COMES TO TOWN

This was the radio track from “Rattle and Hum,” when U2 overloaded us and people were pissed at the band because Bono thought he was God, or at least that was the public perception. And the funny thing is the band felt the slings and arrows, and licked its wounds and went to Berlin and ultimately came up with “Achtung Baby” two years later, which sounds nothing like what came before, which is my favorite LP of theirs. It was unclear how successful the project would be, I mean the first single was “The Fly,” that’s not playing to radio, and the band toured indoors, one of the three best shows I’ve ever seen, and then demand built and there was the Zoo TV stadium tour and then U2 followed it all up with “Pop” and the audience wasn’t hip enough to get the joke and the band has been anxious about its public perception ever since. (Of course I’m ignoring “Zooropa,” but that was seen as an adjunct to the Zoo TV tour, not its own separate album statement.)

And now… It’s been misstep after misstep. “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” contained the monstrous hit “Beautiful Day,” but compare that to “Pride (In the Name of Love),” or “Sunday Bloody Sunday”…it shoots so much lower, it’s ear candy, it’s not meaningful. And then there was the Apple debacle. And ultimately the “Joshua Tree” tour and…how are we supposed to take your new work seriously when you’re trading on nostalgia? Once you give the people what they want, once you play to the audience instead of yourself, you’ve lost your artistic meaning and are in the rearview mirror. As for the new “acoustic” album… I cherry-picked it, because it’s endless, and I enjoyed what I heard, but I didn’t need to hear it again. These should have been YouTube clips, even TikTok clips, not part of an official release.

So… At some point you’ve got to stop trying to top yourself. This is what got Michael Jackson in trouble, he could never equal the success of “Thriller.” And Peter Frampton put a huge dent in his career by delivering “I’m In You” to satiate the boppers when musos were his core audience and… It’s hard to give up the spotlight. But if you’re going to make new records, play by your own rules. This is where Dylan is the beacon. In records and live gigs. I won’t say I appreciate his new work to the degree I love the old, I think some of the hosannas are the emperor’s new clothes, and I don’t get it live, but at least Dylan is exploring. And he never got plastic surgery and never loosened up and at some point, you’ve got enough money. As far as being top of people’s mind… That’s a fool’s errand. Because no one is that big anymore. No one reaches everybody like in the pre-internet days, no one.

So I was surprised how much I loved hearing “When Love Comes to Town.” The show was relatively quiet, not cacophonic, like too many TV productions, and it was the perfect soundtrack, the music was primary as opposed to secondary, like too much stuff today, and with almost forty years of distance, sans the trappings, it had me smiling and enjoying it and…

SON OF A PREACHER MAN

She’s English and she’s dead.

I say this because I confuse her with other acts. It’s so long ago. Dusty Springfield died in 1999, of breast cancer, it was seen as a tragedy, at this point it wasn’t a badge of honor to come out of the woodwork and proclaim you had breast cancer and try to raise awareness like it actually became. We’re still trying to have a similar movement in the men’s world, about prostate cancer, but not only do too many men not want to go to the doctor, tons don’t want to have a colonoscopy, and I don’t get it, you can now take pills for prep and the procedure is painless, you get the Michael Jackson drug, propofol and…

All of this is to say by time Dusty Springfield died the focus was elsewhere. Her hits were behind her and the internet had not yet burgeoned, so…

To a great degree Dusty is lost to the sands of time.

However, every seven to ten years there’s another wave of nostalgia and writings, appreciation for her “Dusty In Memphis” album.

Now what I remember first about Dusty Springfield is “I Only Want to Be With You.” That was 1963, before the Beatles broke over here, when we still had surf music and our transistors might be tuned to the ball game as much as music.

But then came “Wishin’ and Hopin’,” in 1964, after the Beatles arrived. The Liverpool lads dominated the radio, which we were all addicted to, but there was a hangover of the old stuff, there were still pop numbers, and this one…sounded nothing like the British Invasion. Dionne Warwick had recorded it previously, but Dusty Springfield had the hit. The recording might sound dated, out of time, but it still maintains its magic, which is hard to describe, but easy to feel.

So Dusty was cold, signed with Atlantic, got hooked up with the label’s production team of Jerry Wexler, Arif Mardin and Tom Dowd and…made a stiff album. Sure, black soul was triumphant, but white soul lived in a no-man’s land. But over time “Dusty in Memphis” has come to be considered one of the best albums ever.

And the funny thing is it contains versions of two songs the Al Kooper Blood, Sweat & Tears covered on that band’s first LP, Goffin and King’s “So Much Love” and Randy Newman’s “Just One Smile.”

And “Dusty in Memphis” didn’t sound dark and English, but like something cut in the delta. And there was one huge hit…”Son of a Preacher Man.”

It starts subtly, the antithesis of the guitar heroes coming out of the U.K., in Memphis you could underplay, and it felt so right.

And eventually there were horns.

But really it’s Dusty’s vocal that makes the record.

One of the through lines of “Maestro in Blue” is about a nineteen year old girl’s infatuation with the fortysomething maestro, and normally when you heard singles like this it was on the AM radio, or with background music, not alone, in the quiet, but sans background noise “Son of a Preacher Man” reached me in a way it never did before. Like…

CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE

Mariza Rizou makes it her own. To the point where I couldn’t place the original. It sounds nothing like the Elvis Presley hit.

As a matter of fact, I forgot that Elvis did it, my mind was searching for the version I knew, which I ultimately realized was UB40’s.

Now in truth Elvis Presley’s take is pretty slow. But it’s a period piece, with the production, it’s a record, whereas Mariza Rizou’s…

UB40’s take is faster, and reggae-esque, and I dig it, but Mariza Rizou’s version…

Not that I knew who Rizou was. I was searching and found a “Maestro in Blue” soundtrack on Spotify, not that it was an official release, the soundtrack album concept is dead, first and foremost there is no album, no souvenir, just tracks, which can be cherry-picked on a streaming service so…

I’ve got no idea who Mariza Rizou is, but I assumed she was Greek, with that name, and she turns out to be, and she doesn’t have her own Wikipedia page, so she can’t be that big, even in Athens. But this version of “Can’t Stop Falling in Love”…

Love is slow, reflective. Oh, Cupid’s arrow might pierce your heart and set it aflame, you might ultimately be in a passionate embrace, even intertwined sexually, but at first there’s a lot of time apart, thinking about the other person, which is one of the features of “Maestro in Blue,” and Mariza Rizou’s version of “Can’t Stop Falling in Love” is slow and contemplative just like that experience of nascent love in your head, whether you be walking down the street alone or lying on your bed or…

What I’m saying is this version of “Can’t Stop Falling in Love” is so slow that the lyrics really stand out.

“Wise men say

Only fools, only fools rush in”

And that’s true. Normally we know the lyrics, but we don’t think about them, but in this take you can’t help but be infected by them, as they slowly rattle around in your brain.

“Shall I stay

Would it be, would it be a sin

If I can’t help falling in love with you”

Forbidden love. Do you fly straight, do what’s right, or do you follow your passion…it’s a hard choice. And an important choice, who you marry is the most critical decision you’ll make in your life, choose wisely. And love is certainly the winding road they speak of, the infatuation wears off, and then the hard work begins. And if the person you’re involved with isn’t willing to do the hard work, you’re gonna get divorced. Because relationships are hard, they demand commitment and trust, and sure, sometimes people get divorced and find someone better, but oftentimes they don’t, or they’re so shallow they jump from infatuation to infatuation, not learning about themselves, never mind their partner.

That’s the power of music, to make you think about and feel all this.

And as slow and quiet as Mariza Rizou’s version of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” might be, it’s just that powerful.

P.S. If you watch “Maestro in Blue,” don’t shut it off at the credits, let it run!

First, thank you so much for sharing some personal stories about Michael.  He wouldn’t have wanted them shared while he was with us, but I, being his younger sister, appreciate that others get to read what a great, generous person he was.

I was fortunate enough to visit with him numerous times in the past couple of months; these visits were some of the best times I have had with him since we were kids. He was so smart, funny, generous, a loyal sports fan (Yankees, Knicks) and despite spending a lot of time in CA, he was a true New Yorker at heart. His passion for music originated in our home in South Orange.  He turned me on to many artists/music that shaped our youth, and beyond.

I too am pissed that I’ll never get to see him again. My hero since I was a little girl; he will always be in my heart.

Sari Leon

P.S. Last spring he thought he was suffering from Covid… headaches, lethargy, etc. And his disposition changed.  Saw physicians in NYC.. battery of tests, surgery.. Yadayada.  Stage 4 glioblastoma. They moved to LA for treatment – in early October- poor prognosis.  He had minimal treatment and went downhill quickly last week.  Still was watching  basketball, golf but took drastic turn about a week ago.  Was praying he went soon…Txs for asking .. I will miss him …forever.

________________________________

I was happy to have Michael as a close friend for 42 years, and fortunate to spend a good amount of time with him during his last six months in LA.

I’ve never met anyone who approached the end with such dignity and equanimity. From his initial diagnosis, his mantra was ‘It’s fine, I’ve had a great life.’  At first I thought he was just being Michael, but it soon dawned on me he was telling the truth.  He did have a great life: lots of professional success, two great marriages, two wonderful kids, a tremendously loving wife, many friends.  He spent his last months in a beautiful house high in the hills, surrounded by family and friends.  When I left him for what turned out to be the last time, about 10 days ago, I said ‘I’ll see you next week.’  He said, with a smile, ‘If I’m still around.’

I thought he would be, but I was wrong.  I learned a lot watching him approach the end, and hope I can emulate him when my time comes.

Take care,

Jeff Gold

________________________________

Michael was a suave cool NYer. I met him during his A&M days and he did a great job making the East Coast A&M shine with style. As independents, we all looked up to Herb, Jerry and Gil. Michael represented them and their Artists well. I was down the block at Chrysalis on Madison Avenue and ran into Michael often.

I was lucky to work with him at SBK which then evolved into EMI Records Group NA. Michael was a great head of International. When I became president we traveled a lot together. Most memorable trip was to Germany. He knew his stuff and we broke Artists and records globally.

My warmest memory is when we sold SBK to EMI we were interviewing press companies. PMK was very prominent, somewhat legendary. Pat Kingsley called me to say she cannot make it to the NY offices personally but highly recommended her East Coast “right hand” Leslee Dart. Leslee was already building her reputation as a force in fil , tv and music.

When Leslee came for her tour of our offices I unexpectedly lost her on the way. I thought she was close by as I was introducing her to various executives on the sprawling floor. It turns out she stopped after I brought her to meet Michael… and it was love at first sight. A beautiful story and marriage. Michael was an awesome Dad too. I will miss him.

Daniel Glass

________________________________

I met Michael in the 70’s and both being “Jersey Boys” hit it off immediately with much in common. Michael was one of the first record company executives to understand that some promoters were “producers”. He introduced me to much of the A&M staff and helped me nurture a relationship with Gil who loved to pick my brain about what was going on in   N.Y.C. This was time period when the good labels embraced promoters and included us in helping to break their artists. As time went on another Jersey Boy (Al Cafaro) succeeded Gil and continued A&M’s artist first strategy and continued to look for good partnerships with leading promoters/producers. Then in around 1990 all three of us ended up at Polygram. Michael and Al on the A&M side and me starting Polygram Diversified Entertainment. We all stayed friends and when the Alain Levy reign was all over the three of us united and together with  my promoting and management duties formed an independent label (Hybrid Recordings). Michael retired and Al left A&M and joined me and our staff. Michael was perhaps the best networker in the business and his combination street and well educated smarts made him stand out as one of the greats in our business. I’ll miss my friend.

John Scher

________________________________

Devastating news. I met and worked with Michael at EMI in the late 90’s and he was one of the nicest and most genuine people I’ve ever met in the business. He didn’t want anything from me. He enjoyed music, the business of music, art, travel, wine, food and socializing with various people. He was likable and fun to be around. I’m sad I didn’t keep up with him. I have nothing but fond memories.

Larry Stessel

________________________________

So many of your points are so true, so spot on.  But, you touch my heart when you speak about Michael Leon.  Initially, our paths crossed in the mid-seventies when I managed a band on A&M records and Michael was east coast head of promotion.

He did a superlative job trying to get a midwest rock band, Head East, airplay in some tough markets.  The important point to me was his honesty and caring attitude whenever he brought me news.  He was then, and will always be remembered as a mensch: a person of integrity and honor.

We didn’t connect for many years after our manager/promotion rep relationship had ended, as the band departed from A&M.  Yet, to my good fortune we had a mutual personal friend, Bobby Margolis, who reintroduced us in Palm Springs. Golf was the connection for us, and we played many rounds together when he visited the desert.  He stayed at Bobby’s house with a bevy of friends making our reacquaintance seamless, and so much fun!

Thanks to Bobby, I was able to see Michael and have lunch with him in LA a few weeks ago.  He was in good spirits while knowing that his life was near the end.  It was my blessing to have seen him.  He seemed content and at peace. That, in and of itself, was who he was-happy to have lived a good life. Thank you for remembering him.

RIP, Michael.

Irv Zuckerman

________________________________

Tough to read this one Bob, not only because one can’t help but self-reflect when an artist dies, let alone someone in the business you were close with, or even of course a friend or relative. We’re all on this tightrope walk and we try to do the best for ourselves and others that we can. Speaking of doing the best for others, this post is also tough because Michael Leon was very good to me and played an important role in my life as Jim Merlis and I started Big Hassle Media out of the ashes of the Univsersal-Polygram merger in 1999. Jim started the company with Rufus Wainwright as his sole client two weeks before I joined in early Feb of that year. When I came on board, Melinda Newman was nice enough to run an item about us in her very well-read Billboard column. I hadn’t done pr for a couple of years because I left Atlantic to go to Mercury’s marketing department in 97. When I got laid off, I went back to pr thanks to Jim and was more than a little nervous about the future. I had never known Michael Leon before, but he read that item in the column and called me!! We had a great meeting the next day, and he sent me home with an advance of “Lost and Gone Forever,” by Guster. Needless to say, I fell in love with the record and I was back in business working with great artists, and I very much have Michael Leon to thank for that. SO Big Hassle hoists one for Michael Leon today. Thanks for taking a chance on us! RIP.

Ken Weinstein

Big Hassle Media

________________________________

A real gut punch to read that Michael Leon is gone.

We grew up in the same neighborhood, went to the same elementary school.  He was a year older and a lot taller than I was.  Long before we knew that we’d both devote the rest of our lives to music, I used to play basketball with him in his backyard.  Not too many kids our age were adept at cross-over dribbling or stopping on a dime to hit a rainbow jumper.  Michael was really flashy on the court, a Pete Maravich type.  I looked up to him and he was as decent a person as you describe.

As an aside, Michael Leon’s younger sister Sari was my first girlfriend.  The first girl I ever made out with.  The first girl who dumped me (7th grade) for another guy.  My first love lost that caused me to cry crocodile tears in front of my friends.  Sari and I made up a few months later and have remained lifelong friends to this day.  She is a music junkie/sports fanatic of the highest order and I know how devastated she must be.  Michael was her only sibling.

Michael and I were only acquaintances who hooped together because I’d be hanging out with Sari at the Leon house in the North Newstead section of South Orange, New Jersey.  We both ended up in the music business.  When I changed careers from radio/journalism/bandleader to concert promotion and moved from Boulder to San Diego, I started bumping into Michael every year at the New Music Seminar or APAP.  I chewed his ear off trying to make him aware of the new concert venue I was booking (Humphrey’s by the Bay in San Diego) so that he might steer me toward some A&M acts’ agents and managers.  I mentioned in passing that I had been the lead singer in a rock ‘n’ roll band in Boulder (Kenny & the Kritix), and had achieved some local renown before giving it up to move to San Diego.

Michael could have cared less about me as a concert promoter.  All he asked about was my band.  Could I send him a tape.  Send him a promo package.  Did I have a video.  I explained to him that my band days were over and I was trying to reinvent myself as a concert producer.  When I would see him the following year at yet another convention, the first thing he’d say was “How come you haven’t sent me a tape of your band???”  Michael Leon was the consummate A&R guy, a talent scout, music loving pathfinder.  No matter how much I told him that I wasn’t the next big thing, he wanted to hear my stuff anyway.  I have never forgotten that.

As I get ready to watch the San Diego State Aztecs try and finish their improbable/impossible journey and take down mighty UConn, I’m sad that Michael won’t be watching the game (I know that his sister Sari will be).  The first thing most people will remember about Michael Leon is his passion for music.  I remember that too, but will always first flash back to his ball handling skills and other worldly jump shot.

–Kenny Weissberg

________________________________

Michael and I both were East Coast GM’s – he A&M and I at Elektra.  I was so jealous of his ponytail that I grew one.

Bill Berger

________________________________

I got hired to do local Boston promo for A&M in 1981…Michael Leon was the GM of the East Coast office in NYC. He flew me down to welcome me into the A&M “family”. Working at A&M

did feel like a family. and yes, I agree Michael was “warm and intelligent”…always enjoyed our work together and conversations…thank you Michael for being a gentleman in a business where that was not

so common…. gone way too soon…RIP…

Peter Wassyng

________________________________

This is very very sad news indeed.

Michael was one of the first people that I met in the industry when I started at Arista as an advertising copywriter right out of college.

In addition to his love of music and of New York, he was also a huge sports guy, and we played a lot of pick up basketball together and were teammates on a very good Arista Records cormpany softball team.

I hadn’t really seen him since he moved to LA but am very shocked and saddened to read of his passing.

RIP

Stephen Dessau

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Thanks, Bob. I enjoyed that. I knew and loved Michael Leon   I spent five years doing promotion for A&M. He WAS smart and he was elegant and a gentleman. Not many like him.  Wish I had stayed in touch. And everything else you said rang true too. We’re the same age (I think) and it’s interesting how the reality of situations and people get clearer every year. Our time is looming. I still feel good. Still work a few records. And still have a few laughs    So maybe I will outlast everyone!

Patti Martin

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I had the pleasure of working with Michael during my MTV days both in the U.S. with A&M and later in Europe where he wore the SBK flag.  I knew Michael professionally, but once at a lunch we went off topic and started  talking about life and things other than music.

There I learned of his passion for baseball and his NY Yankees.  He told a story I’m sure he’d told many times, but as a “brother in baseball”, I was riveted when he told me that as a kid (I think he was around 9) his father pulled Michael and his brother out of school and they bore witness to an event that has never happened before or since and most likely won’t ever again…a perfect game (thrown by Don Larsen) in the 1956 World Series.  His attention to every detail was that of a historian, but the glee and joy in that conveyance was that of Michael’s inner kid.  RIP ML…

Brian Diamond

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I wanted to tell you something, you, actually YOU are the main reason I have started to go to the doctor. I’m a 43 year old roadie and former army ranger, my saying was if The taliban couldn’t kill me what else can. Then reading your notes and constant talk about regular illness and doctors made me second guess. I guess it’s because I have been reading your letter for so long that I have to admit sometimes I see you as my friend and I worry about you. Nonetheless, thanks for doing what you do. I have begun to take my health more seriously and dropped the bravado because of you. Thanks man.

Andy Cormack

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So sorrt to hear about Michael, he was one of the really nice ones. Lots of golfing together. All this is reallys scary, as I am almost 77, and plan on making it well past 80.  Gotta last at least as long as your sister Jill and my boss, Mr. Buffett.   Cross your fingers

Harold Sulman
President, Mailboat Records

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I always admired his charm and  fun

Bobby Tarantino

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Michael Leon……a class act.

Mike Bone

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I liked Mike Leon a lot, he was gracious. I looked forward to working with him on A&M acts. In the early ’80s when I was at DIR our offices were directly across 57th St from the beautiful building where A&M’s offices occupied the penthouse.

Paul Zullo

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Thanks for this. My wife and I host a retreat each year at onsite for parents who lost kids. Out of order is hard to ever accept but it does bring the two worlds closer together, and makes parents not fear death as much .  Coming from a city which is still is reeling from last Monday’s shooting

John Huie

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I think it is time for NARAS or the Rock Hall to fund a Music Industry Hall of Fame. No voting… with just a few requisites. A memorialization of those who helped to make the music and those artists to be heard.

There’s a very long list… and one day we will be on that list.

Bruce Garfield

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It seems like everyone is passing away – an acceleration of the stars and singers and music bosses and producers that were as gods to me.

Some of them are so arcane they pass with barely a notice, but for those who were, well, say for me when I was 15-24 – they will forever remain. And when they pass – my heart stops.

death of despair.

I wrote music for film and tv for 30 years and in 48 hours it ended. If you don’t know what meniere’s disease is google Huey Lewis. Meniere’s disease. I have suffered with it for so long, and it is horrific. It’s like being a painter for your whole life and waking up blind. My case is worse than Huey Lewis’ – but reach out to me Huey. I could use someone to talk to. Or try to. Friggin’s stars you guys. Right side along Michael. I remember Clover! And your voice – the hits – you must be so grateful for them. And now you are fly fishing in Wyoming. I know what you feel. I know. I live it every day.

When you get Meniere’s comorbid with diplacusis dysharmonica you cannot hear pitch anymore. One ear hears a Bb, the other a D. So it renders all music atonal serial horror. You can’t play, sing, go to concerts, listen to any of the music you wrote. When Burt Bacharach  died I tried to hear “Raindrops keep Fallin’ On My Head” thru my laptop with specialized eq – it was so sad. I couldn’t hear any of it. All the songs that defined me, everything I found on my own – becoming a successful composer for decades – only to face being tone deaf and prone to vertigo attacks beyond description.

It was not the way I imagined my retirement. I had worked long and hard enough to travel the word, write my own music – but now I can hardly do anything. My body is strong. My will is strong. Nothing has ever knocked me down. So…

Assisted suicide is now legal in many states and started in, err, Sweden?

You don’t die because of meniere’s, you die with it. It is progressive, chronic and incurable. You become anhedonic and agoraphobic. It occurs differently for everyone. In many cases, or some, or few, I don’t really know – it leads to Alzhiemer’s and then dementia.

That is when I will go. Here in Washington State it is legal. I was very successful for a long time and I make a decent amount of money from royalties. Enuf money that I pay the same for Medicare as Bill Gates does, while it still gets taken out of my own check from my own corporation. Plan A B and D – if you are getting there do a deep dive.

I will not have my precious, loving children standing by my side at my hospital room looking at me drooling and saying “now who are you again?”, when the person I am talking to is my daughter. Oh my baby, remember my swagger, remember my music. My fans. Remember my Emmy nomination, Ascap award, remember me playing guitar to soothe you to sleep. I was never a star. But I always got on base.

For as much as it will hurt you and your brother for life, it is already so hard to keep going. At 67. And a better end than suicide. They interview you. Analyze you. Talk to you. And if  it seems like the right thing they put you in a chair, put the IV in you, but then you have to turn the knob yourself.

I didn’t see things ending this way.

William Anderson

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From: Dan Navarro

We live as long as we live. Some get more, some get less. No one gets out alive, and every day above ground is a good one. Period. Any illusion to the contrary is psycho. And we have lots of friends who are psycho.

BUT… how we live is the real battle. Do we value every day? Do we laugh every day? Do we stop complaining about bullsh*t little things? Do we invest in community and the generation coming up? Do we learn the landscape on the horizon? Do we value new, different, unknown, outside the comfort zone? Nothing worth a sh*t ever came from a comfort zone.

Or do we petrify our mindset and maintain a death grip on what is no longer possible. Do we still use outdated standards as we navigate the obstacle course of the immediate present, oblivious to the future.

Our industry has changed, irretrievably. Yeah, it was better before, when it was fresh, important, inspiring, and the public ethos revolved around what an artist said or did in their creations. I sure hung on every word and every note. Just like you did.

I mean, hell, I’m not in the music business any more. Haven’t been for years. I just make music for a living in the niches, where I found an eager and generous audience. And I’ve managed to learn what is still relevant — communication.

It means driving thousands of miles a year, setting up my own gear, little sleep, more than a few frustrations, some broken field running, and planning my moves pretty much alone (though I do have an agent, a digital coordinator and a social media person). My journeyman career is still productive, profitable and worth-it. I’ve had fun. A boatload of fun, and I’m still having it, very fricking day.

Why am I writing this? I’m older than you, by a few months, we’ve compared notes on that before. My health is good, somehow I still have my all hair, not even receding, and it’s still 90% not grey (not so for my beard, LOL). Nothing but genetics and still more dumb luck.

And, like you, I’m losing people like crazy. My age, older, younger. Croz, Jeff Young, David Lindley, Peter Cooper, Chicago legend Lin Brehmer (closest friend of the bunch), never mind Lisa Marie, Kirstie Alley, Michael Rhodes, Tom Leadon, Jeff Beck, or Michael Leon or Seymour Stein, none of whom I knew. Seems like a new one every week. Or every day.

We notice it because we are aging and not dying just yet.

As we’ve discussed, Eric Lowen died at 60, eleven years ago. He didn’t get to see 70. We were 30 years together and at 60 I had to reinvent. Nothing blasted fresh air into my perspective more than that. He’s gone, and I’m still here. Time to get to work and be more grateful for the time I have left, determined to spend it vigorously doing what I love every single day. Use it or lose it.

Dude, you’re tops at your game, and still throwing punches. Your health appears to be under control. You’re in a good relationship and you are still vertical and above ground, with a platform. Your perspective is razor sharp and you still care about the new even as you reminisce about the old.

Let’s face it. You won.

xx
dn