Dining with Daddy...(or Lunch-styles of the Rich and Famous)
Mar 17, 2018 22:10:36 GMT
Post by Boozin' Susan on Mar 17, 2018 22:10:36 GMT
Name dropping. It's pretty much STeVE's raison d'etre for maintaining his vanity site. Because how would we know he was "a legend in the biz" if he didn't constantly tell us how many famous people he knew?
But, of all the tales STeVE tells about his hobnobbing, nothing captures the imagination quite like one of his many accounts of having lunch with noted notables.
In fact, STeVE's lunchtime exploits have long been a topic of discussion at Stereo Central – partly because the tales are so gripping – but mostly because the people Daddy dined with are now dead (therefore unable to challenge Hoffman's claims).
This thread is therefore dedicated to all of Tonmeister's mealtime meetings.
A few to start with:
Subject: Brian Wilson
Told by STeVE on: March 26, 2007
Status of subject on this date: living (well, kinda)
I heard WILD HONEY album back when it came out and was unmoved; the murky fake stereo sound and really bad pressing probably had a lot to do with it. I heard it again in the early 1980's when the "Mastered By Capitol" mono LP reissue (on that blue-green label) came out and fell in love with it. It's a love affair that has lasted all these years. The Capitol reissue LP was cut flat from the mono master tape and the change in "quality" from song to song I thought was very charming and still do. ("Here Comes The Night" sounds like it was recorded and mixed under a bus.)
When you play the album, please note that most of the songs are still "fragments" disguised as actual full length songs. Examples? "A Thing Or Two". Actually just two little fragments of music, each used several times (joined by splicing tape) with different words over them. Same for "Darlin". Even at the very tail of the fadeout you can hear the verse music starting over again before the song is "cut". I can't imagine why they did it this way but it does work in THIS context!
I've had lunch with Brian Wilson several times at Jerry's Deli in Studio City and each time he is humming something from the WILD HONEY album. It must mean something to him.
(First time I saw Brian eating in Jerry's I was with Tom Port and Karla. He was by himself eating a sandwich. I marveled that no one came near him or ever recognized him. The second time I saw him in there eating alone I sauntered over to him and said "Hi, Brian, what'cha working on?" He invited me to sit down and we talked about SMiLE for a while. He was still humming "Aren't You Glad" from WILD HONEY though!) Third time I saw him in there I managed to catch his eye and he waved me over (phew, he remembered me). Never could actually enjoy my meal though; too nervous. I mean, this is Brian friggin' Wilson, one of my personal heroes!)
End of personal name-drop.
Subject: Alfred Hitchcock
Told by STeVE on: April 8, 2002
Status of subject on this date: dead
Hitchcock made a bunch of clunkers in his long career (The Paradine Case, etc.) but I don't think that we should listen to Hitch being self-critical in his later years about his earlier work.
I mean, if John Lennon had his way, he would have destroyed the master tapes of the first 6 Beatles albums.
Most artists are critical of their stuff. Big deal I say!
When you say that he came to dispise the fact that he considered some of his movies no more than filmed plays, I say, "Yeah duh".
Dial M For Murder" comes to mind. "Lifeboat" too, I guess, but geez, it took place on a boat for God's sake! But remember, he filmed them. No one twisted his arm to do them in that stilted sort of way. No one made him do it. So, why did he? He liked it at the time. He also liked "Sabatour", the total opposite filming style. So, why did he? That's the question.
Since I worked at Universal (in the accounting mail room) just after I was out of school), I saw Hitchcock every day at work. Not to be a name dropper, but a few of us used to go hang around his office at lunch time. Once in a while, he invited us in ("Yes!"!!!) and that was amazing. I was shaking in my boots to be in his company, and that's no lie.
He mentioned once that legal troubles, and legal troubles alone were the reason that "Vertigo", "Rear Window", "Harry", etc. were not in release. He said it was a dispute with Paramount and Universal, and he hoped it would end soon, because he loved "Rear Window". So, go figure.
Of course "Shadow Of A Doubt" was a David O. Selznick film, and "Rope" was WB, but since it was pre 1948, someone else owned it. But Hitch had no legal control over these movies whatsoever....
Sorry for the ramble!
Subject: Al Bell, Bobby Bland, B.B. King
Told by STeVE on: June 12, 2003
Status of subject on this date: all alive
In 1984 I had lunch with Al Bell (Stax producer), Bobby "Blue" Bland and B. B. King. Since I was the only white dude at MCA who probably even knew who Bobby Bland was and could name all his records, they asked me in passing if I wanted to eat with them on the lot. Even though I had just had my lunch I wasn't crazy so I said YES!
We all ordered Cobb Salads by the way.
I asked Al Bell: WHY DO BLACK OLDIES COMPILATIONS STIFF? (Having compiled many of them on paper and them being rejected).
He and Bobby and B. B. then talked about it for about 40 minutes. The short version?
Traditionally, the black music buying public only bought the CURRENT thing. They had no interest in "deep background" of their music. So the younger black music buyer of today buys RAP of course. Their parents are not interested in their recent music past, being aware of saving their money for a rainy day.
Therefore, there is no BLACK market for reissue comps. Only a WHITE market for them, so if the reissue is too obscure, NOBODY buys it.
Now, I'm not making this stuff up, honest. It IS a cultural thing. That's why Bobby Bland and BB were at MCA; they were making a NEW album, because their OLD albums didn't sell more that 100 units a year....
Subject: Mike Love
Told by STeVE on: Dec. 23, 2007
Status of subject on this date: alive
In fact, I think the reason we even ate at that place at all was because Mike seemed to like it so much. At any rate, had many a candid conversation with him. An interesting, friendly guy, funny, not bitter, sort of at piece with the world and charming. On the other hand, my buddy and I were possibly the only two people in the world that never asked anything of Mike so maybe that is why he was so friendly. We talked current music, movies, the good old days, old cars and the ways of human nature. We never talked much about the BB's but he constantly was humming old BB songs and once broke spontaneously into SHUT DOWN while we were eating. That was great...
(There are many more, but I want to get these up before my tablet's browser craps out and loses everything...)
But, of all the tales STeVE tells about his hobnobbing, nothing captures the imagination quite like one of his many accounts of having lunch with noted notables.
In fact, STeVE's lunchtime exploits have long been a topic of discussion at Stereo Central – partly because the tales are so gripping – but mostly because the people Daddy dined with are now dead (therefore unable to challenge Hoffman's claims).
This thread is therefore dedicated to all of Tonmeister's mealtime meetings.
A few to start with:
Subject: Brian Wilson
Told by STeVE on: March 26, 2007
Status of subject on this date: living (well, kinda)
Steve Hoffman said:
I Love Wild HoneyI heard WILD HONEY album back when it came out and was unmoved; the murky fake stereo sound and really bad pressing probably had a lot to do with it. I heard it again in the early 1980's when the "Mastered By Capitol" mono LP reissue (on that blue-green label) came out and fell in love with it. It's a love affair that has lasted all these years. The Capitol reissue LP was cut flat from the mono master tape and the change in "quality" from song to song I thought was very charming and still do. ("Here Comes The Night" sounds like it was recorded and mixed under a bus.)
When you play the album, please note that most of the songs are still "fragments" disguised as actual full length songs. Examples? "A Thing Or Two". Actually just two little fragments of music, each used several times (joined by splicing tape) with different words over them. Same for "Darlin". Even at the very tail of the fadeout you can hear the verse music starting over again before the song is "cut". I can't imagine why they did it this way but it does work in THIS context!
I've had lunch with Brian Wilson several times at Jerry's Deli in Studio City and each time he is humming something from the WILD HONEY album. It must mean something to him.
(First time I saw Brian eating in Jerry's I was with Tom Port and Karla. He was by himself eating a sandwich. I marveled that no one came near him or ever recognized him. The second time I saw him in there eating alone I sauntered over to him and said "Hi, Brian, what'cha working on?" He invited me to sit down and we talked about SMiLE for a while. He was still humming "Aren't You Glad" from WILD HONEY though!) Third time I saw him in there I managed to catch his eye and he waved me over (phew, he remembered me). Never could actually enjoy my meal though; too nervous. I mean, this is Brian friggin' Wilson, one of my personal heroes!)
End of personal name-drop.
Subject: Alfred Hitchcock
Told by STeVE on: April 8, 2002
Status of subject on this date: dead
Steve Hoffman said:
Robert,Hitchcock made a bunch of clunkers in his long career (The Paradine Case, etc.) but I don't think that we should listen to Hitch being self-critical in his later years about his earlier work.
I mean, if John Lennon had his way, he would have destroyed the master tapes of the first 6 Beatles albums.
Most artists are critical of their stuff. Big deal I say!
When you say that he came to dispise the fact that he considered some of his movies no more than filmed plays, I say, "Yeah duh".
Dial M For Murder" comes to mind. "Lifeboat" too, I guess, but geez, it took place on a boat for God's sake! But remember, he filmed them. No one twisted his arm to do them in that stilted sort of way. No one made him do it. So, why did he? He liked it at the time. He also liked "Sabatour", the total opposite filming style. So, why did he? That's the question.
Since I worked at Universal (in the accounting mail room) just after I was out of school), I saw Hitchcock every day at work. Not to be a name dropper, but a few of us used to go hang around his office at lunch time. Once in a while, he invited us in ("Yes!"!!!) and that was amazing. I was shaking in my boots to be in his company, and that's no lie.
He mentioned once that legal troubles, and legal troubles alone were the reason that "Vertigo", "Rear Window", "Harry", etc. were not in release. He said it was a dispute with Paramount and Universal, and he hoped it would end soon, because he loved "Rear Window". So, go figure.
Of course "Shadow Of A Doubt" was a David O. Selznick film, and "Rope" was WB, but since it was pre 1948, someone else owned it. But Hitch had no legal control over these movies whatsoever....
Sorry for the ramble!
Subject: Al Bell, Bobby Bland, B.B. King
Told by STeVE on: June 12, 2003
Status of subject on this date: all alive
Steve Hoffman said:
Sigh. I know the answer (at least I think I do.)In 1984 I had lunch with Al Bell (Stax producer), Bobby "Blue" Bland and B. B. King. Since I was the only white dude at MCA who probably even knew who Bobby Bland was and could name all his records, they asked me in passing if I wanted to eat with them on the lot. Even though I had just had my lunch I wasn't crazy so I said YES!
We all ordered Cobb Salads by the way.
I asked Al Bell: WHY DO BLACK OLDIES COMPILATIONS STIFF? (Having compiled many of them on paper and them being rejected).
He and Bobby and B. B. then talked about it for about 40 minutes. The short version?
Traditionally, the black music buying public only bought the CURRENT thing. They had no interest in "deep background" of their music. So the younger black music buyer of today buys RAP of course. Their parents are not interested in their recent music past, being aware of saving their money for a rainy day.
Therefore, there is no BLACK market for reissue comps. Only a WHITE market for them, so if the reissue is too obscure, NOBODY buys it.
Now, I'm not making this stuff up, honest. It IS a cultural thing. That's why Bobby Bland and BB were at MCA; they were making a NEW album, because their OLD albums didn't sell more that 100 units a year....
Subject: Mike Love
Told by STeVE on: Dec. 23, 2007
Status of subject on this date: alive
Steve Hoffman said:
As I've written before, we used to eat lunch with Mike Love at least once a week (1980-86) at that health food dump on Cahuenga a few blocks south of Lankersheim in Uni City. It was on the east side of the street in a little strip mall by the freeway. Anyone in the biz remember that place? Still there for all I know (but I doubt it). Smoothies, avocado sandwiches, etc.?In fact, I think the reason we even ate at that place at all was because Mike seemed to like it so much. At any rate, had many a candid conversation with him. An interesting, friendly guy, funny, not bitter, sort of at piece with the world and charming. On the other hand, my buddy and I were possibly the only two people in the world that never asked anything of Mike so maybe that is why he was so friendly. We talked current music, movies, the good old days, old cars and the ways of human nature. We never talked much about the BB's but he constantly was humming old BB songs and once broke spontaneously into SHUT DOWN while we were eating. That was great...
(There are many more, but I want to get these up before my tablet's browser craps out and loses everything...)