Howdy, @edcyn! I wouldn’t be surprised if we were familiar faces to each other (in the 90’s I looked a lot like Neil Young in the Buffalo Springfield days, complete with the sideburns). Working in the Classical Annex (which I frequented at least several times a month), you undoubtedly knew the Sunset Video store manager Jay Smith (Axl Rose worked in the Video store for a while, Rivers Cuomo of Weezer in the Pop store across the street). And regional sales manager Bob Fetryl, one of the most unpleasant sob’s I ever had to deal with in the record biz.
I was offered the Panorama store to manage, but had heard about the drive-by-shootings they experienced sporadically. No thanks! When the Amoeba store opened on Sunset, it was all over for the Hollywood Tower down the street (across the street from the Classical Annex). Amoeba is an amazing record store! I also shopped at Book Soup, a coupla doors down from the Annex. Ringo showed up at the book signing event the shop hosted when Levon Helm’s autobiography was released. He took cuts in line. ;-)
The singles buyer at the Tower Pop store was Jim Laspesa, who for a time was drumming in Dave Davies (The Kinks’ guitarist) band. When the live gig with Emitt Rhodes came up in ’97 (his first in a quarter century), Jim wanted it SO bad (all us Power Pop aficionados hold Emitt in very high regard). Sorry Jim (I got the gig ;-) .
When I was searching for a house to buy in 2003, Pasadena was one place I looked (without luck). I love the town. Have you been to Brian Berdan’s shop yet? Very nice. Shelia Berdan asked me to put a band together to play at the 50th birthday party she threw for Brooks a few years before he died. Brooks was a drummer in High School, and he got up on my kit and played "Wipe Out" with the band. Happiest I ever saw the man! I knew he was suffering from Crohn’s Disease, but I don’t think anyone knew (or even thought) it was gonna kill him.
I spent a lot of Saturdays in Brooks Berdan Ltd., soaking it all in. Brooks had some pretty flush customers, who thought nothing of buying a complete VTL or Jadis/big Wilson system. My woman and I accompanied Brooks and Sheila to a number of the Vegas CES’, where I got to take a look behind the curtain of the hi-fi biz. A real education. Brooks turned me on to Music Reference and Eminent Technology products, which I own to this day.
I was offered the Panorama store to manage, but had heard about the drive-by-shootings they experienced sporadically. No thanks! When the Amoeba store opened on Sunset, it was all over for the Hollywood Tower down the street (across the street from the Classical Annex). Amoeba is an amazing record store! I also shopped at Book Soup, a coupla doors down from the Annex. Ringo showed up at the book signing event the shop hosted when Levon Helm’s autobiography was released. He took cuts in line. ;-)
The singles buyer at the Tower Pop store was Jim Laspesa, who for a time was drumming in Dave Davies (The Kinks’ guitarist) band. When the live gig with Emitt Rhodes came up in ’97 (his first in a quarter century), Jim wanted it SO bad (all us Power Pop aficionados hold Emitt in very high regard). Sorry Jim (I got the gig ;-) .
When I was searching for a house to buy in 2003, Pasadena was one place I looked (without luck). I love the town. Have you been to Brian Berdan’s shop yet? Very nice. Shelia Berdan asked me to put a band together to play at the 50th birthday party she threw for Brooks a few years before he died. Brooks was a drummer in High School, and he got up on my kit and played "Wipe Out" with the band. Happiest I ever saw the man! I knew he was suffering from Crohn’s Disease, but I don’t think anyone knew (or even thought) it was gonna kill him.
I spent a lot of Saturdays in Brooks Berdan Ltd., soaking it all in. Brooks had some pretty flush customers, who thought nothing of buying a complete VTL or Jadis/big Wilson system. My woman and I accompanied Brooks and Sheila to a number of the Vegas CES’, where I got to take a look behind the curtain of the hi-fi biz. A real education. Brooks turned me on to Music Reference and Eminent Technology products, which I own to this day.