Last night, it became that much more official. I’m over it. I checked an event at the Hudson Hotel with some peeps, looked forward to some tunes and to get jiggy wit’ some… but vibe wasn’t right. It was sad. We left wondering, what had happened? or… what had happened to us? I mean, folks were dancin’ and such, but on a personal level, it just didn’t feel the same. I had myself a Hudson signature drinky drink and we dipped.

So, what’s the next sensible move after a not-feeling-this-event moment? Hit the Ritz (Carlton), of course! All I can say is “damn those nuts for keeping us put!” Strawberry shortcake is what got us there in the first place, and strawberry shortcake – ordered OFF the menu – kept us…along with the assorted nuts, lobster quesadilla as well as random topics of convo….including of course, music….

Particularly, one of which inspired this post, as it threw me back to 2001. 08-07-01 to be exact.

8701.jpgThis was the date Usher’s 8701 album dropped, and was THE project that ignited my music-industry-mojo-of-a-career. I was happy as can be at my very 1st internship…@ Arista Records. (I had interviewed with a few labels and PR companies for a period of couple months prior – with crutches, knee/leg brace and all from ACL reconstruction surgery – and had been offered internships, but for some reason, I felt the need to save myself because I WANTED Arista. And right before I was going to call back the newly formed J (Records) by Clive Davis to accept that internship, I got a call from my dream spot, Arista. There I went, following my heart. I held off calling J back. I took the interview with Arista. I walked in through the “gold doors” on 5th Ave and 57th, interviewed with HR (Sup ML!!) and then was interviewed by the Publicity department, and KNEW RIGHT THEN AND THERE. This was IT. This was where I belonged. My tingling gut told me so. I had held off those months for THIS moment.)

May 2001 is when it all started. I recall being asked by the senior publicist to head into the video dub room to dub like 25 copies of Usher’s comeback video/single, “U Remind Me” for press purposes… ya know, Regis & Kelly, Jay, Conan, Letterman and the like. Here, I found THE ACTUAL ARISTA PROMO VERSION of the video:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIpT1OmbOqw&rel=1]

I was sooooo giddy in that dub room. Dub, Dub, Dubbing away! Felt uber-special for having this exclusive look at the video before release to major music video channels. I was stoked over the fact that I was in this claustrophobic room, a library filled with beta tapes of all Arista artists ranging from Aretha Franklin to Outkast to Whitney Houston to TLC to Goodie Mob to Annie Lennox to Patti Smith to Carlos Santana! And I had complete access to it all. Mwahahaha-ing with fingers clasping ala Mr. Burns from The Simpsons style – I was allll smiles! :-D :-D :-D

My internship binder still in tact:

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confessions.jpgAnyhoots, we can fast forward to March/April 2004, and it all comes in full circle. Usher’s follow-up album, Confessions was released on 03.23.04. April 2004 officially closed the doors of the legendary Arista Records’ run. This also stopped my run in the major label game. 3 full years. 3 years that I would not trade in for the world. I was on the management side, the label side, the corporate side and all else in between. I had caught the tail-end of when the music industry was still “fun lovin’ fun.” I entered into the independent music & lifestyle marketing world thereafter and yada yada yada (another time).

This morning, I of course went to my ipod dock and played both albums in full, 8701 and Confessions . 8701 still has one of the best introludes ever. I would’ve never guessed from the first time I heard “Think of You” in 1994 from his debut album, would Usher both open and close the Arista gold doors for me! (Such a gentleman.) But, for all the time they were open, GOOOOOOOOD TIIIIIIIIIIMES were abundant!! One of the many highlights being, Outkast #1 Debut Party for Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (09.23.03) at Taj, NYC! WOW! What A Night! The sidecar introduced itself to me, and my colleagues and I got to know one another all the more better that night. We were indeed a family.

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Better times had in the Arista dub room than on the Hudson Hotel dance floor. Hmmm… Yeah, Over It!

. . don’t burn the day. .