David Geffen appreciation thread

[GettheLeadonOut!!]

I like him. I know that Don does not.

[pueblo47]

I like him. I know that Don does not.

From what I've been reading in The Operator, it was both Frey and Henley who were very unhappy with him. They didn't like the fact that he was their record label AND their manager AND publisher and supposedly didn't play any role in the management company but it was obvious that he was still manipulating things behind the scenes. An obvious conflict of interest that only benefited him.

When they called to tell him they were leaving the management company and have someone else manage them, he told them that if they left and went with the other guy, he would bury them and reminded them that HE owned their records and publishing. That sort of convinced them to stay but it wouldn't be for very much longer.

Let me add that I give him credit for recognizing that the band was going to be big and taking steps to ensure it. Like Irving A., he stomped and crushed and messed up a lot of businesses, lives, etc., on his way up but guess that's what it takes to become successful in the cut-throat entertainment industry.

[GettheLeadonOut!!]

honestly, i think David had a crush on Glenn and JD (he fixed their teeth!). But Gef must have been an AMAZING manager to have at the time. He deserves a lot of credit for their early success...

[sodascouts]

I think it would be interesting to talk about Geffen, but it doesn't seem to quite fit in the "Former Eagles" forum. If that was a forum about everything Don and Glenn didn't like, well, it would get off topic in all sorts of ways. I'm moving it to "singing for the sake of the song" since Geffen is such a famous music manager.

I think that Geffen was a smart guy who was brave enough to start his own company and appeal to his clientele on a personal level, but unfortunately, in the end, it's all about the money, eh?

Regarding the Eagles, Geffen definitely was a big part of their early success. He told Glenn to get himself a band and ouila, Glenn got himself Don, Bernie, and Randy. Geffen gave them a break and hooked them up with Glyn Johns, who was a big name producer. Even Don Henley thanked Geffen at the RnR Hall Of Fame so, whether or not he likes the man (and I doubt he does, since he sued him), he recognized Geffen's role in their success.

[MaryCalifornia]

Can't believe I found a thread dedicated to David Geffen Here is an article that says he wants to buy the LA Clippers -

http://www.latimes.com/sports/sports...#axzz30Kp3VkoM

I wonder if the guys would still be able to get tix to see the Knicks at Staples Center??!! They'd have to get them from the visiting team for sure!

[irga]

Thanks, Soda, for moving this thread to Singing for the Sake of the Song, because what I want to mention here doesn't have anything to do with Eagles. I am aware of mixed feelings that people might have about Geffen, and having watched HOTE I myself started to think that sometimes it is better just to listen to the music and not to get deeper into what's going on behind it. There is one thing, though, that softens my heart about this man, one moment that was captured in this photo:



It's Geffen comforting Yoko on leaving the NY hospital after John was pronounced dead.
Geffen was brave enough to trust Lennon/Ono with their new music material they wanted to publish after a 5-year-long break. The music scene in 1980 was so different from what Lennon used to do (and especially from Yoko's "forms of music art", so to speak) that the decision to produce "Double Fantasy" couldn't have been easy. Then came December 8, 1980. I really appreciate his being there for her, taking care of the woman that had just lost her husband, and sharing her despair.

[DJ]

I remember hearing that Lennon was shot on the Radio, it was like I was dreaming. Unfortunately I was not.. Bad day, lots of lost art.

[MaryCalifornia]

What a harrowing photo, I have never seen it. Thanks, Irga.

[irga]

You're right, MC, it's truly harrowing.
Let me post another one, from a time when Double Fantasy was being recorded and everything looked fine for John.

[DJ]

What can one say. David Geffen was a business man. He had a co. that featured a lot of talented people. When he saw fit he sold their shares to Warner, BUT.. that doesn't make it right or wrong it's business. A business is out to make money period.