Michael Gudinski - Australian music industry icon diesMichael Gudinski, an Australian music industry icon who helped shape its sound for decades, has died aged 68.
The Mushroom Records owner and veteran tour promoter died in his sleep at his home in Melbourne Australia on Monday night March 1, 2021, his label said.
Michael Gudinski: Australian music industry icon dies aged 68 (BBC March 2, 2021)
How Michael Gudinski saved the Stones tour in Australia 2014Australian press have been running stories about Michael Gudinski this week, following his passing on Monday. Most interesting for fans of The Rolling Stones, are the dramatic hours Tuesday March 18 and Wednesday March 19 2014, where the Rolling Stones 2014 tour in Australia was about to be canceled. The details were published in the following book published in 2015, and they are telling a story about how the tour changed from "canceled" into "postponed", all happening at the Hyatt Hotel in Perth Australia during these two days. Also, parts of the story is printed this week in the following article:
Michael Gudinski : The Rolling Stones Tour Was An Epic Gamble (The Australian)
This is the book published in Australia 2015:
Michael Gudinski: The Godfather of Australian Rock'n Roll - by Stuart CoupeThe following is a short version of the story. Get the book and read it. Highly interesting!
NEVER EVER LET THEM CANCEL
On the Monday night Mick Jagger goes out to dinner. It’s a late one, almost midnight when he’s interrupted with the devastating news that his long-term partner L’Wren Scott has been discovered dead. He’s told it’s a suicide. Only the people very very close to Jagger are told what has happened. Gudinski is in his hotel room watching TV. It’s approaching 2 am. A banner starts rolling across the bottom of the screen. ‘Mick Jagger’s long-term …’ Gudinski looks again. ‘Are you @#$%& kiddin’ me,’ he yells at the television.
By early morning on Tuesday, 18 March the tragic death of Scott is global news. Media are assembled outside the hotel. Gudinski talks to Paul Gongaware of AEG Live, the huge conglomerate that is the overall promoter for the Rolling Stones tour. Gongaware is tour director for the Stones on the road, and is in Perth.
Gudinski knows that this tour can’t be cancelled. Under no circumstances. There’s a very big difference between the words ‘cancelled’ and ‘postponed’. He knows that when a promoter says ‘cancelled’, everyone automatically gets a ticket refund. The tour machine grinds to a halt. It’s over. Finished. He talks to Gongaware repeatedly but he knows nothing definite either. All they can do is wait. And wait.
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Gongaware tells Gudinski he’s right. It should be a postponement. He puts down the phone to call Rolling Stones’ business manager Joyce Smyth, and the band’s longstanding UK publicist, Bernard Doherty, both in London.
Gudinski paces. He’s aware that the next few minutes are beyond critical. Things are out of his control. There is no telling how the Stones camp will react to the suggestion that they change their plans. This is the Rolling Stones, after all. They’re not used to being told they might have made the wrong call.
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‘ You can never – ever – let them cancel – postpone, yes, but never cancel.’ That’s the only thought going through Michael Gudinski’s mind. It’s approaching 2 am Perth time, Wednesday 19 March 2014. In his room at the Hyatt Regency in Perth, Gudinski is beside himself. Angry. Frustrated. Feeling helpless and powerless. Gudinski knows about stress and pressure.
With AEG, Gudinski and his key Frontier partner Frank Stivala, long-term lieutenants Gerard Schlaghecke and Michael Harrison and financial adviser Jacobsen set about sorting out a solution. The tour has to go back on. Adelaide is key as the South Australian government is donating the venue. The first possible date is 18 October at the end of the football season, and no later than the twenty-fifth, when the oval is scheduled to be used for cricket.
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As we all know, The Rolling Stones returned to Australia in October 2014, did rehearsals and tour start in Adeleide, where the tour started at The Oval on Oct 25.
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Also, see the following references
Some Kinda Stones Connections (Post by Rockman March 2, 2021)
IORR News 2014 - March 18 and onBjornulf
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2021-03-04 22:38 by bv.