Supermensch

The music business died with Live Aid.

We can debate when it was born, whether it was with Bill Haley, Little Richard or the Beatles, but it was truly done after that July day in 1985, which was a victory lap Woodstock could only dream of. This wasn't just 400,000 on Max Yasgur's farm, the whole world was watching.

And that's the way it used to be, when rock and roll ruled the world.

The best rock documentary ever made is "History Of The Eagles."

The second best might be the first half of "Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon."

Shep Gordon, who is that?

That's just the point. The last time I saw him he and Alice Cooper were getting an award and Shep refused to make a speech, knowing his success was all about putting his acts first. If your manager is famous, telling you how great he is, you've got the wrong one.

And that's what's wrong with this movie. It's hagiography. Watching you'd think Shep Gordon is the nicest, most powerful person in the world, friendly with the Dalai Lama and screwing Sharon Stone. Then again, these are the kinds of myths created before Live Aid, when you sat at home, reading the magazines with your jaw dropped in awe, saying to yourself…I WANT TO GET ME SOME OF THAT!

Which is why everybody moved to L.A. and Sweet Connie and the rest of the groupies wanted to get close. Because up through Live Aid, rock was where it was at.

And that's where the first half of this documentary is, before it devolves into chefs and actors and Hawaii and all the stuff we think we care about but really don't, because rock music, when done right, is life itself. Actors play a role, rock stars are the role.

So Shep graduates from the University of Buffalo. The media tells you you need to go to an Ivy, but neither Irving nor Geffen graduated from college, because what it takes to succeed is never taught in school, it's in your DNA, it's who you are.

And Shep Gordon is a stoner graduating with a sociology degree who wants to save the world. But after ten minutes as a probation officer, he turns to rock and roll. No, that's not true, he turns to dope dealing.

The fact that it's illegal? Everybody who made it in the rock era did something illegal.

So he hooks up with Alice Cooper and…

They're broke. They're running out on the bill. Frank Zappa doesn't even want to put out their record.

Obstacles, it's worse than "Survivor" making it in the music business.

So Shep and the boys lie, cheat and steal, utilize leverage and luck to make it.

They have a truck carrying a picture of Alice and his snake break down in Piccadilly Circus. They manipulate the media. And we bought it.

Furthermore, they were breaking rules all the time, standing up to the label, oh how different it is today.

They were flying by the seat of their pants, drinking and drugging, screwing and swallowing, having fun all the while.

And what will you learn?

The three rules of rock and roll.

1. Get the money.

2. Think about getting the money.

3. Remember to always think about getting the money.

That's what a manager does.

They don't unpack so they can roll out quickly.

They've got a checklist because they can't think clearly.

They're flying private and meeting every famous person and if you didn't want to be a rock star back when, you were deaf.

No one wants to be a rock star today.

Oh, there are the bankers and techies who call themselves that, but they're not cool.

And the people in music are only doing it their way if they think it will pay dividends. No one's got a backbone, at least no one with any talent and success.

But as Shep says… If he does his job really well, it'll probably kill you.

Because being a rock star is hard work. Without a safety net. Hell, the bassist from the Atlanta Rhythm Section died the other day, Robert Nix is already six feet under, ever wonder why our rockers don't live?

So you'll watch this movie and buy it or if you're sophisticated you won't.

Shep is convinced he saw Pablo Picasso, but the artist died years before.

You see rockers' memories are imperfect. And they know that fiction makes a better story than truth. Which is why most of what you read before Live Aid was half true or made up, it was part of the act, part of the magic.

But after Live Aid…

MTV realized it was big business. They squeezed the original VJs out, they added a game show and scripted programming to hold viewers and garner advertising.

But once upon a time, the music was enough.

Because it drove the culture. It was where the kids who didn't fit in went to not only get rich, but change the world.

At a price.

The one price that is constantly emphasized in this film is Shep Gordon's personal life. Married twice, his first betrothal was annulled and the second fizzled when his wife refused to employ artificial means to have a child.

And if you believe that, you're wet behind the ears.

You see Shep Gordon was fueled by the action, doing for others made him feel good. That drug left room for no one else, and still doesn't. He surrounds himself with friends, but those friends go home to their spouses, he sleeps alone.

So beware the life of famous stardom.

Shep says fame doesn't make you happy.

But neither does wealth.

They both just temporarily fill an endless hole.

But we can't stop watching. Those of us who color inside the lines, who are afraid to take a risk and marvel at those who do. Which is why we're now enamored of extreme sports icons like Shaun White more than musicians.

But once upon a time, "Rolling Stone" was the Bible. You had to go to the gig to feel included. Youth drove the world, our parents weren't wearing designer jeans, they were completely clueless.

We ruled.

Our musicians led.

And not a single one made it without a manager, a handler, an entourage.

Because being a good performer/writer/musician is one thing. Doing business is another.

Was Shep Gordon the best ever? Is he as good as he's portrayed in this movie?

It doesn't matter.

What does is if you lived through this era, the early seventies, when Alice Cooper was the biggest band in the land, you'll see yourself in this movie, reading the rock rags, bothering your parents with the music, believing that inside the grooves of these records was truth and a path forward.

If only those days would come back.

"Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon": http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3074780/

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