Recently a guy who's writing a book about the years when Mo Ostin ran Warner Bros Records-- the glory years-- interviewed me and asked me why everyone respects and admires Mo so much and how it differed from other executives who ran other record companies. I had some experience at SONY (then CBS Records) and with post-Mo Warners chieftains. My perspective was fairly simple.
Mafiya by Chip ProserBefore I retired a few years ago, I was president of one of the divisions of TimeWarner, Reprise Records, a label started by Frank Sinatra as a refuge for artists, like himself, who didn't want to be pushed around by suits or by a producer. By the time I took it over, Sinatra had sold the company to Warner Bros. but I tried to run the company the way he intended it to be run. I took that seriously. Our artists did too.
Johnny Rotten ended the last Sex Pistols show— at Winterland in San Francisco— exactly the way Rotten's current day hero, Señor Trumpanzee should exit the national stage: "Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated." (I was standing with Bill Graham at the side of the stage, each of us eager for the band to exit so we could pick up all the quarters that were tossed at the band b
Inappropriate behaviour, inciting debauchery and credible accusations + this day in history w/the murder of Sergey Kirov and our song of the day by Morrissey on your Morning Monarchy for December 1, 2017.
Evil old ladies, broken chessboards and technical shutdowns + this day in history w/the Munich massacre and our song of the day by Hamilton Leithauser and Rostam on your Morning Monarchy for September 6, 2016.
Rigged systems, stolen music and Hollywood Hillary + this day in history w/the Hindenburg disaster and our song of the day by A Giant Dog on your Morning Monarchy for May 6, 2016.
Master Prince, streaming lawsuits and admiring art + this day in history w/Earth Day and our song of the day by The Range on your Morning Monarchy for April 22, 2016.
