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Writer's pictureHowie Klein

Andy Paley Died Today... Rest In Peace, My Brother



I worked at a meditation center in Amsterdam for several years, the Kosmos. Mostly I worked in the restaurant but another one of the things I did there was study and then practice astrology. Astrology is long gone from my life now, unfortunately— another story I need to tell— but I do remember, since my “sign” is Pisces that the difference between Pisces and it’s opposite, Virgo, is easily understood by this little story. A Pisces and a Virgo are looking at a forest. The Virgo sees every detail of the trees; the Pisces sees an overview of the forest, not the details.


Yesterday, when Mark Nathan posted on Facebook that Andy Paley was passing, after I got over my shock I wondered when Andy and I had first met. I remember a lot about Andy, but not dates… too specific for a Pisces. So I checked Wikipedia and it says— whether right or wrong, who knows?— that Seymour Stein hired me to run Sire Records for him in 1987. I would have met Andy a little earlier, while Seymour and I were getting to know each other. Andy was his best friend. Seymour was weird, not always in the most wonderful way either. Andy made him more palatable, at least for me.  


This morning, Danny Fields said, of Andy, “I love him. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t.” That was Andy— so positive, so lovable, such a supportive guy. Every interaction I ever had with him— thousands— always made me feel good. Roland was never a big of most friends… except Andy. That photo up top was taken in Memphis when we went to visit Andy during the 1995 sessions for Jerry Lee Lewis’ Young Blood album.



I didn’t know Andy from his Paley Brothers days but we worked on a lot of records he produced after that— Brian Wilson’s eponymous album, the Shag soundtrack (that had tracks by some of my friends: Tommy Page, k.d. lang and Chris Isaak), John Wesley Harding’s Christmas EP and his Here Comes the Groom and Name Above the Title albums, and albums by Richard X Heyman, the Mighty Lemon Drops, NASA, the Greenberry Woods and The Foremen.



Not on any resumes, my political action committee, Blue America, put together a promotion for a couple dozen Democrats challenging Republican incumbents in the House. Two of the Squirrel Nut Zippers and Rickie Lee Jones were the featured performers. They and everyone else involved with the project donated their services—including Andy, who produced it. I thought of it today because one of the candidates who won, Chris Murphy (D-CT) is now a senator and he was one of just 18 senators to vote against the Israeli genocide against Palestinians a few hours ago. Here’s the ad Andy produced for Murphy:



One evening we all piled into a limo after a Brian Wilson session to go have dinner and Andy said “what should we eat?” and someone said “how about Indian?” For the rest of our lives Andy and I always had Brian’s response between us— “Pemmican.” That and Sacco and Vanzetti… which is what he wanted to name his sons (but didn’t out of difference to his wife’s reaction when he mentioned it). A we both loved Patti singing “Andy Paley is a nigger” when he was on tour with her. Today was a sad day for me; I feel like I lost a part of myself— a good part. I know a lot of people who feel the same way.



     

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