Through the Eye of the Tiger by Jim Peterik

Author:Jim Peterik
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9781940363561
Publisher: BenBella Books, Inc.
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Survivor.

Craig was looking for permission to “shop the tape” to labels on Survivor’s behalf in exchange for an undisclosed finder’s fee should he and his partner in crime, John Simmonds, land a deal. We took Bob Destocki off the case and put our faith in the new team.

It was then that I learned a lesson that I have never forgotten: It’s not only the quality of the product that’s being sold, it’s who is selling it and how much urgency he can create that makes the difference between getting signed and total apathy. John Simmonds and Craig had this dog and pony show down to a high art.

After sending the tape to Kalodner, Simmonds created a feeding frenzy between two other labels to sign the band. Kalodner was first out of the gate, flying to Chicago to see Survivor live at the Studio Instrument Rental’s (S.I.R.) rehearsal studio on the near-north side of Chicago.

John arrived in the bitter cold Chicago winter and couldn’t believe human beings actually lived there.

We had been rehearsing all week for his arrival. John Simmonds advised us to start the audition with Kalodner’s favorite song on the tape, “Somewhere in America.” I felt we needed one more undeniable song that was not on the tape to show him that we had even more goods than he had already heard. I had my hands full the day before John was to arrive, trying to convince the band to learn a new one that I had just written, “20/20.”

“We got enough,” said Frankie.

Everyone else nodded in total agreement.

I was my usual, persistent self. “Just give it a try, guys! What do we have to lose?”

Pulling teeth would have been easier, but gradually the band learned the song, kicking and screaming into the night. Frankie even added a very cool counterpart on rhythm guitar that fit like a puzzle piece into the chorus. When John arrived, he was limoed over to S.I.R. and stood before us like the judge and the jury.

After stiff introductions, we dutifully launched into “Somewhere in America.” We could see his flowing beard nodding up and down in rhythm, making us suddenly much more at ease. Next we played “Love Has Got Me,” which, like the first song, featured the co-singing of Dave Bickler and me. This time he almost smiled.

Next we did our epic, “Music Machine,” which he didn’t seem to react to in the same way. At this point, he said, “Well that’s all fine, but I’ve heard all those on your demo. Do you have anything new?”

I looked around the room with a kind of “I told you so” expression on my face. We tentatively, but convincingly, played him “20/20.” This time his beard was bopping, his face was aglow, and he actually stood up, and very awkwardly started dancing. The word “dancing” is a bit generous, as it looked more like a cross between a flail and a seizure.

When we finished the song, without letting a beat go by, he said, “Play it again.

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