THE SIGNAL from David Katznelson
The first article below is about Sonic Boom, a new book that has just been released telling the story of Warner Bros. Records with a focus on its’ CEO, Mo Ostin. I was at Warners from 1991 til 2001, starting as an A&R intern while in college in 1988. I was there for the final Mo years, I was there to witness the end of the golden era of the music industry.
Most of the stories detailed in the article (and probably the book…which I am looking forward to reading) were way before my time….stories I heard before ever thinking I would get to work at the Ski Lodge in Burbank (Warner Bros’ offices)…stories of signing the first rock acts, the Kinks and Jimi Hendrix…stories of the producers of the Burbank Sound and the label that truly championed the artist like no other. Mo Ostin was the center of all of these stories, and getting to work under his reign was something I will never forget…never believe my luck.
And let’s face it—the guy not only signed the biggest bands on the planet…but also signed The Fugs, Captain Beefheart and Pearls Before Swine. He was the boss when I brought the Boredoms to America. You never knew who you would get the hit from, and you had to believe in true art.
That sentiment flowed freely from the top on down, and the environment around the company was magical because Mo made it so. He believed in his team…and he allowed them to experiment and make mistakes. He let the freaks fly, and listened to everyone in the room. When he did have a differing opinion, he would make his point with a knowing powerful smile, and you pretty much knew to follow his lead. Mo was fearless, a true man of vision, whose instincts around bands was legendary and his desire to win an equal match.
When he was forced out of Warner Bros, it was like someone cut the heart out of the company—it was never the same. He has been gone from the label for over 20 years now, but he still is the CEO of Warner Bros. Records, still greatest record man alive.
There was a moment that he asked me to come and join him in a new venture he, his son Michael and Lenny Waronker had put together. I turned the offer down to stay with the bands I had brought to Warner Bros. I will always wonder what it would have been like to work so closely with him. I truly believe that we all live in the best possible world, and every decision we make is ultimately is the right one for the path we end up on (mine ultimately led me to my wife and kids). But it is hard not to think about how incredible it would have been to work closely with such a giant.
How Mo Ostin Turned a Faltering Record Label into the Powerhouse of Rock
The Imperfect and Sublime ‘Gatsby’
A great long, weekend read from The New York Review Of Books taking a deep look at The Great Gatsby (now in public domain), its commercial failure and the complex relationship between the book, the characters, the public reception and its affect on the life of its author F. Scott Fitzgerald: “For a time, his own generation of readers was lost to him; but the ones that came after could sense the truth of his questions and the fullness of his answers. It’s all there—both imperfect and sublime.”
RIP to Pop Surreal Legend, Van Arno
I met Van Arno at an opening he had at the now infamous Shooting Gallery. What a technical master painter. His subject matter overshadowed his technique, which when standing in front of one of works is awe-inspiring. A major player of the low-brow movement has passed.
January 22nd, 1824 Missolonghi
By Lord Byron
On this Day I Complete my Thirty-Sixth Year
’Tis time this heart should be unmoved,
Since others it hath ceased to move:
Yet though I cannot be beloved,
Still let me love!
.
My days are in the yellow leaf;
The flowers and fruits of Love are gone;
The worm — the canker, and the grief
Are mine alone!
.
The fire that on my bosom preys
Is lone as some Volcanic Isle;
No torch is kindled at its blaze
A funeral pile.
.
The hope, the fear, the jealous care,
The exalted portion of the pain
And power of Love I cannot share,
But wear the chain.
.
But ’tis not thus — and ’tis not here
Such thoughts should shake my Soul, nor now,
Where Glory decks the hero’s bier,
Or binds his brow.
.
The Sword, the Banner, and the Field,
Glory and Greece around us see!
The Spartan borne upon his shield
Was not more free.
.
Awake (not Greece — she is awake!)
Awake, my Spirit! Think through whom
Thy life-blood tracks its parent lake
And then strike home!
.
Tread those reviving passions down
Unworthy Manhood — unto thee
Indifferent should the smile or frown
Of beauty be.
.
If thou regret’st thy Youth, why live?
The land of honourable Death
Is here: — up to the Field, and give
Away thy breath!
.
Seek out — less often sought than found —
A Soldier’s Grave, for thee the best;
Then look around, and choose thy Ground,
And take thy rest.
~~
