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Monday, November 2, 2009

Rock Out Before the Turkey Comes Out!

Dear Rockstar,

Our November Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camps are quickly approaching! We still have a few spots open in various instruments, so don’t miss out on the opportunity to jam with Meat Loaf, Ace Frehley (KISS), Jon Anderson (Yes), Kenny Aronoff, Robby Krieger (The Doors) and over 15 other Rockstars! You’ll also play the Sunset Strip at the world famous Whisky A Go Go and record at Capitol Records with legendary producer Eddie Kramer.
If you call Courtney in the office, she will help you to arrange a payment plan that works with your budget. We know it’s a crazy economy, so you can play now and pay later if you sign up by Wednesday November 4th! Invest in an experience that will make you forget about the real world for a while!


Backstage Notes:

The other morning Kenny Aronoff, Bruce Kulick and I awoke at 6 am to appear on the FOX Business Channel to talk about the upcoming camps. We were sitting in the studio, make-up applied (after all nobody looks good before 7am without a little help) and ready to go on the air. Just before we were about to go on, we got news that the interview had been canceled because of some major announcement from Washington. So here is the picture of two great Rockstars and me on set for the interview that never happened....

I also want to mention two books for your reading pleasure. The first is Paul Shaffer’s book, We’ll Be Here For the Rest of Our Lives, a book that chronicles his life up until now as the band leader on David Letterman’s show. We were honored to have Paul make an appearance in August 2007 with Ronnie Spector. The book is a great, quick read. I also recently read Clarence Clemons’ book entitled Big Man: Real Life & Tall Tales. In it Clarence mentions the time he was on tour with my first Ringo All Starr band in Japan when he got the phone call from Bruce that he was disbanding the E Street Band. I can only imagine how he must have felt to get that news, but he’s done well for himself – touring steadily and now a bestselling book! I'll always be grateful to Clarence for coming to my first ever Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp in 1997 in Florida and teaching me how to play poker when we were out on the road. These are two great books by two great musicians.

On a sad note, a great rock and roll manager, Dee Anthony, passed away this week. Dee managed Peter Frampton, DEVO, Emerson Lake & Palmer and the late Peter Allen. Dee was Frampton’s manager when the singer-guitarist released the wildly successful “Frampton Comes Alive” album in 1976. He also represented British acts including Traffic, Jethro Tull and Joe Cocker when they first came to the United States in the mid-1960s.

Dee’s 3 core Management principles / rules:
1# Get the money
2# Don't forget to get the money
3# Always remember: Don't forget the money (there is also an alternative to #3: Always remember rule 1 and 2)

The music world will miss Dee!

- David Fishof
_____________________________

KISS Facts

Indiana is the Birthplace of the KISS Army

If you're a KISS fan, you know all about the KISS Army. But, how did the it come to be? The KISS Army actually started in Indiana when a radio station refused to play any KISS music. People began to march outside of the radio station and referred to themselves as the KISS Army.

Gene Simmons Is One of the Top Fire Breathers

The Demon in the rock band KISS can actually breathe fire 15 feet. The world record is 20 feet, making him one of the top fire breathers in the world. He actually learned this technique from the magician Amaze-O.

Ace Frehley's audition

Ace Frehley showed up to his audition for KISS wearing one orange shoe and one red shoe