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
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.
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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
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