Never Say No to a Rock Star
In the Studio with Dylan, Sinatatra, Jagger and More
Glenn Berger
Judy Collins
9781943156108
320 pages
Schaffner Press Inc
Overview
In 1974, at the age of seventeen, author Glenn Berger served as "schlepper" and apprentice to the legendary recording engineer, Phil Ramone, at New York City's A&R Studios. He was witness to music history on an almost daily and nightly basis as pop and rock icons such as Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Frank Sinatra, Burt Bacharach, Bette Midler, and James Brown performed their hit-making magic, honed their sound, strutted their stuff, bared their souls, and threw epic tantrums. In this memoir, full of revelatory and previously unknown anecdotal observations of these musical giants, Glenn recounts how he quickly learned the ropes to move up from schlepperhood to assistant to the tyrannical Ramone, and eventually, to become a recording engineer superstar himself. Not only is this book a fascinating, hilarious and poignant behind-the-scenes look of this musical Mecca, but Berger, now a prominent psychologist, looking back through the prism of his youthful experience and his years working as a counselor and therapist, provides a telling and honest examination of the nature of fame and success and the corollaries between creativity, madness and self-destruction.
Author Bio
In 1973, at eighteen years of age, Glenn Berger began his apprenticeship at New York's world-class A & R Recording Studios under the tutelage of legendary music producer Phil Ramone. Quickly rising to prominence as a recording engineer, he spent the decade working with luminaries such as Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Paul Simon, and Frank Sinatra. He reached the apex of his career with his producing the soundtrack of Bob Fosse's Academy-Award winning film, All That Jazz. During his thirties, Dr. Berger found a new calling and became a psychotherapist. He currently practices in New York City, Mt. Kisco, NY, and around the world via Skype. He is a popular blogger on psychology and music: www.glennberger.net He is the inventor of apps for anxiety and anger, available on itunes under the name of "Shrinky." He is the winner of the 2015 Schaffner Prize for Music in Literature.
