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So Lady Gaga is the latest in a long(ish) line of artists that have their mum and or dad around either as a manager or as in her case to keep her on the straight and narrow.
However she should probably be careful as the precedents are mostly not promising and maybe bear in mind that one of the reasons that people get involved with music is to get away from their parents.
Some examples from the pages of rock’n’roll history;
1 Jackson 5; Joe Jackson the family father was their manager and notorious for his tyrannical behavior. Michael claimed he received beatings and abuse from his father and could not really have been described as happy or well balanced.
2 Five Star; Essex’ very own Jacksons were also looked after by their father; Buster Pearson and on tour the band were secreted in their dressing rooms before and after the show and not allowed to talk to anyone, such was Buster’s paranoia that they would find out about the allegedly dodgy deals he had done on their behalf.
I did a tour with them in the mid 80s and saw it first hand. The tour was sponsored by Crunchie ( chocolate bars) and it put me off them for life!
They also made tabloid headlines for buying big houses and Lamborghinis they couldn’t drive and then again for losing them when sales had declined and they couldn’t pay their bills.
3 Bow Wow Wow; in the early 80s this Malcolm Mclaren conceived outfit had a bit of success and notoriety. Fronted by 14 year old Annabella Lu Win. While working with this lot, I was their tour manager, could hardly be described as tranquil things always took a turn for the worse when Amy, Annabella’s mother, was around. There was one particularly nasty incident when she went for the band members with a carving knife. The sight of her arriving at a gig in her cowboy boots always managed to fill everyone with dread, including Malcolm and especially her daughter.
4 Charlotte Church; Famously and publicly sacked her mum as her manger, she had taken over from the previous manager. Obviously a background in local authority housing is ideal training for being the manger of an international singer.
5 Vanessa Mae; famously underdressed kitsch violinist sacked her mum, Pamela Nicholson as her manger on her 18th birthday so close was the bond between them and I believe they haven’t spoken since.
Having worked with them both separately I think they probably deserved each other.
So Stefani, don’t say we didn’t warn you!
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