It's always a good sign when you read something that is so compelling that you not only have a hard time putting it aside, but also you feel somewhat sad when you reach the its conclusion. Such is the case with BILL GRAHAM PRESENTS: MY LIFE INSIDE ROCK AND OUT...an excellent semi-autobiographical take on the life of legendary rock and roll concert promoter Bill Graham...written by Bill Graham and Robert Greenfield.



I've had an interest in Bill Graham for a long time...having first heard about hi

It's always a good sign when you read something that is so compelling that you not only have a hard time putting it aside, but also you feel somewhat sad when you reach the its conclusion. Such is the case with BILL GRAHAM PRESENTS: MY LIFE INSIDE ROCK AND OUT...an excellent semi-autobiographical take on the life of legendary rock and roll concert promoter Bill Graham...written by Bill Graham and Robert Greenfield.



I've had an interest in Bill Graham for a long time...having first heard about him in a book about Led Zeppelin that I read when I was a teenager. The Zeppelin book portrayed Graham as a villain, in relation to an unfortunate violent incident in 1977 that happened between Led Zeppelin's manager Peter Grant, drummer John Bonham and Bill Grant and his staff. Charges were filed, arrests were made, and Graham vowed never to book Led Zeppelin again. At the time, I thus did not have much love for Bill Graham...that is until I learned a little more about him...and slowly discovered that Bill Graham was the greatest concert promoter in the world.



As a teenager in New York, I was fortunate enough to attend a few of his concerts...The A.R.M.S. 1983 concert at Madison Square Garden with Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page...LIVE AID in Philadelphia in 1985, the CRACK DOWN concert at Madison Square Garden in 1986 with the Allman Brothers, Crosby Stills & Nash and Run DMC, the Amnesty International Conspiracy of Hope concert in 1986 in New Jersey with The Police, U2, Peter Gabriel, Miles Davis and Bryan Adams as well as the 1988 Amnesty International concert in Philadelphia with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Sting, Peter Gabriel & Tracy Chapman. On May 14, 1988 I attended an amazing Bill Graham concert at Madison Square Garden for Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary. The show featured a large amount of acts including Yes, Genesis, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Foreigner, and ironically enough...an exciting set from the surviving members of Led Zeppelin. It was at this concert where I actually saw Bill Graham near my seats...walking down the aisle, checking out the scene. I should have said hello when I had the chance.



In terms of the book, at first glance I was disappointed in the way the book was structured...As opposed to telling Bill Graham's story in a typical way...with occasional quotes mixed in with an author's prose...BILL GRAHAM PRESENTS: MY LIFE INSIDE ROCK AND OUT is nothing BUT quotes...telling Graham's tale through a series of interviews with the people who were in and out of Graham's life...as well as with Graham himself. Yet it didn't take me too long to became truly enthralled with the story.



Born in 1931 in Nazi Germany to Russian Jews, Graham was smuggled out of the country as a child in order to save his life. He spent the majority of his youth without a real family...being sent to various orphanages throughout Europe for two years, then sent to the United States when he was 10 years old. Graham's father died in a factory only days after his birth, and his mother was gassed on the way to Auschwitz...his sisters either went into hiding, or died in concentration camp. In the U.S., Graham was raised by a foster family in the Bronx, NY, learned English fast, dropped his German accent, and grew up to become a very independent, hard working young man with an excellent sense of business. He was drafted during the Korean War, yet still managed to start an underground business in the Navy.



He worked for years in the great Catskills resorts (i.e. Grossingers, the Concord, etc...) as a waiter...where he saw great acts perform, and really learned how to hustle...and of course had a side business on his own selling food at crap games...He tried being an actor in New York, and loved movies and the theater. After re-connecting with some of his sisters...Graham eventually made his way to San Francisco...worked a variety of jobs...and ended up working for a Mime troupe on the business end. After deliberately getting themselves arrested as a publicity stunt, Bill Graham and the Mime troup organized a benefit to raise funds for their legal defense. The venue for the benefit was the Fillmore Auditorium...and the night of the benefit changed Bill Graham's life forever.



That night he saw the power of the live event..."living theater" as I believed he called it...bringing together large groups of people to experience something special...a one of a kind event. Graham found his calling...and soon would take over the Fillmore, and later other venues like the Winterland Arena, the Fillmore West, and the Fillmore East in New York and present historic concerts by such acts as the Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Band, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Santana, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, The Doors, The Allman Brothers, and The Grateful Dead plus many many more...Northern California became Bill Graham country...and no band would dare play there without going through Bill Graham at least at some point.



The book gives excellent detail in the way Graham stood up to talent managers who tried to strong arm him in one or another...Bill clashed with The Rolling Stones in 1969 when they were notoriously late for their concerts in the Bay area...yet soon developed a strong relationship with the band...and would book their shows throughout 1972, 1975, and 1978...and was given the job of tour manager for their massive 1981/1982 world tour. Graham grew and expanded his enterprise further and further...yet deplored the emerging greed in the music industry...and the expansion of concerts into larger and larger venues. He fought with people constantly, and was disgusted at how other people mishandled and abused events such as Woodstock and the infamous Altamont concert in 1969 where a young man was murdered by Hells Angels.



In candid interviews with all of the players involved...BILL GRAHAM PRESENTS: MY LIFE INSIDE ROCK AND OUT truly gives you a sense of Bill Graham, the businessman, yet also the idealist...who truly fought hard so that both the band AND the crowd of any given concert came out ahead. He would often do anything....ANYTHING...to get a band to perform encores if the crowd wanted more...



In the 1970's, Graham produced huge concert tours for Bob Dylan & The Band, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and George Harrison. He produced the legendary LAST WALTZ concert for the Band in 1976...fighting with everyone along the way (and was appalled by Martin Scorsese's now classic 1978 film THE LAST WALTZ). The infamous Led Zeppelin incident in 1977 is gone over in detail...and the story is at once brutal, and heartbreaking.



Bill Graham's life was his work...and would too often sacrifice his personal life in favor of business...Relationships were many, and he bore two sons...yet few lasted more than a few years. He publicly vilified Ronald Reagan in the 80's for visiting graves of Nazi soldiers in Germany...a move which would cost him dearly. He fought hard with managers on the Amnesty International tours to keep the shows focused on spreading the message at hand...and not cater to a performer's (or manager's) ego, or career.



Bill was tough as nails, and pissed off artists and mangers alike. He could be a bully, yet he was passionate about putting on the best show possible. In 1989, Graham was absolutely crushed when he was passed over for the job of handling the Rolling Stones huge Steel Wheels world tour...It took him a long time to regain his confidence...yet he did.



By 1991, Graham was 60 years old and full of life...yet unfortunately in October of that year, he and his girlfriend (as well his longtime pilot) were killed in an horrific helicopter crash in Northern California...ended an incredible life and career...bringing all walks of life together, to make history. Bill Graham was/is history...and thank goodness we have BILL GRAHAM PRESENTS: MY LIFE INSIDE ROCK AND OUT to tell his story