Major pain

>> Former Warner exec Howie Klein talks about
the business of music


by BOSS SAMBOSA

“We have to keep this short,” says former Warner Brothers president Howie Klein, “I’m expecting a call from Lou Reed at 4:15.” Klein manages to say things like this without sounding imposing or dramatic. Rather, he seems sincere, in spite of—or perhaps because of—a generation-spanning career in the music business. An industry Klein himself describes as being “strangled by good-for-nothing bureaucrat Republican corporate mangers who could be working for any company.”

The Brooklyn native began his involvement in the industry during the mid-’60s, inspired by the radicalism of the era. “I didn’t really have much of an interest in music at a very young age. I was a student, and only when I became politically aware of the world around me did I really take an interest in rock ’n’ roll.” In spite of a contractual gag order which prevents him from divulging some specific offences he observed during his tenure at Warner Bros. (and which forces him to sometimes respond in abstracts), Klein maintains that he retains his “right to express opinions,” and that he does. At his upcoming lectures, the industry veteran will share insight into the modus operandi of the major label, the relationship between corporate interests and creativity, and his belief in the industry’s prompt, unavoidable reconstruction. The Mirror reached Klein at his Los Angeles home for a sample of what he’ll be talking about…

Mirror: How has the music industry evolved since your initial involvement in the ’60s?

Howie Klein: One of the things that really disturbs me is that, over the years, the music industry has become more and more dominated by corporate interests, as they are increasingly accountable to shareholders. What’s worse are these corporate managers. In practically all cases these corporate managers hate music. They hate it with a passion! They wish all legitimate artists would die. These are the people who run the music industry, and this is a very big change. The industry used to be run by people who loved music, and were respectful to artists, but that’s no longer the case.

M: Any examples?

HK: I’d rather not talk about who this particular artist is, but I can tell you he’s recognized worldwide by music lovers. He’s won the standard accolades—you know, Grammys, Hall of Fame, and just about everyone can name one of his songs. Recently, the corporate hatchet man for the company he’s with basically told him, “You’re old, washed up, go fuck off somewhere and die.” And he called me, shaken, questioning himself, and this guy just finished recording an album that’s beyond being a masterpiece. It’s one of the best things he’s done in his entire career. And here he is, questioning himself because some corporate asshole who’s never accomplished anything in his entire life in any way, except, you know, knowing who’s ass to kiss, told him he was worthless.

M: What did you tell this artist?

HK: I told him, “Don’t think that way! This guy is everything you’ve hated in your entire life. He’s just a corporate jackass, a bureaucratic asshole whose got nothing going for him.” :

Klein speaks at the McGill Music Building, 555 Sherbrooke W., room E-106 tonight, Thursday, Feb. 7, 6pm, and at the Oscar Peterson Concert Hall on Monday, Feb. 11, 10:45am