I Worked At Reprise Records

I’m still looking for that astrology workbook of mine. I ventured into a room I never go to and saw shelves and shelves of books, tapes, posters, memorabilia and god knows what— even my old 3-album stamp collection (Minkus' Supreme Global Stamp Album) from when I was in elementary school… as well as 3 pink volumes of the collected works of Tom of Finland (Physique Pictorial). And then I came across a book I had never seen. Well, I had definitely seen it because there’s no other way it could have been there. But I don’t remember ever seeing it and I certainly never opened it until today.

It embarrassed me, which, I guess, is why I stashed it without opening it. It’s a bound, hard-covered book that was produced and given to me by the promotion staff of Reprise Records when I retired in June, 2001. To start with, the title embarrassed the hell out of me: Howie Klein, A Great Music Man. It makes me blush to look at it and think that someone could put the word “great” next to my name in that way. But when I opened it, the blushing turned to… I don’t know— what comes after blushing? Flushing? Humiliation? After all, I know the Howie filled with self-doubts and the certitude that I could have done— or should have done— so much better for so many people.

The book contains tributes or remembrances by each member of the staff who chose to participate. Even today, it pained me to read them, although reading them also brought me joy, laughter and tears. Let me share a few. I’ll start with Tommy Page, a one-time teen idol when I met him who, when that phase of his life was over, I hired as a department secretary and then watched him slowly work his way up the ladder to vice president! When I wrote about him last October, I didn’t know this testament even existed.

I’ll never forget the first time I met you way back in 1987 when I was twenty years old. We had Italian food at a quaint restaurant on Mcdougal Street in Greenwich Village. I was so excited to meet you because I had heard great things about you from Seymour. It was such an exciting time in my life; I had just signed a record deal with my favorite label in the industry and I was now in the lives of such talented music people like you, Seymour, and Russ. As I sat in front on you, in total awe, listening to your stories of 415, San Francisco, Warner Brothers, and your childhood, I had no idea that sitting in front of me was the person that would ultimately be my angel. You would become the person who would teach me all about the music business, the person who would guide my career in the right direction when it would stray, the person who would find me the perfect manager, the person who made my project a priority with the promotion department, and the person who believed that I could be not just an artist, but a talented promotion executive.

If only you knew how grateful I am to have you in my life. I have learned so much from you and I am continually amazed by your talent and intelligence. Thank you for being the person to represent my artistry through the company. Thank you for being the person to give me my first shot at promotion. Thank you for being an incredible friend.

Congratulations on an amazing career at Warner Brothers Records! I wish you the greatest luck with your future endeavors,

You mean more to me than you’ll ever know.

It’s funny; I hardly think of Bob Divney, who was also a vice president at Reprise, as an employee as much as a friend who was in this great adventure with me. We're having dinner next week. The lines he wrote in this “year book” were the weirdest ones of all and something I have no recollection of— but I like it! “The first time I met Howie,” he wrote, “he said something to me that I will never, ever, ever forget, He said ‘always’… no, wait it was, ‘never keep all your eggs in your shoes. While it may seem convenient and a perfectly good place to keep them, at some point you will forget they are there and ultimately they will break when you try and put your shoes on.’ From that day to this, I have never kept all my eggs in my shoes. I now keep them all in one basket perched precariously high on a ledge.”

Leah Kiyonaga was our promotional person in... well, a lot of places, but ultimately in Los Angeles. She wrote “It was always so awesome to go to concerts and see you, our president, right up there on the floor along with all the other fans. I will miss that. I feel very fortunate to have worked in for shadow at Reprise. Your integrity and passion are unmatchable in this industry. I hope that Reprise continues to be what you created, a company that actually cares about the artists and a team that truly loves the music.”

Carlyn Kessler worked in the Burbank office breaking our new bands at college radio. “She wrote that when she “took the train up to New York from Baltimore almost 2 years ago, I didn’t know what to expect. I had never had a real job interview before, not to mention with the head of a label. I can’t tell you how unsure and nervous I was. I had never done radio promotion before and the thought ion moving 3,000 miles away from my friends and family sacred me to death. But from the moment you greeted me, I knew that I wanted this job and wanted to work for you more than anything. Your dedication to the music part of the music industry is inspiring. The fact that you care so much about artists with vision and creativity and the formats that support their music, is what makes Reprise special. Your genuine love and interest in college radio motivated me in ways I can’t put into words. It has been an honor to work with you and with the many incredible artists that are part of this label because of you. Although you’re not here on a day to day basis anymore, the lessons that I’ve been able to learn from you will stick with me forever. To me, you are Reprise and every day I come to work, I will try to live up to the standards that you have set here.”

Rich Garcia was our promo rep in Denver. He had a great territory and he did an especially great job. This is what he wrote:

I’ve always considered Howie Klein my emancipator. What I mean by that is he gave me the freedom to be myself and to grow as a promotion person. Whatever it took for me to get music heard, I always knew in the back of my mind that as long as I accomplished the goal of getting the music out there, he would have my back and support my tactics and decisions. From Lou Reed to Tripmaster Monkey, Howie’s passion for the music was always felt.

During the rough months that followed Mo and Lenny’s departure, I could sense that even though we were going through tremendous change as a label, Howie focused on the music. He knew that the music and the artists were the one things that would keep our little Reprise boat afloat. And he was right. Times were tough but we made it thanks to Howie’s love.

And even tho he isn’t in the house anymore, every day that I do this job and do it well, is a tribute to Howie. He always wanted us to give our best for the music, and with his support that made the job much easier.

I love the handwritten notes II think I’ve saved them all!!). I love that we can always get him on the phone. I love that to this day, radio programmers ask how he is and tell me stories about his warmth. And I loved working with him.

When I think about Barbara Monderine, I barely picture her at our office in Burbank. Instead I think of the fantastic bakery she opened and runs on Los Feliz Blvd, walking distance from my home. She wrote she was honored to have worked with me. Amazing! “You,” she wrote, “are responsible for so much inspiration in my life, not only with the bands that you’ve signed and nurtured throughout the years, but with the way you’ve conducted business on a day to day basis. It’s nice to know that in an industry known for cut-throat behavior, there was one executive who showed up every day filled with passion for his job, for the music and for the artists and still managed to treat every single person in the office— from the CEO to the guys in the mailroom— with respect and kindness. The hole that your absence has made in this company can never, ever be filled.”

Promotion people live all over the country and not every posting is as wonderful as, say, San Francisco. Our promo guy there was Scott Perlewitz. He wrote: “I will always remember our first formal meeting when I was interviewing for this job. You were staying at the Ritz up on Nob Hill and as we walked through the hotel, the entire staff said ‘hello’ to you. You weren’t dressed particularly dapper— I learned that isn’t too surprising— but you’re so approachable and real. I like to think that that is what I have learned from you and will always try to remember. You have done incredible things, but it’s still the music that matters. All the perks are great, but we have the best fucking jobs on earth. I would also like to thank you for leading by example, and by putting yourself “out” there. Your outspoken nature is something I have always admired. It takes a lot of balls to do the kinds of things you have done in your career. I look forward to hearing about your next big adventure, whatever or whoever that may be…

Sergio Conclaves promoted dance and club music at Reprise. He wrote that “It’s been an amazing 10 years knowing and working with you. Your passion for music and the artists that create it will always inspire me. I’ll miss running to your office to hear music and discuss remixes. Thanks for always believing in dance music and letting me do my thing. You’re a special and unique human being and I hope we always remain friends.”

Andrew Govatsos, Eric Clapton, Bill Janis

I have to admit there were always offices in some cities I liked visiting more than in other cities. I never missed an opportunity to visit our folks in the Paris, Hamburg, London, Milan, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Tokyo offices. I was told by our executives in Cairo and Mumbai that I was the only person from Burbank to ever visit them. But one city here in America I went to as frequently as possible was Boston. I've always loved loved Boston but having great restaurants, great hotels, a great radio station (WBCN) and three amazing promo reps— George Skabitis (RIP) and Mr. Mike for Warners and Andrew Govatsos for Reprise— always made me eager for a trip there. One time, when Fleetwood Mac kicked off their tour for The Dance in Boston, Russ decided to take the Warners jet to the show. Andrew wrote about it from his perspective— different from my perspective, but I’m always interested to see how other people viewed me, even if it’s… a little herky-jerky. Andrew:

It’s ironic that I’m writing a letter about Howie today. One of my many great memories happens to be about Stevie Nicks and the Fleetwood Mac tour. Well, just a few days ago I was sitting in the exact seats where Howie Klein and Russ Thyret were. While watching Steve I started remembering how special that night was. While passing out beers to Russ, I noticed Howie was starting to move away from his seat and start dancing in the aisle. I’m talking about spinning with his arms up in the air. Howie was in a controlled daze. [Note: I never told Andrew that I practiced Sufi dancing when I lived in Amsterdam long before I came to work for Reprise.] Howie now starts to move his body, jerking and swirling around, down towards the stage. There was something in the air that night and a glow around Howie. I was looking at the security guards clearing the way for Howie as he moved closer to the stage. As Howie approaches the stage, Stevie sees him and starts to move towards him. Now everybody can see Howie (still dancing) and Stevie approaching each other. Stevie then bends down and gives Howie a rose. Howie reaches up to take the rose and Stevie blows a kiss to him. A giant smile came across Howie’s face. He then started dancing back to his seat with the rose. What Howie didn’t know was that thousands of people were watching him and they had giant smiles also. Other artists I think of when I think of Howie are the Mighty Lemon Drops, Ocean Blue, John Wesley Harding, Joni Mitchell and let’s not forget BNL. These are just some of them. Howie is about the passion and the love of music. Howie, you’re a great music man.”

I’m just going the share one more, it’s a long one though. It’s from Liz Lewis, who worked as a promo assistant in our New York office. “I began my journey with Reprise two years ago,” she recounted. "In that short amount of time, what a truly amazing person and President you have been.”

First and foremost, you have an impeccable ear and have accomplished one thing that many have not. Through all your successes and ventures, you are still completely grounded and in touch with innovative music and the youth of today. You have set Reprise apart from other labels by bringing in unique artists and staff members. I began here with a little music industry experience. I had been a college rep for Reprise and was already a fan of the roster here. I think that I would actually listen to about ninety percent of the artists on Reprise on the weekends. The breadth of talent you have collected here is truly amazing.

You have also assembled a staff of people who are here because they love music, and that makes them good at what they do. After making friends that work at other labels, I have come to learn that the culture and the people at Reprise are indeed, a rarity. It’s not about glamour or status here. I can only that you for that, Howie. Even though you have left Reprise, you have left behind a staff of people that will carry on your dedication to music and your legacy of an “artist friendly” label.

When I speak to my friends that are assistants at other labels, they can’t believe that I have conversations with you when you come into town. Most other Presidents wouldn’t even take time to speak to an assistant. When they say that I just reply, Howie is different and that’s definitely a good thing.”

At this point what can I say except that I feel incredibly humbled and that without role models like Mo and Lenny and Russ and colleagues throughout my life like Sandy Pearlman, Chris Knab, Queenie Taylor and David Kahne and the musicians who would give me the time of day, I could never have understood what it takes to work as part of a team.

Since it’s New Year 2023, I should make a resolution to try to be nicer to the politicians whose space I share now instead of music industry people. These people laboring in the world of politics have fears, doubts and anxieties just like everyone else and I have to try harder to go easy on them, even conservatives and even Republicans. [Not Trump; I just can't.] I'm probably not evolved enough to be able to do that, but I just edited out some of the meanest things I had to say about Elise Stefanik in the post I wrote about her yesterday.

This page is a sketch from a memoir I'm in the middle of writing. I've been posting pages from it, pretty randomly, on my blog. You can find most of them here.