MOG BIO: DECEMBER 2008
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Wow…..everyone's really doing it. Guess it's time to "fess up".
Since this is a music site, I'd say 1973 is when it became real for me.
Walking through the dorms at Albany State University in NY, I heard a jam going on that I dug and went into the room. Steve Cohen, playing bass, told me I should check out his band "Neon Park". Sure, man. Why not?
I went to check them out and even though they were a college band doing 3-4 sets a night of covers, besides the usual they were also covering Zappa, Beefheart, and Yes. This was trippin' me out. I became a fan and went to see them every weekend, sometimes twice. I got plowed at all of their shows, but somehow I (usually) made it back to my room. Meanwhile, I was listening to late night college radio, and actually making friends with some DJ's that played cool shit. It was fuckin' cold in Albany, so days didn't really matter.
Then Springsteen happened. I heard this album "Greetings From Asbury Park" that blew my mind. This guy had his own shit going on. I ended up seeing the album cover hung on someone else's dorm room, and we ended up becoming friends and going to any shows we could. At that time, they were usually around $2-$5 a pop with 20-30 of us in the audience. Maybe it was too cold to go out where we were, but we had to go. He'd actually recognize us at the gigs—"Hey Donnie!! How are ya, Wayne??". "The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle" just kept it going through '74.
Fast forward. Even though I had a glimpse of what I wanted to pursue, my parents talked me out of taking a job I knew about in Nashville as a janitor in a recording studio in '75. Probably a decent move, even though I ended up taking that same job in NY later. Some sort of business sense came out of college, which has been useful. But meanwhile, I spent my summer months at home in NY, driving a cab. A great week was when Bruce played the Bottom Line, 2 shows a night. I'd pick up my cab at 4, smoke some joints, do a bunch of trips, then park in the East Village and go see Bruce twice a night. At the end of the last show I met the owner of the Bottom Line, Allen Pepper, who became my friend much later. "You'll never see anything like that again" was a ballpark quote. He was right. I had to answer for my empty trip sheets to the cab company, but hey—biz was slow that week!
Back to Albany. Somehow (go figure) we had a scene going on. "Neon Park" had moved on, added Val Haynes to sing and become "The Units". We were still friends, and all of a sudden they were writing original music and fitting it into their sets. Those were my favorite songs!! This was a whole new concept. At the same time, a commercial radio station actually began playing alternative music! Around '77 WQBK emerged in Albany and DJ's like Lin Brehmer were part of our "extended family". Meanwhile, another local band called "Blotto" had kind of a hit with "I Wanna Be a Lifeguard", while "The Units" were being signed by Miles Copeland to IRS Records (as "Fear of Strangers") and doing gigs in NY at CBGB's. This was the beginning of another part of my life.
I started doing freelance gigs at CB's in the mid 70's as a "sound guy" for a lot of bands. I had stumbled into another scene, but this one was kind of huge. Can you say, "life changing experience"? It had it's good sides and bad.
I got lucky. Besides being at what I think was the epicenter of a NY scene in those days (it actually started earlier for me and I got lucky with the Warhol crew as well), I somehow came out healthy. I ended up "on staff" at CB's and while working on gigs covering Blondie, the Ramones, the Talking Heads, Television the NY Dolls and the Dead Boys, I somehow survived drugs. It was that heavy. Fun, but heavy. I don't know how I pulled this one off, but I did.
So, where did this go? I realized that if I didn't need a "puke bucket" under the soundboard and kept meeting talented people, I was really good at what I was doing and might be able to enjoy my life doing it. I took a day job at RPM Studios in NY and engineered on albums featuring Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Steely Dan, Chaka Khan and Material, but the live sound thing progressed faster, as I worked with artists like Suzanne Vega when "Luka" came out and the B-52's when "Love Shack" hit. I did a lot of huge tours mixing front-of-house sound, but my heart was always as a producer/artist.
These days I mostly work on alternative music with influences like Radiohead and Tom Waits, but still loving flat-out pop. Looking back, it all makes sense. Besides now being an artist myself, I'm still producing albums and doing periodic live tours, but I'm still mostly focused on new artists, their development and things getting them heard. My "Altered States" CD was meant to be a vehicle for artists like Rachael Yamagata, Pete Yorn, Inara George, Gary Jules, Jesca Hoop and others to be heard. While I've been lucky enough to work with KCRW in LA to make that happen, my friend Nic Harcourt has become an absolute icon globally for getting new things heard and I love that association.
It may be a lot warmer in Santa Monica than it was in Albany, but I guess it's not about the weather.
Comments (31)
Wow - no one cares about RD?
Well, let me be the first then . . .
You rule, dude! You totally rule.
In fact, "you are the wind beneath my wings"
dude
;-)
hah! thanks for the "love", dave......sometimes it gets lonely on MOG!
It also gets lonely in outer space (and no one can hear you scream)
But - whattya gonna do?
so impressed you were there during the time all those great bands were just getting a name for themselves. you tip your cab drivers well? heh heh.
Some might say you were lucky, but as Branch Rickey said (I think), "Luck is the residue of design." If you didn't have the chops it never would've happened. Glad you made it through (selfishly), just so I could hear the story. Thanks for posting.
i'm with brittany. i'm really impressed you survived NYC's heyday. as a sound guy, what r your thoughts on wearing earplugs to concerts? just curious
Come back to the East Coast man.
hey--thanks for the comments.
britt--i DEFINITELY tip!
CB--thanks a ton! BR's an icon to me, by the way (whether he said that or not).
CR--my thought on earplugs are that i wish i started using them earlier! i have ones that are molded to my ears and better for hearing than the plugs you buy in stores. best money you can spend. i also listen too loud in the studio when i'm working due to many years of live work. i got used to the "pump" of a PA. i've been reeling that in lately though.
L--always gonna be a new yorker. still got my flat there. spent 6 months last year, but this year zilch so far. i REALLY miss this time of year there!
great post!!! i love moggers! i can't imagine what cbgb was like then. you were blessed. and i was wasting my time on tour with hippies. ever see end of the century? the ramones flick. it gave me a good taste.
dude.....i had a BLAST with the Dead as well. i woke up with a bong in those days and did acid 'til it didn't work any more. almost died hitching to SF from a Dead show in Eugene. i was in a sleeping bag in the back of a truck, tripping. figured it'd be a fun trip. the guy riding shotgun got tired and we swapped seats and it was lucky. as we listened to bootleg cassettes and smoked joints, the driver fell asleep at the wheel with his eyes open and heading at 80mph towards oncoming traffic. i grabbed the wheel and woke him up to hit the brake. i ended up driving the rest of the way.
i don't miss the drug stuff at all....i think the word "blessed" means that i survived, but yeah i was also blessed to be involved in some great scenes. the ramones flick is great. i've also got a bunch of books with tons of photos. if you get real bored, there's a picture of me behind the console at CB's in the 70's on Myspace. if i figure out which computer the original's in, i'll post it here.
Robin, in my next life, I want to come back as you...
Anna--maybe we'll swap. one life at a time, girl......
"I somehow came out healthy" - wow, I hear that one man. The Hollywood scene at the same time was pretty full on as well and looking back I wonder how so many of us came out the other side relatively unscathed.
That must have been a gas seeing someone as talented as Springsteen with so few people in the room.
Good memories - thanks for sharing with us. Looking forward to what you do next.
and where's yours, JI?? you looked quite unscathed when we met in London!
It ain't that I don't care, Robin. It's just that a lot has gotten lost in the shuffle this past month, whether through tech problems or things of a more personal nature. In any event, great account. A veritable rock pilgrim's progress. it's like we went to different schools together - taking different majors, though. Still hoping to connect in L.A. when my banged-up leg is back at full strength.
Great blog. Made me dig out my copy of 'Solitude Standing' and there it was - 'Sound Engineer: Robin Danar'! I remember my family getting that album on casette when I was 8, and listening to it all throughout a camping holiday on the edge of Lake Garda. Good times.
great tour as well! covered the globe on and off for almost 3 years!
Hey RD - I'm a few days behind in reading/responses - we MAY have crossed paths at Albany State - I was there in '75 but had to drop out in after 2 months .... loved the quad BUT often got confused which corner my dorm was on after a late night. Later went to Stony Brook U and lived up to its nick:) Thanks for bringing me back to the time when concerts were cheap and I could stay up all night.
Have to admit to more than a bit of jealousy of your times at CBGBs and other E Village clubs. I never got to experience that until my daughter moved to the East Village for college.
not quite the same experience, but a great place to live. NYU? they own the village........
Yes NYU - she can't afford the area now that she's graduated - she had to move to Astoria
the Astoria Diner rules.........
Driving a cab in the mid '70s around NYC, you could write a book on that alone. Nice life.
My only time at The Bottom Line was to see Kris Kristofferson (whose work I really didn't know) easily one of the best shows I've ever seen, the place had a lot to do with it as well.
Great write up.
hah. yeah, the NY cabbie thing is a story. but......your photo?? classic!
the BL was the shit back then. only problem? minimal food backstage. no deli platters, but only a couple of Lido cookies. we'd fight over 'em.
No, not my photo. That's a friend I haven't seen in a few years: read here: CLICK!
so......we've hung. we just didn't know it! thanks for the "click".
HOW did I miss this? Busy life I suppose. Taking some downtime to catch up on my MOGger favs to read. I really liked what you had to say Robin. It goes to show you gotta start somewhere, and then what you want in life can blossom if you really want it. If you can dream it... you can do it. Thanks for sharing!
glad you dug it, KL.......thanks! i've had a blast reading these posts by others and in spite of the initial fears, i actually had a good time writing it!
You've had a really exciting life so far, as you've deftly narrated it. Great post. Also, I love the unnamed Led Zeppelin track, new to me. Freeform but not too random, in their expert hands.
hey spike......thank for diggin' it. these "confessional" bios ended up pretty cool.....i read a bunch of stuff about the peeps i hang with here.
as far as the Zep track, it actually IS named "The Song Remains the Same" and it's always been one of my faves of theirs.
Sorry i'm late in Robin....actually i was going to comment awhile ago but got sidetracked with god only knows what and forgot.
Still excuses aside.... this was a fanfrickintastic read!
A career that keeps getting better and better is what i'm seeing and hearing.
The Zep song kicks major and JP and Bonzo are ripping in this one.
As far as all that hmmm. alternate state stuff is concerned i always thought the saying was "Don't say No"...good thing they came out with those Tshirts that corrected that lost in translation moment!
hah--nice little "Altered States" ref there.......
regarding the lost in translations? it's have to be a HUGE T-shirt!
happy new year!