THE TROUBADOUR FAMILY REUNION…DO YOU “QUALIFY” TO ATTEND?

When I heard about the Troubadour Family Reunion, a friend of mine who was one of the Monday “Hoot Night regulars said, “I don’t remember seeing you there…you don’t “qualify”…it’s only for people who were there on Monday nights!”

I was livid, as I reviewed my long history at the club which included hanging out with many stars who performed there and as well as vigorously supporting new singer/songwriters that “Hootmaster” Roger Perry presented on Monday nights.

It was right outside the Troubadour when my friend Shel Silverstein convinced me that I could be as creative working for a publishing company as I could be as a songwriter. It was at the club that I hung out with some of the writers I represented before they released their first albums including Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, and the Eagles, which is all detailed in my new book, “I DID IT FOR A SONG”.

I even made a fool of myself a few times when I passed out into my coconut ice cream in the first row at Jimmy Webb’s opening and sang drunken harmony from the balcony with AMERICA and had to be quieted down.

I remember sitting one night with Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack, and my girlfriend who had one Quaalude too many at the Cheech and Chong opening. When Stevie asked his companion to describe the action on stage my girlfriend yelled out, “What’s the Matter…Are you blind or something?”

Another night I was sitting with Sonny and Cher, when David Geffen and Cher’s eyes met and they became tabloid headlines. I was an occasional music critic for Cashbox magazine, and from the balcony gave Don McLean, and “American Pie” one of the first national reviews.

I was the guy who Atlantic Records’ Jerry Wexler thought enough of to take around from table to table and tell other reviewers what I thought of John Prine’s performance and stellar songwriting ability.

When I mentioned all of this to that friend of mine who was one of the Monday night hoot regulars he said, “I still don’t remember seeing you there…you don’t “qualify”…it’s only for people were there on Monday nights!” Then I looked at the Reunion’s website and it said the same thing.

Then I started to get angrier. I wrote last week how I brought Olivia Newton-John into the Troubadour Bar on a Monday night to impress all of my friends as well as the industry “heavies” who held court at the bar.  https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2011/01/04/the-troubadour-family-reunion/ It was also on a Monday night when Glenn Frye and Randy Meisner of the Eagles wrestled me to the ground, took my highly polished Frye boots with “sissified” custom built platform heels, and threw them onto Santa Monica Boulevard as a joke.

The “Troub”on Monday nights, was where I met and became friendly with journalists Peter Greenberg, Todd Everett, Chris Van Ness, Digby Diehl, Cameron Crowe, David Rensen and publicists Billy James, Corb Donahue, Bob Gibson, David Sweeny, Gary Stromberg, managers Abe Hoch, Herbie Cohen, Peter Rachtman, Jerry Heller, and Elliot Roberts.

When I became the General Professional manager and director of Creative Services for three and a half years at Warner Brothers Music, I insisted that each of my four songpluggers maintain a presence at the club at least twice a week, sometimes bringing as many as 10 guests on “Hoot Night”. This effort wasn’t lost on the late owner Doug Weston, who bought me a drink from time to time, in appreciation for all the business I’d bring in.

One of the things I’m proudest of in my professional life.life is helping to introduce “Karaoke” to America. In my last promotion for the Singing Machine Company, Doug Weston gave me a half hour on a Monday Night for me to sing over tracks and demonstrate this remarkable device. It was one of the first times, I’m told that recorded music was allowed to be used in a live performance at the venue.

I started the show with songs everybody knew like “Sweet Caroline”, which they could sing along to, then I invited five of my friends (including journalists, Lita Eliscu, and Ellen Sander) up on stage to sing the chorus of a controversial song I just recorded called “WHITE WOMEN IN HEAT”. Although I got a standing ovation from the packed room, I was fired the next day by the Singing Machine Company for my “QUESTIONABLE” choice of material.

I ask myself why am I getting so worked up about all of this “Reunion Stuff”, I’m too disabled to attend the event anyway…but I wanted to set the record straight about the important part the Troubadour has played in my life and the place it has in my heart.. If anyone still thinks that I don’t “Qualify” to be part of this event, if only in spirit…they can “Kiss My Past!”

Copyright 2011 by Artie Wayne- https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/about-artie-wayne/

To find out more about THE TROUBADOUR FAMILY REUNION click on to www.troubadourfamilyreunion.com/

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MY BOOK, “I DID IT FOR A SONG http://artiewayne.com/book.html

Picture at top Doug Weston outside The Troubadour Remastered, colored and redesigned by “Lezlie Sokol” ~ at Painted Cloud Photography © 2010 http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1581289451558&set=a.1461857505834.64834.1215335979#!/profile.php?id=1215335979&v=info

Picture in middle l to r Tom Rush, Michael Ochs, Allan Rinde, Elliot Roberts, and James Taylor at the Troubadour Bar.

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