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For forty years I've been a witness (and sometime participant) to pop history. Here are the first of about 300 of my favorite stories I like to call: |
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Brief Encounters |
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I agreed to let one of my
favorite dancing partners, Dee Dee “Mashed Potatoes”
Sharp,
publicly announce our 'engagement' to make her boyfriend Cassius Clay (Mohammed Ali) jealous......HEY.....as long as they spelled my name right
. The day after the item appeared, Cassius Clay and I ran into each other,
literally.... He was jogging down Broadway and I wasn’t looking where I
was going .....we collided and I knew my number was up !!!!!!! He just apologized and went on his way...........while I tried to run back to the Bronx !!!! Fortunately , when I reached 59th Street, I realized that he didn’t know what I looked like.... so I slowed down and vowed never to do something like that for publicity again. |
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| At the Tokyo Music Festival in 1973, I was complaining to my new international pals that running a professional department at a publishing company had me in the office at 7 am and left little time to go out dancing....which I loved. A 12 year old Michael Jackson suggested that I build a dance floor in my office. They made me a five foot circular dance floor out of plywood at Warner Bros. to keep me happy....but I left there to run Irving Almo Music where a Mahogany dance floor awaited me. | |
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One day I walked down to David Geffen's office, only a block or so east on Sunset from the Warner Bros. Music offices. I had about five copies of the not-yet-released Van Morrison "Moondance" album. Everybody in the office wanted a copy....but I didn't have enough! Off the top of my head I offered to give a copy to whoever could name 3 Van Morrison songs. First David's assistant named 3 songs....then the mail boy named 3....they both won an album. At that point Joni Mitchell walks in and asks what's going on. I tell her about the contest....she picks up her guitar and plays 3 of Van's songs....we have another winner! I see it's getting late and as much as I hate to leave....I have to get back to my office. On the way out of the building I run into Neil Young. He sees the remaining 2 albums under my arm, says he's a friend of Van's and could he have one?....unfortunately he couldn't name one of Van's songs.....I said, "Sorry, Neil," and ran out. When I got back to the office I heard Geffen yelling at my boss, Ed Silvers....I simply explained "A contest is a contest"....then messengered a copy of the album over to Neil. |
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I brought "Nookie" Valentine - a six
month old Cairn Terrier - over from Harrods in London and he was my
faithful companion for 12 years.
While living in West Hollywood, I once ran into my reclusive neighbor (whom I had never met) Bette Davis, as I was walking Nookie. She smiled, and in that voice of hers said "What a cute little fella....what's his name?" When I told her, she quickly backed up into her apartment building....and I never saw her again. |
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One of my closest friends,
Patti Dahlstrom, introduced me to one of her closest friends, Jim Croce
and we hit it off immediately. We went to his concerts, TV shows and
sometimes we just sat around talking
or playing guitar. Although I was more of a publisher at the time,
working for Warner Bros. Music........I knew I was in the presence of
an extraordinary human being and could learn a great from him about
songwriting and life. The night his plane crashed
......Patti and I had started a song that became a tribute to him
“Sending my Good Thoughts to You”. Since his passing........ Whenever
I’ve been stuck on a lyric ......or need a little help with one of life's
little problems.......Jim appears to me and gives me an answer, usually
laced with his “wicked” sense of humor. |
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Click here to hear Patti Dahlstrom sing “Sending My Good Thoughts To You” from her 20th Century album “Your Place or Mine” |
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Click here to learn how to “channel” someone from the other side |
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