Weisner Ron - Listen out loud : a life in music : managing McCartney, Madonna, and Michael Jackson

A Life in MusicManaging McCartney, Madonna, and Michael Jackson

RON WEISNER

with Alan Goldsher

LYONS PRESS

Guilford, Connecticut

An imprint of Globe Pequot Press

Copyright 2014 by Ron Weisner

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Globe Pequot Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, PO Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437.

Lyons Press is an imprint of Globe Pequot Press.

All photos courtesy of the author.

Project editor: Meredith Dias

Text design: Sheryl P. Kober

Layout artist: Mary Ballachino

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

eISBN 978-1-4930-1084-4

For my children and grandchildren... for going along and never having to put up with a normal person, who was gone quite a bit. And to my mom, who recently passed, for always believing in me and encouraging me to achieve my dreams.

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

by Gladys Knight

Let me tell you about Ron Weisner.

Some folks who manage musicians, theyll find an artist and hear some potential, some talent, and a catchy song or two, and theyll want to get on the boat, without much thought as to how they can help the singer rise above everything out there. Theyll see dollar signs and will do what they can to squeeze every last cent out of the artist as quickly as possible, often to the detriment of his or her art, career, and life. They think about what theyll do for the artist next week, not next year.

Thats not Ron. Ron thinks big picture. In other words, he might suggest you make a musical or personal choice that might not make sense to you in the moment, but if you listen to him and have patience, itll pay off big for you three years later.

Now Ron, he has a great ear... and sure, lots of people have great ears, but Rons ears can hear the Real Thing. But in Rons mind, the Real Thing is more than potential, talent, and some nice tunes. The Real Thing is about heart, and kindness, and professionalism. The Real Thing is about striving for perfection, about using your gifts to the best of your abilities. The Real Thing sets you apart from the person who just wants to be famous and make money. And thats why I was so honored to have him as my manager, because I knew Ron saw the other side, the whole packageGladys the singer and Gladys the woman. The passion and loyalty Ron has for his artists, his business associates, and his friends are unmatched.

I tend to believe that people are basically honest, fair, and good, but over the years I learned that some representatives speak to you with a silver tongue, going on and on about what theyll do for you, but, in reality, its all about what you can do for them. There are countless singers who have had their careers ruined and their bank accounts emptied by those sorts of hucksters. And, sure, Ron wanted to make money for everyone, but it was more important to him that you succeed, both professionally and personally. Trust me, thats rare in a manager.

Now, with the music industry in such flux and turmoil, its the perfect time for Ron to tell his story. Theres a whole new generation of representatives, producers, and executives who could stand to learn from his experience. And if they take what he has to say to heart, maybe, just maybe, they can make our entertainment world a little bit better.

INTRODUCTION

Michael Jacksons issues with prescription drugs began in 1983, after he was horribly burned during an accident on the set of a Pepsi commercial. He was prescribed pain medication to help him deal with the burns on his head; considering his addictive personality, I wasnt surprised when he got hooked.

As is probably the case with most any celebrity, Michael never had any problem getting meds; he had several acquaintances who I liked to call concierge doctors, quacks who would dole out any drug that Michael asked for, any time he wanted. His inner circle was no help. Almost immediately after I was fired, Michael surrounded himself with yes-men who didnt have the balls to tell Michael that he needed to clean up. Instead of stepping up and trying to help their benefactor, they facilitated him.

There were other people in Michaels life who attempted interventions, none of whom came close to helping. Whenever I tried to discuss the drug situation, he immediately tuned out and moved on to another topic. His sister LaToya, a nice lady whose horrible reputation was, to me, exaggerated, was the only person in the family who consistently tried to help Michael and had the same experience. He doesnt want to deal with it, she told me. Whenever I say something about it, he gets upset and walks out of the room.

You guys are dealing with it all wrong, I said. Youre making a big mistake. If it was my brother, Id snatch him. Id get some people to grab him, take him to some rehab facility in the middle of nowhere, and stay with him until he was okay. But he doesnt want to hear about it, and he doesnt want to deal with it, so stop asking, and start doing. Thats the only option.

By the time 2006 rolled around, Id had some version of this conversation with LaToya at least ten times. At least.

Unless you knew Michael when he was on, you might not have been able to notice the effects of the drugs. To me, Michael on drugs was a shadow of his sober self, and even after the way he dumped me, I still cared about the guyI couldnt help itso I called LaToya and told her, Lets do this. Lets get him fixed. Ill put together a team, Ill arrange for an airplane, Ill find the right facility. Ill put everything in place, and pay for it myself. You dont have to do anything except to tell me exactly where hes going to be at the appointed day and time.

LaToya gave me the go-ahead, and I began making plans. But that wasnt as easy as it mightve been had Michael been in the country.

His situation had escalated so badly that he escaped to Bahrain, where Prince Abdullah Hamad Al Khalifa provided Michael with the cash he needed to maintain the lifestyle to which hed become accustomed. Worst of all, the sheiks star-fucking son was making sure he had all the drugs he wanted. Had Michael been in LA, I couldve set it all up with one quick phone call, but with him on the other side of the world, it took months of calls and thousands of dollars.

On May 15, two days before the kidnappingand yes, thats exactly what this was, a kidnappingI got a call from LaToya, who was, to put it mildly, freaking out. You gotta stop it you gotta stop it you gotta stop it!

I let her go on in this vein for a minute or three, then interrupted her: LaToya, its not that easy. It took a lot of work to set it up, and itll take even more work to call it off.

I dont care! You gotta stop it you gotta stop it you gotta stop it.

She seemed more than a little unhinged, and I was frankly afraid of what would happen if I refusedshe might mention my plan to the wrong person, whod mention it to another wrong person, and Id be screwed. So I stopped it all: The airplane, the rehab facility, the team, everything came to a halt. It cost me more money than Id care to admit, a couple of friendships, and a business relationship or two, but I pulled the plug. In retrospect, it was probably for the best because, as one of my attorneys pointed out, there was little question that John Law would view this as a kidnapping, rather than an attempt to help a colleague, and kidnapping, lest we forget, is a federal crime. (The lawyer wasnt too concerned, though: You gotta do what you gotta do, he said. Just dont assassinate anybody.)