On 8/19/13 15:48 : , Ken Norton wrote:
> I entered the entertainment industry at age 18 and made a fool of
> myself early on. By the time I reached 25... Oh, who's kidding who? I
> STILL make a fool of myself.
I try really hard now to not do that, especially since I meet a lot of
these folks through my friendship with JP. I'm considered part of his
musical "family", so I try hard to act the part. However, Jim knows
full well that I was a huge fan of these guys since "back in the day"
and he's happy that I haven't lost that. He also trusts me to keep that
21-year-old under control...
My boss at the casino is a road dog - he's been doing live sound for 25
years or so. He's one of those who's really not a fan of too many
people any more, and tends to treat each gig as just another job to be
done. In a way, we need that. But he's also constantly amazed that
even after all these years, I still maintain the passion for the music
and still get excited when I can get someone like Dennis DeYoung to sign
my original Wooden Nickel copy of Styx II. In a way, he understands that
we also need that and that there's a balance as long as I retain my
professionalism, which I do. And he's said that, deep down inside, he
wishes he still had that fire for the actual music.
> A side story that I've told before, I'm sure. I was checking into a
> motel one evening down in small-town South Carolina (or Georgia--the
> lines and family trees are a bit blurred in that area). This was about
> 20 miles past the boonies. I think it was the only motel in town and
> served the business traveler as well as the local one-hour service
> business. I'm tired after a long day of travel and will be their the
> next few nights. The night manager looked familiar. After a minute I
> remembered him. He had been a record producer and was working in the
> same studio complex as my group was at the same time about 8 years
> previous. Turns out that he had a couple of bad bands in a row and
> ended up working as the night manager in the middle of nowhere.
It's a brutal business - one day you're swimming in limos, hookers and
blow, next day you're selling fries and Big Macs. The smart ones, the
ones with real talent who also keep a level head and don't just blow
everything on a luxo-binge, are usually the ones that make it through.
> Another time, I was in NYC working in one of those really really
> famous radio stations. I'm trying to teach the DJ how to run the new
> equipment and he's about as thick-headed as they come. I had to switch
> methods at least three times. Honestly, I don't know him from the man
> on the moon--he's just another DJ/talking head on the radio that just
> happens to be in the largest radio market in the world. They all tend
> to be a bit wierd and babble to themselves when the microphone is off.
> It wasn't until later that I realized just who he was. Yeah, whatever.
> (according to the ratings, he had the largest non-syndicated audience
> in the country). I wasn't impressed because I had been around radio
> stations long enough to know that WKRP is a documentary. I've been in
> enough small-market stations to have met more than a few top-market
> DJs who burned out.
>
> They all end up eating at Waffle House.
>
I've met some jocks who were very nice, very friendly and appreciative
of their fans. And I've met some who were complete jerks.
I've had the good fortune to sit at Dick Biondi's table for dinner one
evening, and he couldn't be nicer and more genuine. Now, there's a guy
to whom the term "Legend" really does apply. One of the
longest-running, most popular DJ's in the country. Was the first guy to
play The Beatles in the USA. And he's lived in Chicago forever. Too
bad there aren't more like him....
--
Paul Braun
Certified Music Junkie
Valparaiso, IN
"It's such a fine line between stupid, and clever." - David St. Hubbins
"Music washes from the soul the dust of everyday life" - Harlan Howard
--
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