AUTOGRAPH 1985 TOUR

The winter of 1985 I spent dry docked working in RJ’s office and living at his lakefront house. The house, situated on picturesque Lake Minnetonka was KILLER!  It was a beautiful place to live and allowed me a tranquil environment where I could think things out. Work wise, I quickly learned that I could easily adapt to working and running a business office, only not for someone else! I knew on the front end from past employers, office personnel make dick for pay and in my eyes this office job was going to be short lived.

All those negative thoughts I’d dealt with in 1984 about time issues kept trying to resurface and that was real fun! Worst of all, my road fever was starting to make me itch for a fix. I thanked god when I received Kip’s second phone call while on the up coming 1985 Autograph tour. That conversation finally smothered to death my situation about future time frame issues.

When spring arrived my lust for the road had me packed and ready to roll. The six weeks I spent working and traveling with the hair metal band I just mentioned named Autograph turned out to be a really good time for all. The band, crew and I traveled together on a single tour bus for the duration. That situation had its good points and bad. Good in the sense of traveling with the band and riding on the bus was big time fun. The bad part was being stuck night after night playing nothing but dive clubs.

Doing a club tour as a concert merchandiser is no doubt the bottom rung on the ladder and builds character, like it or not!

During the tour we pretty much lived on the bus and really didn’t stay at many hotels. All facets of touring were in excess while traveling directly with the band. The partying and the bartering were insane. Hair metal groupies were everywhere and total eye candy to look at. Being with the band certainly had its extra perks! The merchandise sales were horrible and RJ’s investment smelled and looked like the same fate bestowed on Orion the Hunter.

As I said in my book, concert merchandising is a real crap shoot. Let’s say, you put up a hundred thousand dollars to secure a band’s merchandise rights, then after six consecutive weeks of touring and losing more money in pursuit of your original investment you end up a total loser. This shit is not for the weak at heart or someone who doesn’t have a deep pocket. Luckily, RJ had both the gut and cash to persevere a few of these hits and kept the company going.

So, as the tour progressed I was flying high that my affirmation of going around the world in 1986 was going manifest and couldn’t wait. From that point on I instantly recaptured my love affair with touring and felt 1985 was going to be really special. I stayed focused in the here and now, and was operating at full bore every god damn day!  

Overall Autograph was a great bunch and the crew too. Unknowingly and to my surprise, months later I was thrilled to hear Autograph was going to be the support act on the upcoming 1985 Motley Crue Theater of Pain tour and request my presence. Meanwhile, my next gig was with the band REM and set to start right after Autograph’s tour finished.

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THE FIXX 1984 TOUR

The 1984 Fixx tour turned out to be one of the favorite gigs I’d do. As far as touring goes, those three and a half months spent engaged in motion were absolutely perfect. The band and crew had no airs about them and we all jelled into one big pack of road dogs. The pacing on The Fixx tour was rapid and that’s the way I always liked it. Every week we played three or four shows in a row and usually had one day off for a far- reaching drive. After four years of hands on experience, my job was never easier. As I mentioned in my book, Wonder turned out to be gold and confirmed my belief in second chances. He was my number two favorite road brother, Eric being first, and made traveling with someone 24/7 no problem. While on tour we played tons of secondary markets all across America and I saw parts of the US so unspoiled by development it was priceless to view. Women and cash were plentiful and all I knew was I was living life to the fullest.
However, my old cosmic buddy karma threw me a curve ball about future concerns pertaining to time issues and what I was willing to endure for attainment of my ultimate goal. I also had June’s parting words before I started the Fixx tour resonating in my private thoughts. This nagging stayed with me right until Kip’s call four months later on the matter of where I fit in the scheme of their business plan. That bit of news single handedly smothered the nag in my head and I was never so happy to be back on track! During this ordeal, all the techniques I’ve talked about in my book were put to the test and hands down perseverance was the work horse of the bunch for keeping me on course.
I have to tell you, the effect that time issue had on me started making me feel anhedonic. So, I told myself during this karma mind fuck that this might be my last gig and I should have as much fun possible while doing it. I was intent on staying focused on being in the here and now verses thinking about things to come.
Looking back, naive as it sounds, I truly thought I had all the time in the world to achieve what I wanted to. Then, one day I had what seemed to be an epiphany that we as humans have very short life spans compared to the age of earth itself. This thought made me think I needed to readjust the time frames of my future goals. Because, all of the sudden in my minds eye, time seemed to be fleeting.
My friends, I found out from this episode that the trick is to enjoy life’s journey no matter what is thrown at you and to make the best of the precious time allowed to us all. Trying to fight time is foolish and one lifetime on earth is enough if done right!
Despite those nagging thoughts, The Fixx tour was a high time for all involved. The road crew loved card games just like The Pretenders crew. These lads also liked wenching, burning and drinking all night long. We stayed at the same hotel as the band and crew and partied all across America and Canada.
Unfortunately, The Fixx were forced by the record label just like Men at Work to rush their follow up record and failed to deliver. As I explained in my book, thank God their manager had the talent to keep the band out on the road for the duration. Because, unlike Men at Work none of the gigs were sold out in advance and the tour could have easily turned into a financial disaster like Orion the Hunter had been for all involved. The Fixx ran into another major problem in that the trend in rock music was shifting from new wave to hair metal bands. The Fixx was pushed to the wayside and never really recovered. The rock business has no loyalty or code and will definitely turn its back on non superstar bands in a heart beat, aren’t they kind!
At the end of that tour I was offered three choices for my next gig and took a path I never saw coming. That situation allowed me time to sort things out and still receive a pay check.

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Aerosmith 1984 Tour

For the next six weeks my gig was with the band named Orion the Hunter an off shoot of the group Boston. We were the support act on the 1984 Aerosmith reunion tour called BACK IN THE SADDLE. The treatment we received being in the support spot wasn’t like the usual; we were accepted as a part of the Aerosmith crew, which wasn’t the case when I toured with U2 in 1982 opening for the J Giels Band. To give you an idea of how like gold we were, Aerosmith gave us all access laminates to wear and total freedom to move about back stage with no issues. Which isn’t the norm on most tours. This gig was the very first time I saw a production office filled with computers and people going crazy over phone lines for modems to hook up to. Before this tour, computers were nowhere to be found on the road. I can only imagine the landscape in today’s world of devices and present day touring.

If the internet, cell phone cameras and You Tube were present in the eighties my story would have probably been visually documented, which I’m glad it’s not. Personally, I like flying under the radar and not drawing attention to myself.

Anyway, that tour gave me the time I needed to heal from the road thrashing I’d just experienced on the John Cougar tour. Plus, being the support act I had little responsibility which allowed me to reflect on things to come. RJ gave me the green light; I was going to be Donnie’s wing man on the Prince gig. It would start at the end of this tour and was set to perform well over one hundred shows. I also thought about Kip and Sal’s business plan and if they would succeed in finding it a home. Again, I was banking on those guys to help me attain my goal of going around the world doing concert merchandising. My friends, things couldn’t have been finer and I never felt so blessed to be alive. So, when I found out RJ’s company had lost the Prince gig I was blown away.

 Meanwhile, back on the tour, I had the privilege of watching night after night one the hardest working AMERICAN Rock & Roll bands play their music with skill and precision. During each performance, Tyler would introduce to the audience “On guitar, Mr. Mother fuckin Joe Perry!!!” and how right he was. The dude serves up some of the tastiest licks in rock and plays lead with the best of them.

City after city cash and chicks were plentiful. Working and traveling with the merchandisers for Aerosmith turned out to be an okay situation. Some days they busted my balls, other days they didn’t, and such is life. The only minor catch of that tour was no open drug use. The very mention of drugs was cause to fire you immediately. Keeping Tyler clean was a tough job for his handlers and for the most part they succeeded. My favorite Steven Tyler moment of the tour was at the last gig’s after show party. A lot of Aerosmith’s family members were present and enjoying the occasion. Tyler, who for a month and a half was 24/7 moody, did his best Eddie Haskell impersonation from the TV show Leave It to Beaver. I wish I had a video camera to show you the total contrast in his character; it was so Jekyll and Hyde like, that it was scary.

 Aerosmith’s manager, Tim Collins was top shelf in every way possible. Without the right management a rock band has little chance of making it to the big time. The rock business likes to eat its young and shows no mercy to weak rock & roll outfits. The casualty rate is staggering and there’s an endless supply of fresh meat for replacements. Under Tim Collins watchful eye, he single handily took Aerosmith to the top of their game and never veered to the left or right of his goal. He truly was a GREAT manager.

I was relieved to hear from the office that they had another gig set to hit the highway for three and a half months and it was mine. The band’s name was the Fixx, an English new wave act, whose last record had scored them a hit single named “One thing leads to another”. We’d be playing colleges and small theaters all across the US and Canada.

PS, HELLO TO ALL my blogger friends in Russia, South America, Ireland, UK, Germany and Canada. Thank You for following my blog. I hope you enjoy the journey it takes you on.

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John Cougar Mellencamp 1984 Tour

As we drove from Minnesota to Alabama to start the 1984 John Cougar Mellencamp tour, my focus was on what a great time merchandising this gig was going to be. I was a fan of his music which was the opposite of all the other tours I’d been on. Don’t get me wrong, I dug all the bands I worked for, but didn’t own any of their albums, Cougar I did.

As I mentioned in my book, the first night of the tour set the mood for the duration. John Cougar Mellencamp was a total dick 24/7 and a bummer to be around while not performing. I’d been on the road for a few years and knew road protocol, and this tour had none of that. It was a road crew walking on egg shells around a temperamental rock artist looking to tear someone a new ass at will. He was so nasty, that on a future tour drummer Kenny Aronoff asked John if he could sell his drum video at the merchandise stands during concerts and Cougar immediately said no. His chip on the shoulder attitude spared no one from his viciousness. The nights his wife came out to visit he seemed to be even more wicked than usual. She stopped him from bitch hunting for cute blondes which he liked very much and maybe that pissed him off.

However, as a performer John Mellencamp kicked ass and gave concert goers their money’s worth every night. His stage presence had a James Brown rhythm to it and made him electrifying to watch live. His band always fired on eight cylinders and was a lot more than just a back up band.

The audience was an older crowd and very loyal. Merchandise sold well but not great due to not having a young fan base. Though, we vended almost every night and that tour turned out to be the single best money making tour I’d do. We did thirteen shows in a row and blow was required to keep up with the six weeks of grueling nonstop motion.

This tour was a first for me. I met John Mellencamp’s mother and farther who were lovely people to be around, and I scratched my head why their little Johnny Boy was such a terror.

The fourteen foot cube van the three of us traveled in worked out well and that size van became my choice mode of transportation any chance I got. Donnie’s friend JO was the biggest poser I ever met. This jerk off bought penny loafers just like the kind John Mellencamp wore nightly on stage to fit a Cougar like image. Cool shoes on Cougar, on JO, not so cool. JO was a poser personified and I couldn’t wait to part ways with this joke. Looking back, it was a real challenge to teach someone the ropes when you didn’t like them. I remember reminding myself I was being paid a large sum of money to do a job, and like it or not I showed both of them the correct way to be a proficient concert merchandiser.

At the end of that tour I was so road weary that when the office told me my next gig was ready to roll and I’d get no down time, I gave less than a fuck. My addiction to road fever made me instantly reply no problem and the rush of chemicals in my mind instantly reenergized me to a state of pure bliss.

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Billy Idol 1984 Tour

Just coming off the 1983 Men at Work Tour and having the Billy Idol gig lined up was a real comfort compared to the previous winter I had spent nailing up siding.

During the entire Idol tour my focus bounced between past and future goals. Since Thanksgiving of 1980 most, if not, all of my affirmations had materialized and I was in awe of the power of self belief. While traveling in the fourteen foot cube van that the three of us drove for the duration, I visualized about things to come. All I kept telling myself was my goal of going around the world would manifest. As my minds eye wandered forward, Kip’s and Sal’s business model resonated that it was my ticket to attainment. So, I chose that vision as my future affirmation and saw myself working for them no matter what! However, I needed to hurry up and wait for another two years or so. Because, like it or not, things come in their own sweet time and perseverance is the best way to ride out time frame situations that require waiting.

Not being in charge of the concert merchandise on the Billy Idol tour wasn’t such a bad thing. It gave me plenty of free time and I loved watching him perform nightly. He and his band were so in the groove that every show was electrifying. Billy’s stage persona was just that! He was nothing like his image, unlike Joe Strummer of the Clash who I had also toured with in 1982 and every bit his! Billy was on tour to promote his new album Rebel Yell and looked to me to have a case of road fever. Some performers hate road travel and word spreads around a crew real quick about the performer’s mood. Because, if you’re traveling with a moody son of a bitch who hates the road, it can really suck big time! Happily as I mentioned, not the case with Billy, he was enjoying his moment in the sun to its fullest capacity! He was also the perfect superstar candidate for MTV which manifested in all of eight weeks. Billy Idol was the fastest rising rock star I’d ever toured with and he made it look cool as shit while doing it! Friends, Billy Idol was nobody’s fool and deserved all the fame and fortune afforded to him!

Billy had a wicked sense of humor and at some shows he’d send the female keyboard player, who was straight as an arrow, to score blow for him. For whatever reason the first and only place she’d come looking for coke was our merchandise table. She’d be all upset she’d been delegated that task and complained on our deaf ears, except for Hank. He thought he was going to bang her and listened intently to her rag on forever about how she knew Billy was outright just fucking with her for being straight. She played Hank like a fiddle and her paying attention to him actually made him tolerable to be around. As far as I was concerned, I made it my business to NEVER get drugs for her. I’d learned, as I mentioned in my book, my lesson really well on the 1982 Police tour about scoring for a band member and knew the ramifications that can come from it.

Hank was our crew chief and one of the most negative people I ever traveled with. If this asshole was an Indian his name would have been Chief Dark Cloud! He was the product of a sour load and a downbeat in every facet of his very being. I was thrilled that in about eight weeks we’d be parting ways forever. In my eyes, life’s too short for surrounding one self with such negativity.

During the second month of the tour we started performing in theaters and arenas and stopped playing just colleges. The tour was another fast paced experience and despite dick head Hank, a lot of fun to be on! I insulated myself from Hank and ratcheted into my work groove, and like I just said enjoyed every god damn day of that tour.

Hey, life’s short, enjoy the journey before you can’t!

We played a bunch of venues I’d already been at on past tours and no karma surprises came my way, to which I was very grateful for. Overall the Billy Idol tour was one of my favorite tours for watching a band night after night! Again, they truly were an electrifying live act and Billy was a perfect front man!

The last week of the tour I was hot to trot about immediately going back to work for RJ and starting the 1984 John Cougar Mellencamp Tour. I was a big fan and couldn’t wait to hit the road doing his concert merchandise. The tour was going to be about two months long and I was ready to part the Idol gig for greener pastures of opportunity!

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Men at Work 1983 Tour

On the flight to Minneapolis I couldn’t stop thinking how my life was in constant flux. As I’ve stated, two years ago, I was nailing aluminum siding and doing other things on the side to subsist. Then, I was a chunk of raw steel being pulled along by the magnet of life. Now, I was shining stainless steel gliding and rising smoothly in the magnetic pool of existence! 

As I've written in previous blogs, self believe is one of the best mind sets used to succeed in the world in which we live. The knowledge that you can manifest your thoughts and be triumphant is really strong stuff. I owed all this positive mental hopscotch I’d been experiencing to my mentor Eric. By taking me under his wing he turned my world into this wonderment odyssey. The man was a brilliant mentor and a great friend. However, as mentioned in my book, I betrayed our bond on the 1982 Police Tour and always regretted it. Though, I learned a great lesson from the dissolution of our friendship; put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Then, think about the actions you’re engaging in with that person and the consequences!

Halfway through the flight my train of thought turned in the direction of things to come. Here I was going on this 3 month plus tour totally prepared and ready to take care of business. My self belief was never stronger! The reality that I was in line to make some serious cash had me floating on cloud nine. Something that I’m sure would have never happened if I’d still been working for Guy. From the first night selling Men At Work merchandise, which also turned out to be another karma ass kicking of sorts for my dirty deed I bestowed onto Larue, we made nothing but money! More often than not, I was being paid a considerable percentage to vend at shows. My salary plus perdiem was at a level that a couple years ago was inconceivable. The icing on the cake was the hefty bonus afforded to me from being part of that very profitable 1983 Men at Work Tour. We did eighty some odd gigs in the USA alone and the vibe of the tour was fast paced and upbeat. Men at Work were professionally peaking and all those sold out concerts made the tour a win win situation, everyday. The large amounts of money being generated nightly from merchandise sales forced me to buy an over sized duffle bag to carry all the loot.

My friends, I must tell you it was mad fun for the duration. I didn’t barter with jail bait which made up the lion’s share of the audience. But, I did invite lady friends from past tours to come hang out and enjoy the concert. The amount of blow snorted on that tour was staggering! Just like the Police Tour, everybody was into coke and in 1983 it was the drug of choice in America.  Damn, the road crew from OZ LOVED their cocaine, more so than the Brits I’d traveled with!

The three nights we stayed in LA at the Hyatt (RIOT) House on Sunset was one of the best three day benders I’d ever been on. My invisible banner that said Sex Drugs & Rock & Roll waved wildly over my head. Those were three burn a brain cell days.

Colin Hay was the leader of the group Men At Work. For the most part he came off very cocky and I got the vibe he looked at Americans as real YANKS, like in, Yank This!!! As far as front men go, he was the polar opposite of watching Sting who radiated on stage. Most nights while performing, Colin looked uninterested in giving the audience their money’s worth of a show. Don’t get me wrong, he sang well and the band was tight. I just think touring didn’t work for him.
Colin had what looked like a lazy eye and the few times I was around him, I caught myself gawking at it. All I kept thinking was don’t stare at his dallying eye ball, and made it a point to not make eye contact with him. Happily, the band split 9 out of 10 times after the show and that was fine by me. I really wasn’t looking to derail my come back. The opening act INXS was the pure essence of a great Rock & Roll group, they were an energetic live act. They were fun to be around and we were also selling their merchandise.

Driving in a twenty six foot Ryder truck compared to a luxury tour bus was quit a contrast. The three of us rode squeezed shut in that truck’s cab and became brothers of the road really quick! I had to pinch myself when I morphed into Eric’s role of the mentor while on that tour. I never thought I’d be wearing those shoes, but that’s part of the mind-boggling surprises self belief has in store for you. You’re capable of anything under the sun, and in charge of your own life. Looking back, twenty four years old never looked so sweet!!!!

As the Men at Work tour started to wind down I knew RJ had no tours set to roll and kept the belief a gig would appear. To my pleasant surprise it would be the 1984 Billy Idol tour and I’d be working for one of RJ’s competitors.

So, when the jet touched down in Minneapolis, Minnesota I stopped day dreaming, which had been the entire flight and departed. Donnie greeted me at the airport’s baggage claim area and I got the feeling I was in the right spot at the right time. The next two years I spent living and working in Minnesota was like a home away from home. From day one, Donnie and RJ treated me as an equal, not just some worker bee. I never felt so blessed for the second chance I’d received and silently thanked the gods of the universe. 

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Kenny Loggins 1983 Tour

While riding back to LA from the US Festival in Kip and Sal’s rented motor home I focused my thoughts on the Kenny Loggins gig that I was about to begin. In my minds eye, it was looking to be one of the best tours I’d do. I thought working with Larue was going to be a breeze. HOLY SHIT, how wrong was I. As I detailed in my book our friendship imploded and it really wasn’t cool. Larue was someone I looked up to, again, he got me into this line of work and we were tight friends. In the past when we toured together he was always fun to be around and girls just loved him. He radiated charm and never went ugly early, if you know what I MEAN! I was totally prepared for going back on the road and doing my job to the best of my ability. When we arrived in LA Kip said “I’ll keep you in the loop!” and we parted ways.

Unfortunately, from day one of the Loggins Tour, Larue saw me in a business light of the old version of what I was, verses the current state of mind I now occupied. Things just kept getting shittier by the minute. It’s funny, and not in a Ha Ha way, what rage can make you do in certain situations. A few weeks into the tour when Donnie called unexpectedly and asked if I could help him out of a pickle he was in, I didn’t hesitate. I said I would in fact assist him by taking the tour he was offering and decided to immediately leave the Loggins tour. In retrospect, I don’t know if I would have jumped ship or thought about leaving the Loggins Tour if it wasn’t for meeting Donnie. No one was looking to hire me and I was still internally reeling from my recent karma ass kicking.

As I previously stated, my bond with Donnie stemmed from a simple good deed I’d done for him while on the 1982 Police Tour a year earlier. My

business friendship with him lasted a little over two years and they were the very best of times during my odyssey!

After the dust settled from the Loggins blowout, two years later, Larue and I reconnected. Hell, how many true friends do you really have?

A little side note, just about ten years ago when my loving mother passed away and friends were telling other friends of my loss, one of the first calls I received was from Larue. He was living in Hawaii on the north shore in a beach front house and insisted that I come visit him and clear my head. After we followed my mother’s wishes I caught a flight to Hawaii and took heed in his words of wisdom. I reflected for two weeks on how much I missed my mother and still do. That’s the kind of friend Larue was and is, and I LOVE him for it!

The Kenny Loggins Tour was like most, only this time I was riding on the crew bus and what a joy it was. You could party your ass off, get whacked out of your mind on whatever poison of choice and not have a care in the world until you reached the next destination. What a great escape!!! Kenny’s audience was largely made up of women and there was plenty of bartering in every city we played. The crew chief of the bus I was riding on was a real dick and ran things that created situations reminiscent of the petty crap of high school days. Things like, who’s in with the right click! Who’s being picked on and talked about behind his back. Big Paulie was a first class ass wipe with his bus etiquette, but, ran a tight crew. Though, he really didn’t bother me as much as he did others, he was a big bully with a bad attitude. Honestly, if Larue wasn’t such a dick the tour would have been a blast. The tour was set to roll till early fall and I was making great money. Kenny’s manager was very laid back. He gave me plenty of space to do my job and we had no problems. Again my only reason for bailing was Larue’s unfair treatment and I’d made a promise to never let anyone manipulate me. So, as I stated in my book, I flew off the handle and abruptly departed the tour. Needless to say Larue wasn’t too thrilled that I left him holding the bag. Hey, karma can be a cold hearted bitch! On the jet flight to start the 1983 Men At Work tour I felt bullet proof and never looked back!

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US FESTIVAL 1983

When I arrived at the US Festival driving a rack body truck, the site had workers scattered everywhere. The first person I recognized through the hazy heat was Kip with his hardy hand shake. So happy to see him, I gave him an over the top bear hug. He looked directly at me and said “Are you ready!!!!!!” to which I replied “Dear friend, I’m good to go!” As we walked and talked we soon approached, at the time, the only mobile trailer in what was going to be the tee shirt compound. The sign taped to the door, in bold print said MOTHER SHIP. This was the central hub for the duration. When we walked into this huge mobile office trailer I was assigned a desk under which I stowed my duffel bag.

A blog or so ago, I wrote about two guys that I had met on The Police Tour. They were key people in my affirmation manifesting and Kip was one of them. The other, named Donnie will come to life in my next blog. These individuals single handedly allowed me to understand what it means to be in synch with others. I met both of them in a work environment and finding a common thread with each was based on doing the right thing and asking for nothing in return. Kip saw me as more than a rock and roll soldier. He saw possibilities that my potential could align itself with his own forward growth. Donnie and I bonded over a simple good deed. What I’m really saying is do the right thing because you never know what will come from it!

 Back to the main topic, the festival was such a blast and I had the Midas touch. Kip provided me a secure flexibility of my job description which in turn allowed me to wear many hats. Looking back, he was putting me through the paces to see if I fit the bill for the new business model he and Sal were creating. Hell, I even found a shapely brunette lady friend who was hawking US Festival programs. There’s nothing better than snuggling in a sleeping bag with a hot blooded girl on a cool desert night! We hung together for three days and then she split. After that it was back to sleeping in Kip and Sal’s motor home.

I’d not seen Guy in months and now he looked like a strung out version of the Dutch boy paint kid. His coke habit had kicked his ass real hard! Though, my main man was always up for scamming, fucked up on drugs or not! One last ditty on how crafty Guy really was, after the three day festival finished a bunch of us stuck around for the country western day. During that same time the third STAR WARS movie was set to premier. At Guy’s insistence seven of us piled into a rental van used to haul tee shirts and drove to see Return Of The Jedi. When we arrived the line for the movie was around the corner and someone instinctively said “Forget it, the lines too long, let’s head back to the festival. With that, Guy calmly said “Relax, we’re going to see STAR WARS! Let’s hurry and get our tickets.” As we departed the van, Guy told one of the young bucks who was sitting on a box of concert shirts to grab seven of them and we bolted into the sea of people. While standing in this endless winding mass of flesh and bones Guy said he had an angle to get us all great seats. When the same kid holding the shirts came back with tickets in hand Guy asked him for a ticket and the tee shirts. With that, Guy draped the shirts over his belt and into his pants. Then, with ten minutes left before the movie was set to let out, Guy, with the glare of larceny in his eyes said “I’ll meet you inside, I’ll be dead center waving a tee shirt!” Looking over his shoulder as he walked off he blurted out “Don’t forget to get me a large popcorn with butter and a coke!” I looked at Kip wondering if he knew what Guy was up to and he shrugged his shoulders. To which, I asked, can I tail him and see what he’s going to do? Kip thought and said “Hell Yeah, just be cool about it!” I replied “Understood!” Quickly, I shadowed Guy right to the front entrance of the theater. As soon as the attending crowd started leaving, Guy approached four or five people for their ticket stub under the guise of being a die hard fan. Once he got one stub he sprung right into action. He situated himself by the theater’s doors and abruptly started walking backwards into the mass exodus. Every few seconds he glanced over his shoulder like he was looking for someone and kept his watchful eye glued on the theater entrance. It was so cool to watch, Guy slid like a stick of butter melting on a hot skillet. He was gliding in reverse of the parting crowd, and almost through the lobby. Then he disappeared into the actual theater and just kept going till he reached his destination midway. He sat in the seat of his choice and got that evil grin he hid so well. When the theater was totally empty a young usher came and asked Guy to leave his seat. Guy, being a forty two year old man simply stated he had a ticket stub from the previous showing and for this viewing. Plus, he was holding six seats that he’d put tee shirts on for friends that were waiting on line. With that, the usher said okay and walked away. When the six of us entered the theater, Guy was there boldly waving a white tee shirt and sitting dead center. As we reached our seats, with a shit eating grin on his face Guy said “Where’s my popcorn!!!!

A few minutes earlier, I’d told Kip what I witnessed, but, we both asked Guy with enthusiasm how he’d magically gotten all of us such great seats. He reveled in telling us the story and we all enjoyed watching Return Of The Jedi. As I said in my book leave it to Guy!!!!!

Throughout the US Festival Kip told me small pieces of a business plan he and his friend Sal had brewing. More than once, he mentioned I was a part of it. I trusted Kip and was thrilled to be part of a business plan I knew very little about. In my eyes Kip was like a guiding light and the vibe he was sending made me very enthused about the future. I was sold! Little did I know a couple years later that business plan would in fact allow me to attain my goal!

The 1983 US Festival was a brilliant reentry to the world of concert merchandising and I was looking forward to immediately starting the Kenny Loggins Tour with Larue.

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Karma Comes Knocking 1982

The six months I spent sidelined from the road showed me just how powerful the words manifestation, karma, affirmation and especially perseverance really are! These words single handedly pulled me through that very dark time. I used all the techniques of attainment I mentioned in my book all through the high points of my odyssey and now found they worked even better during this really low point. It would have been so easy to throw in the towel and say I had a great two year run and received all I asked for. But, I refused to let go of the last affirmation I'd made about going around the world with some rock outfit. Every god damn day of my six months in purgatory I analyzed all my negative actions and took whatever steps I could think of to get back in synch with attaining my goal.

Man, I can only imagine how some of these rock bands must feel after two or three years of making it in the rock & roll business and then find themselves washed up and left for dead at twenty some odd years old! Not a real great feeling or situation to be in.

Anyway, I was tested daily on my own self belief and what it would take to right my wrongs. Doing an inventory of all my past actions which included a lot of lying, cheating and stealing changed me forever and for the better. Sometimes in the quest of wanting something so badly you're totally blind to all the under handed shit you've done to attain that goal. It took a karma curve ball to knock some sense into me and I'm here to tell you it's not worth doing the wrong thing. Because, like it or not, sooner or later you're going to be responsible for all your actions and you'll have to pay your cosmic debt to the universe. During this wake up call, I found that the two words affirmation and perseverance in combination are amazing tools for getting thoughts that are theater of the mind to manifest into stone cold reality. Again I know it sounds like pure bullshit, but, at least for me these words are the real deal! I kept asking the sprits of the universe for a second chance and if given it I'd always do the right thing by being a positive life force while on earth. Again, my guiding light through that time period was my affirmation and I wouldn't veer to the left or the right of attaining it. Honestly there were days I felt so defeated, it would be a week or two of pure hell before I found the strength to right myself back in the saddle. To give you an idea of my train of thought during that ordeal, when I received the call from Kip about working for Guy at the 1983 US festival I thought this was a karma cock tease. But, when Larue called a few days later and offered me the Kenny Loggins gig, I knew all my dirty deeds had been exonerated

Second chances are so important in the game of life and not allowing a person to redeem themselves doesn't make sense when that person is genuine about redemption. I'm sure if you look at your own life there are some dark or grey situations you'd like a second chance at changing. A word to the wise, if you're ever in a position to give someone that opportunity, do it, because, it's the right thing to do! I'm not saying everyone deserves a second chance, do it, only if the person is looking to right their wrong and again truly redeem themselves with the sprits of our universe.

The reality of doing the US festival and going out on the road with Larue had me on the purest natural high one can muster up. I looked at Larue as a brother and was thrilled we'd be working together again. He and I had been best friends since high school and if it wasn't for him I wouldn't have been a concert merchandiser. Larue was always upbeat about life and knew how to party with the best of them. All the sudden the summer of 1983 was shaping up to be one splendid grand reentry and I started getting big time road fever. I'd become so addicted to life on the road that I needed a fix in the worst way!

So, after a half a year of being in dry dock and nailing up aluminum siding all winter long my faith in myself had been restored. I took a moment and gave thanks for the second chance I was about to receive, and that my rock & Roll odyssey was set back in motion. I'd learned my lesson well and from that point on I told myself, and to this day, always stay on the right side of things. I sure as hell wasn't looking to repeat that negative episode of history ever again!

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The Police 1982 Tour #2

With The Clash gig under my belt, my boss, Guy, asked me to assist him on The Police Tour which was set to roll immediately. We’d be on the road for month and a half and the majority of the concerts were at outdoor venues. While flying to Virginia to start the tour I reflected on how I’d managed to climb to the number one spot and go beyond all the other merchandisers who were labeled Guy’s golden boys. Unlike them, I knew what Guy was seeking in an employee. Which was, a loyal solider who never questioned the tasks he was asked to perform and delivered results.

In 1982 I was twenty five years old and finally comfortable in my own skin. I felt like anything was possible. With that in mind, I set a new goal that I would hook up with some rock outfit and go around the world with them as their merchandiser. I’d reached all the earlier goals I set and knew I'd found the right path to succeeding in life. As the jet touched down I was thrilled to be back on the road. That first leg of The Police Tour was still resonating in my head and had me buzzing!  I mentioned in my book I was dumbfounded when Guy cut me loose after the very last concert date. I wasn’t aware I'd fucked up until I was on the jet flight heading home with a bad gut feeling about my future. All my goals were in question and my career had just hit a brick wall at full speed and I never saw it coming!

On the other hand, I met two people on that gig who'd be critical in me succeeding at my new goal. Separately, I instantly bonded with both of them, but the key parts they played in the progression of my journey didn’t ratchet into effect until later.

So, back to the tour! From day one, it was mad fun. I knew everyone on the road crew and my job inside and out. Guy was paying me a nice tidy sum of money for being his right hand man. Everyday, I was thinking, I was going to indefinitely be a concert merchandiser. My boss and I are solid! I’m focusing on the future, that I’ll be put back on The Clash Tour or some new act Guy was bidding on. SHIT, I’m firing on all eight cylinders! All of The Police concerts where at union run facilities which left plenty of time to barter and enjoy the freedom of being on the road. Those outdoor venues were always such fun and had a great vibe!   

For me, the road had become my home and when I was stationary it’s wasn’t cool! I'd been mobile for a year and a half and seduced by the lifestyle.

Imagine, whatever you fancy yourself being and then find yourself doing it. What an incredible feeling, right, that’s what I was experiencing day after day!  

The tour took me to parts of Canada and the US I’d never seen. We played some stadium gigs and a three day rock festival in California named The US festival. Looking back, I enjoyed every glorious day of that six week journey! Near the last week of the tour I had a moment to reflect on my odyssey and never felt so blessed to be alive. Life’s about the journey, at least for me it is, and this was one inconceivable jaunt! All my perseverance pertaining to succeeding was paying off. I reconfirmed my new affirmation and went about my daily routine!

On this leg of the tour, I'd wised up and stayed away from any of the previous run-ins I had with the band like on the first leg. Guy and I spent a lot of time together and he’d tell me great stories of past tours he’d been on and how he got started in the concert merchandise business. Despite Guy being a crook, he really was a brilliant merchandiser. Though, he was his own worst enemy. If he wasn’t ripping you off, he wasn’t satisfied. Guy was masterfully cunning at deception and used it to his advantage 24/7!

 The Police loved Guy! He was always invited to fly with the band night after night. Guy was tremendously entertaining to be around and added extra flavor to the cast of characters that flew on the band’s plane! It was said in my book, Guy was slick as ice and I second that nomination!!! The one great skill set of his that rubbed off on me was being able to read people. Guy was incredible at it! He’d watch a person's body mannerisms, eye contact and tone of voice and have them sized up in no time!

It’s funny how the words "what comes around goes around" apply to this tale. Because of all the dirty sneaky rat bastard things I’d done on behalf of Guy, I was about to receive a reality check, and then some. Being in cahoots with him allowed me to flourish in the concert merchandise business, but, his requests and my executing them said it was time for my karma payback. When that tour ended and I got back home it wasn't cool!

Talk to you in two weeks!

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The Clash 1982 Tour

A few days before I started The Clash Tour I reflected on how the last twelve months had been a whirl wind. I couldn't believe I was going to be running my very own tour. Over the last year I had watched and learned from all the people I was surrounded by and now I felt so ready. From that point on I was as serious as a heart attack about achieving my goal of being the best at my job. Like clock work, I had manifested into a proficient concert merchandiser as I sharpened my people skills while dealing with the band's management pertaining to concert merchandise. After that couple month journey I was golden running my own show and I saw nothing but a bright future. I soon found out as the lead person; you're so busy, that you have little time for anything but your job and the perks of it!

The first leg of the Combat Rock Tour was set at a brake neck pace compared to any previous tour I'd done. Just like U2, The Clash was driving two station wagons, one for the band and the other for the crew. We'd do a few shows in a row and then have some really long overnight drives which extended into the next day, week after week.

Everywhere we played the merchandise sold like I'd never seen and Guy was flying in and out of gigs, grabbing money left and right. As I've mentioned in my book concert merchandise can be a monster money maker and The Clash fit the bill. Almost every night we sold stacks of Clash shirts to all those loyal fans.

 Two blogs ago I remarked that when I first met U2 they didn't reek of super stardom, but, The Clash sure did. In particular, Joe Stummer's supreme arrogance said ROCK STAR with an attitude everywhere he went! Joe never veered to the left or right of that aura, and out of all the rock outfits I'd worked for he was the real deal. When he walked into a room full of individuals he owned it. People were mesmerized by his presence. One night that rings out, was in Austin, Texas while hanging around the hotel's bar with the band and crew. The collective conversation was about the next day's video shoot for the song Rock the Casbah. It was cool to watch Joe express his point of view in a very artistic way to the video's director and get his message across.

Back to concert merchandise, it's a huge instant cash generator and bands are not so quick in sharing the profits that are created. I know from being on the road that groups like the Ramones would not include new members in any of the merchandise royalties. The Rolling Stones didn't give Ron Wood a piece of the merchandise for many years. If you're on the road and not selling out venues, the nightly concert merchandise sales can be a godsend. We as humans get funny when it comes to money, and it doesn't matter if they're your band mates or not!

Today, the concert merchandise business is pretty much corporate run and they want all the instant cash flow for themselves. In the Eighties there was nothing but independent companies providing this service and that's gone forever. Corporations have such a strong hold that a person like Guy wouldn't be able to steal a dime, let alone, get a chance to! The only way to describe the vibe of this business in the early Eighties was like a Wild West frontier. It had no rules, no boundaries and an every person for himself attitude. It really was an open range of opportunity. Again, today it's so structured, that it might not be as much fun as it was then to be a concert merchandiser. But, I'm sure the perks haven't changed!

In my book I talked about key words that helped to propel me through out my five and a half year odyssey. That Clash Tour is where they all flourished into reality. I know it sounds like BS or the choir preaching, but, self belief mixed with some key words really works. This tour was a major achievement in my professional life. A couple years earlier I wasn't seeing things the way I saw them now. I fully understood LOUD& CLEAR the power of those influential words and I'm thankful to them over and over.

Talk to you in two weeks! 

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The Police 1982 Tour

The 1982 Police, Ghost in the Machine Tour, was a dream come true, at least, for me. Twelve months earlier, I was making a living nailing up aluminum siding, and now here I was working on The Police Tour rolling across America at rock & roll speed. You can imagine the feeling of pure euphoria traveling with one of the hottest rock bands of 1982 and having all the great perks of touring amplified by the band's huge success. It was truly AMAZING!!!!

I'd like to share a few snippets of that tour, excluding when Sting gave me the finger and Larue and Eric had bad blood between them. Our boss, Guy, was in so tight with the band and management that when The Police were on stage he would sometimes watch their dressing room. With crystal clarity, I remember nights hanging with Guy in the dressing room, vibe sucking, and thinking is this real? I'm Twenty four, and getting paid to do this, my god, it's good to be alive!!!

Stingo and the boys always had top shelf items. They had fun things to do while waiting to go on stage, like, arcade games and a ping pong table. The dressing room had bottles of fine wine, platters of gourmet food and a four course dinner waiting for them after the gig. The Police could do no wrong and were enjoying themselves in every way possible!

Another visual I have from that tour was when we were counting large sums of money from the merchandise sales of the night's concerts. I would watch Guy walk out of a gig night after night with a t-shirt box full of cash and just take the money and run! Like I said in my book, Guy loved flying on the band's private plane and when he walked on board with a box full of cash it only added to his high flying times.

 This tour had a lot of learning episodes for me. One that stands out in my mind is the time I made the naive mistake of leaving an after show party before my lady friend. At the next concert, the band's bellboy read me the riot act because the chick had tried to get friendly with Andy the guitar player. When Andy found out how she had gotten into the after show party, that was all she wrote. Looking back, I must say the first couple times out on the road I was star struck and green. After getting my ass chewed out, I learned this was a business and one little misstep could derail your career permanently! That tour changed me and allowed me to grow up quickly and get ready to climb my way up the ranks. On a happier note, I remember when we all got our tour jackets and how everyone was so proud to be part of the experience. The amount of blow on that tour reached the point where Guy, as a goof, had a black t- shirt made for the band and entire crew that said GAKK ATTACK. Gakk was the nickname for coke. The shirt had a picture of a shark that looked identical to the shark in the movie Jaws. Blow consumption was off the charts and the drink of choice was single malt scotch.

One night, all popped up on a long overnight drive Larue reflected the same unreal thought on how his life changed, compared to his previous job of running an ice cream distributor. He told me a great road story from when he was on tour with Peter Frampton. It was the night the band played in Little Rock, Arkansas. Sweet Connie the queen of groupies, who, was immortalized in the song We're an American Band by Grand Funk Railroad came to the show and performed her act. Larue didn't need to go into detail; I'd heard all about Sweet Connie, though, I'd never met her. As we drove into dawns light the both of us wanted this lifestyle indefinitely and saw nothing but a bright future. As I've detailed in my book, it was hard to believe two years later we would become bitter enemies.

As far as the women on that tour, Sting appealed to babes from all walks of life and the girls hanging around the backstage door didn't look like the chicks on The Pretenders Tour. These young ladies were dressed in hot, sexy, trendy clothes of the eighties and wanted to party wildly! There's more in the book about this tour, what I've written about here were some additional things I thought worth mentioning. One last story…..while flying on the band's plane in rough weather Guy was concerned they would crash. He told me Sting assured him in a very upbeat voice that the plane had Rolls Royce engines and handled brilliantly in bad weather. Plus, the plane had such a large wingspan that if the engines were to die out it would be able to glide to the ground safely, that's how confident Sting was!

Next installment, on the road with The Clash!

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U2 1982 Tour

Upon finishing the Pretenders gig Eric and I boarded a jet to New Orleans to start touring with an unknown Irish rock band named U2, which gets its name from a US spy plane. We were amped about working together with Rick not in the mix. Neither one of us knew much about the band considering how new they were to the US music scene. Eric and I met U2 as we were all checking in at the same Holiday Inn. My first intro to Bono was when he jumped out of the shot gun seat of the nine passenger station wagon he and the band were driving for most of the tour. Out steps Bono with a bible in his hand, I'm thinking, this  dude with a mullet and bible is the lead singer? Instantly, Eric and Adam, the bass player, struck up a friendship. I remember one time Adam asking Eric how he scored so many women and his reply was "I just turn on the charm!" With Eric having so much freedom on that tour, and me being in charge with his watchful eye guiding me, he got laid every night. Eric was a bitch magnet and looking like Steve Stunning didn't hurt either! I have to tell you, I was amazed to see a rock star in awe of one of the road crew, the first and only time!

 So, as I was saying, Bono was not the Bono of today, he was a young buck who'd not to long ago joined the ranks of a another up in coming rock & roll outfit touring the USA. Watching him holding that bible I kept thinking, he's not going to get laid that way! While we were meeting the band, the road crew pulled up in another station wagon and after five minutes of hellos it was crystal clear they were as straight as the band. No card games on this tour or drinking wildly into the night or womanizing. They were the most sober bunch and were here to do one thing, which was, their job! Merchandise sales were horrible and a lot of shows were not sold out. We played a bunch of club dates and the shows were one right after another, this was my first taste of a grueling tour which keeps you in constant motion day after day. Sick as it sounds, for me it was the perfect environment for learning the ropes and becoming a proficient concert merchandiser. Some nights when U2 played college gigs we'd party with some campus girls which was always great fun! On the last part of the tour we opened for the J Giels Band and from day one they treated all of us like less than zero. The merchandisers made both Eric and I feel invisible. I believe the band and road crew picked up the same vibe from the Giels band and crew. As I mentioned, in my book, U2 kicked the living shit out of the J Giels Band musically every single night and I loved how hard and from the heart U2 played. But, all the audiences were interested in was the J Giels Band. People didn't know what to think of U2, they weren't booed or anything but, people didn't really respond.

Again, U2 was the most sober straight rock outfit I ever worked for and looking back, the greatest part of that tour was watching Bono grow in leaps and bounds under the guidance of the band's manager Paul McGuiness. Instantly, just looking at McGuiness you could see the band's future was bright, the dude knew his shit! On the other hand, looking at the band, no one could have predicted how huge they would become. They didn't reek of super star, and all I saw were four young struggling Irish lads hoping to make a dent in the US rock scene. A couple weeks into the tour Bono got the look in his eye, which was STRAIGHT TO THE TOP!!! He started looking and feeling real comfy on stage and skillfully learned his trade of being a brilliant front man. Other than that, the tour was low budget compared to traveling on the Pretenders Tour. When we got word that our next gig was with the band The Police and we were going to be playing nothing but arenas I couldn't wait to bolt. Don't get me wrong, I loved U2, but the fun factor was nowhere to be found and in my eyes touring's all about having fun while doing your job! I was looking forward to hooking up with Larue who was already working The Police gig and back to hard partying! So, after a couple of months on the road with U2 we both said our goodbyes to all and Eric and I drove the van to Dallas, Texas to join The Police tour. A week or so earlier, I'd been talking to Larue on the phone and he gave me the skinny about the engagement and said "O'clock you're going to have the time of your life, see you when you arrive! Dear lord, Larue was so right!

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Next installment on the road with The Police.

 I'm thrilled & proud to announce that the The Golden Notebook Bookstore| 29 Tinker Street | Woodstock, NY 12498 | 845-679-8000 is now selling the paperback version of my book ROCK MY WORLD

Life After The Road

  Once off the road, I pondered for six months about what to do as far as making a living. Then, found my direction and used all the skill sets I had learned during the past five and half years. All the words I talked about in my book like manifestation, faith, affirmation, perseverance, karma and self belief were the nuts and bolts to building a prosperous business. Understanding these words in detail and incorporating them into my everyday life was critical to my success and are the very fabric of who I am. Once you learn these word aren't just words, but are building blocks to one's personal growth you can do whatever you put your mind to doing.

I have to tell you, out of all  the people I'd traveled and worked with while on the road I was the least likely to attain the goal of being the best at my profession. There were guys smarter and more suited for the job of concert merchandising than I was. They had accounting backgrounds as well as great people skills. In the beginning, being the only merchandiser from New Jersey working for a company that was based in LA and not being one of the bosses golden boy's left me behind the eight ball. But, out of all those people I was the only one to make it to the top and was not a kiss ass or suck up while doing so. Those simple words I just mentioned strung together and wrapped around whatever the goal I was trying to attain, propelled and thrust me past all my competition. I was driven to be the best at what I was doing and wouldn't veer to the left or right of attaining my goal. So, when I came off the road and started a business with my father, someone I trusted and loved dearly, I damn well knew we'd become the biggest little business on the block and made that my intention from jump street. In the twenty years of owning and running that business, we made nothing but money and were royally rewarded by selling our company to a competitor at a hefty price. Selling the business afforded me the opportunity to write my book and enjoy not working for a spell. All of my success stems from those words. Remember they're not just words, they're a way of life and if you focus and harness the power of those words you'll succeed beyond your wildest dreams! You will be tested by karma and self doubt, but hey, nothing comes easy, at least in the world I live in! As I mentioned in my book the banner that waved over my head said SEX, DRUGS and ROCK & ROLL and damn if I didn't get my share of all of the above for that five and a half year odyssey. During my twenty years of running my retail business the banner that waved above my head was a whole lot different, but the gearing remained the same and as I just said, brought about unreal success.

I was a terrible student in school and come from a middle class back round. Believe me when I tell you I owe all my good fortune to those words and self belief. Self belief is all it's cracked up to be, because if you don't believe in yourself no one else will either! You might find yourself having to erase and brush off old stigmas or some other negative situation, hey, that's okay! That's what builds character, just because some jerk off said you can't doesn't mean you can't. Screw that, fight for your beliefs and find it within yourself to rise above self doubt. In the early part of my life self doubt had me in a stranglehold and one day while my friend Eric was mentoring me on becoming a proficient concert merchandiser I told myself if he can do it so can I. From that day I put my insecurities to rest and marched forward persevering until I reached my first set of goals. Once you get a taste of sweet success that's on your own terms, you're hooked and on the road to utopia. Life's short, enjoy the journey be the magnet not the piece of steel that's pulled or dragged along the path of life.

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The Pretenders 1981Tour

The 1981 Pretenders gig was my first real full length tour and I'd like to share a day on the road with all you blogger's. A little back story, the pace of that 3 month journey as I mentioned in my book was easy compared to tours where it's non stop show after show. The Pretenders would do 3 performances in a row then take a day or two off for travel.

So, we'd get to the concert hall in the early afternoon, find the merchandise location and depending on if the building was a union hall (they sell the merchandise) or not, we'd start bringing that night's products into the venue. If we were selling, we'd wait until later in the day, then head backstage to hang out with the crew and get a bite to eat from the caterers. After that, it was time for a card game on the crew bus. This wasn't your normal card game! The game consisted of ten people chipping in ten dollars each to buy a gram of blow. It was chopped into ten nice size lines using a playing card, thus a card game. This activity was a daily ritual and an inexpensive way of doing blow with limited funds. Again, as I stated in my book, the Pretenders tour was all about hard partying day in and day out and I was only making $250.00 a week plus perdiem. After getting wired up and smoking some weed Eric, Rick and I would hang out around our van doing inventory or getting stuff ready for that evening's show. Like clock work, groups of girls would come up to the van and ask if we were with the band. They would say they would do anything to get back stage! At first I couldn't believe what was going on in city after city. But, the next thing I knew, following Rick's lead, I too started bartering with women. Early on, when Rick was drunk out of his mind, in his thick Texas accent, he said "Juan, you never gonna get yourself a chance like this to get you some pussy!" The man was indeed correct and I broke out of my shell and spread my wings all across the USA and then some! Pretender's chicks were dressed in new wave punk rock attire at every show we played and I soon caught myself manifesting into a real road dog that was always hungry and on the hunt! You'd ask some of these girls what they did in the 9 to 5 world and one would tell you she  was a legal secretary, another worked for a doctor, another for a lawyer and you'd think no way looking at the way she was dressed. New wave and the punk rock scene of the Eighties allowed girls to dress up in weird outfits of self expression that you don't see today. Anyhow, after bartering I loved watching the band during sound check. The boys would be jamming then Chrissie would come out and they'd do a couple numbers that they were trying to tighten up for that night's performance. But, the best part was when Jimmy would solo, playing from his heart with Martin and Pete creating a driving rhythm to his amazing guitar work. You had to be there to see and hear it! Next thing, we'd eat dinner if we weren't too wired up and get ready to sell some merchandise. After the show, back to the Holiday Inn and nonstop partying in the hotel's lounge that was full of chicks and dudes offering you all kinds of drugs to feel like they were a part of this crazy carnival of sorts. After closing out the bar a few of us would wander into a hotel room and party till dawn or score with some girl who was in the mood. This went on for three months straight and that's a typical night on the Pretenders tour! I was twenty three and having the time of my life living out my rock and roll dream, only in real time!!!!!

I'd like to extend to all you bloggers an open forum where you can ask any questions you might have about the book or provide what thoughts you have about life on the road. I would be glad to answer your questions and let the blog become a platform for all of us to communicate. So, if anybody has a question fire away and I'll answer in two weeks. If not, look for me in two weeks with another installment. 

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 I'm thrilled & proud to announce that the The Golden Notebook Bookstore| 29 Tinker Street | Woodstock, NY 12498 | 845-679-8000 is now selling the paperback version of my book ROCK MY WORLD

Writing Rock My World

First and foremost enjoy Memorial Day, there's no other country like the USA and the people who have fought and died for our freedom deserve to be honored. GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!!!

After I finished my short story I was ready to take on writing my memoir. I told myself this is my new job and I'd write 1000 words a day and nothing less. Three months later I finished the first part of the book which was the rock and roll story. The next three months I wrote my personal climb of attainment to be the most proficient concert merchandiser and about reaching my goal of going around the world with some rock & roll outfit while getting paid to do it. Then it took another three months to blend the two stories into one book. Not being a writer I must say, this was a real challenge and having no editor to take my words and amp them up as I said, left me with a mountain to climb. But, I wanted to tell my story with the belief that my book would inspire readers to say, if he can do it so can I.

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I'd never told anyone my story in full, when it came up that I'd traveled with some of the greatest rock bands of the eighties I'd play it down and intentionally change the subject. I'm not a bragger and I thought people would take my words as if I was in fact bragging. Maybe it was a good thing I kept my journey to myself, because when I went about writing it, the story streamed out of my memory in such detail that it became a lot of fun reliving my early twenties and my rock & roll journey. I hadn't thought about that part of my life due to the fact that I like living in the present and always look forward to the future.

So, I finished writing my book and sent it to over one hundred book agents. I thought that with all the bands I'd traveled with, book agents would think that the book had a built in audience of loyal rock fans who would buy the book. Not the case, every agent shot me down for one reason or another. Some of them said negative things about the drug parts of the book and others said nobody wants to know the story of some unknown who traveled with rock and roll bands of the eighties. Others felt I shouldn't have mixed two books into one because my book on inspiring people was also promoting sex drugs and rock & roll. Agents felt it was a tough sell and passed me my by over and over. My confidence was shaken to its core and all the rejection took some getting used to. Finally after three months of nothing but pure rejection and not having any other book agents to reach out to I put the book in a closet and said it wasn't meant to be. But, for those who don't know me, I LOVE to persevere, it's who I am. A year later I was having lunch with a very close friend who had read my book and asked what ever became of it. I gave him the cliff note version. He said he had really enjoyed the book and felt it should be read by others. I'd mentioned that I couldn't let the book just die and kept thinking of a way to get it out to the masses and let the general public decide if the book had legs or not. Three weeks later my friend called and asked if I had xyz amount of cash to spend. I said yes considering it wasn't a large sum of money he was talking about. He told me to send him my book file and in a week he would tell me what he was up to. A week went by and he called and told me to go to Amazon.com/ Kindle books and punch in the name of my book, Rock My World. I followed his instructions and there was my book, I must tell you I cried pure tears of joy. I called him and asked why he had taken it upon himself to perform such a beautiful gesture. He said you persevered writing it and dealing with agents. I knew this book wasn't about making money to you, it was about inspiring people to go after their dreams and not give up and now your book is a reality. Again I thanked him from the bottom of my heart and said he'd made my dream come true. He said you’re my good friend and I'm glad I could help you attain your goal of getting your book out there.

About a year has gone by since the book has been on Kindle and now it's also on Barnes & Noble's Nook. People all over America, the UK and Germany are buying it. I knew my gut feeling was right and those book agents were WRONG! I hadn't looked at the book in over two years, so I re-read it. Again, not having an editor to clean the book up was a drag. I found some typos and added a few things that I feel have improved upon it. People are paying to read my story, and the least I can do is give readers a book that flows smoothly and has no distractions. Next week it will be resubmitted to Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I appreciate all the readers who looked beyond some of my typos and other minor issues, but I feel I have really improved upon it.

Happy Memorial Day! Talk to you in two weeks.

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 I'm thrilled & proud to announce that the The Golden Notebook Bookstore| 29 Tinker Street | Woodstock, NY 12498 | 845-679-8000 is now selling the paperback version of my book ROCK MY WORLD

Before Rock My World

I hope the last two weeks have been good to you all!

Writing my memoir and not being a writer was one hell of a mountain to climb. I'd just sold my business and had time on my hands, so I decided to take on a project. Rather than jumping right into my memoir, I thought I would try to write a short story that was true and had taken place in my childhood. The first thing that came to mind was something that happened when I was a little boy growing up in Newark, New Jersey. It occurred about a year before my family moved to Livingston, New Jersey where they still live today. A quick note, a close friend of mine who writes for a living gave me one piece of advice on a great writing technique, which was, write the way you speak. I started writing and after a few minutes I found a groove and kept typing till the next thing I knew I was finished telling my little story. This gave me the incentive to say to myself now repeat this formula, only on a grand scale and that was how I began writing Rock My World. Now, I'd like to share the first piece I ever wrote, called the Power of Ice Cream, I hope you enjoy it!

                                       

                                     THE POWER OF ICE CREAM

  Nineteen sixty four, Ivy Hill Park, good old Newark, New Jersey!

 As I'm walking towards the park, I'm thinking what a perfect summer day to go play. The sun is out. Sky's bright blue and filled with giant white puffy clouds. A warm summer breeze is rustling through the green leaves of the tall oak trees that line the sidewalk. It's a perfect day to be outside and have fun!

 I enter the park through its tall wrought iron, arched gates and ponder; maybe I'll go by the sprinkler pool and see who's there. Then, I'll go play over by the big wooden fort. Mom gave me twenty five cents for ice cream, man I can't wait to hear the sound of the ice cream truck ringing its bells!

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a crowd of kids gathering around the fort, which, I immediately decide to head towards. I approach, inching closer and closer through the tight knit crowd to the center of all the interest. In the center circle stood one young enterprising lad offering hand craved tattoos for a fee. His tool of choice for administering the tattoo was a brand new Shell gasoline giveaway, an eight inch long white plastic pearl handled steak knife. Its stainless steel serrated blade gleamed in the rays of the sun.

This knife wielding sinister faced kid with his summer crew cut was a sight to behold!

For a quarter, he was offering a custom tattoo with your initials, or a really big star, cut anywhere you wanted. He was working the crowd like a barker at a carnival.

 Man this kid was calling all of us younger kids little baby's for not stepping forward to get sliced. The twelve year old had two buddies with him, both bragging and showing off their new body art. They were badgering the crowd repeating, "It's not going to hurt and the tattoo will look really cool!"

Then to my amazement, one really gullible 8 year old hands over two dimes and a nickel to the twelve year old for a tattoo. Instantly, his two friends grab the kid and hold his arm. The twelve year olds face grew flush with excitement as he went to work on the recipients arm.

From my point of view, the inner circle looked like demons at work.

 First cut, no real blood, just a trickle and the 8 year old kept his cool. Next slice, not so lucky, it got gory. But, that didn't stop the twelve year old from finishing the first initial.

Now this kid whose arm was being held by the two really nasty looking cross eyed Chinese brothers starts to panic and begins to flail about. The goofier of the two brothers snidely says, "Stand still, you're not going anywhere!" These two slant eyed brothers were howling in some sick demon like trance during the entire ordeal. Meanwhile, the knife wielding twelve year old finished cutting initials in this terrified 8 year old kid as the entire crowd looked on in wide eyed silence.

The sudden sound of jingling bells in the distance broke the spell of evil that hummed around the fort. The crying 8 year old with his arm still being held by one of the brothers, finally dared to look down at his shiny crimson tattoo that bore the letters RT. Believe it or not, despite the one deep slice, steak knife boy did a fine carving job! The whole time the twelve year old was performing his skills, he hadn't spoken a word. He now asked the other crossed eyed brother to get him an ice cream from the arriving Good Humor truck. The rest of the crowd started disappearing from the fort area and were darting towards the sound of the bells. What kid doesn't love ice cream, coming from the Good Humor truck?

In a devilish voice, with a wicked grin on his face, the twelve year old says to the still sobbing 8 year old who had wrapped his white tee shirt around his forearm, "Thanks for the twenty five cents; I really wanted ice cream in the worst way!"

Next entry in my blog will strictly be on Rock My World, talk with you in two weeks time!

Follow us on Facebook @ Rock My World

 I'm thrilled & proud to announce that the The Golden Notebook Bookstore| 29 Tinker Street | Woodstock, NY 12498 | 845-679-8000 is now selling the paperback version of my book ROCK MY WORLD