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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