2 posts tagged “jo whiley”

I head over to The Scala to speak at a part of Julian Hedley's "lost in Music Seminar"   He set it up in 1992 when Blur lost a lot of money through mismanagement and as their accountant he wanted to make sure this didn't happen to any other up and coming bands.   It's a decent crowd, quite young, all aspiring managers and musicians, a fair few asymetric haircuts in there.   My panel is a little dry working on the assumption that the audience knows nothing.   We explain about publishing deals, collection societies.   it picks up when we move on to discuss the future of the music business.   A guy from

Frukt talks about brand partnerships.   I bang on about the shrinking number of majors, the expanding role of indies, especially those affiliated to majors, DRM free music files, people swapping music on mobiles.
   After I finish I go up to the bar at the top where Jo Whiley is waiting to interview Damon.   He bowls in looking very suave in a pin stripe.   I watch him give one of the best interviews as he explains how the "Lost in Music" panel first came to be through the problems Blur had with their first manager.   he tells this wonderful anecdote about the early days of the band when he booked a rehearsal space over in Hackney and waited for the rest of the band to turn up.   Three hours later and no sign of the band.   Furious he jumps on the train to New Cross where where Alex and Graham lived and kicked in the door to their flat.   He found them both drunk, having a party, Alex playing "Moon River" sat at the piano.   "That" he says "Is what being in a band is like every day.   It wqould be so easy to give up, to feel that the road ahead is insurmountable, but you have to persevere if you want success."   Such true words.