Alan McGee is cool. My colleague Marlon Ray, and I meet him in the restaurant in The Standard Hotel in Hollywood, wearing his ubiquitous fedora pulled down so low that it covers his eyes. You can barely see that he's wearing shades. He greets us pleasantly and seems almost as eager to do the interview as we are. As he stands, I notice that despite wearing a three-quarter length fitted coat and fedora in 80-degree weather, there isn't one drop of sweat on his temple. He sips a latte during the interview. Yeah, Alan McGee is cool.

Cazembe Abena (LA2DAY) - "So, you were born in Scotland?"

Alan McGee - "Yeah, I was born in Glasgow. I'm old."

Laughter

Cazembe - "I've read where you've said that you wanted to die by 60? What's that about?"

Alan -" I don't know, I've got a nihilistic view of life, I guess."

Alan - "And maybe 40 is the new thirty? OK."

Alan McGee is also the man because he's as a bit of a British music industry mogul. Things started out small as the head of Creation Records, however, but when the wheel of fortune turned, it turned big. Seemingly overnight, records sales went from 700 a month from relatively unknown bands, to 50,000 copies in a month. It all started with a Jesus & Mary Chain single called "Upside Down".

Marlon Ray (LA2DAY) - "So when you released that record did you think it was different than the other releases?"

Alan - "No, I didn't think it was going to be big. But I was only 23. I thought they were crazy. I agree with B.P. Fallon when he said that music is 10% talent, 45% luck, and 45% hard work. It's probably true."

In addition to owning and spearheading the groundbreaking Creation Records (1983 - 2000) he is responsible for the release of five genre-defining British Rock albums in one year (1991-1992) by My Bloody Valentine, Primal Scream, Teenage Fanclub, Jesus & Mary Chain, and St. Etienne. It was album release sensory saturation.

Alan McGee - "I'll never have a moment again that defined Rock & Roll for me the way that moment did. But, people thought I was insane. Although I had been pushing artists, and in bands since I was 16, I didn't know what I was doing with the label. I was just learning and it was still a hobby to me. Now that I look back on it, I wouldn't advise anyone to do it. It was crazy."

Sound like beginners luck? Not likely when you realize that Alan was responsible for breaking My Blooding Valentine, Teenage Fanclub, Primal Scream, Jesus & Mary Chain, St. Etienne, and a British band in '94 that you may have heard about in passing - Oasis, who is responsible for selling 50 million records.

He managed Oasis for 7 years. He toured and groomed them in '93, and then launched them in '94. His success with Oasis and other bands was key in leading the British government to re-evaluate subsidizing artists in ‘97. They approved supporting artists in development for three years, allowing artists to avoid having to acquire an extra job. That's right, the man's accomplishments have been so revolutionary that he has impacted legislature.

With legislative influence under his belt, five world-class albums released in '91 and a host of artists in his repertoire, Alan McGee was permanently etched in the annals of Rock stardom. But, even with a little luck, it still wasn't easy. Managing an independent label is hard, especially if that's not initially what you set out to do

Alan - "The Clash, and The Sex Pistols influenced me to play music when I was coming up. When I was in a band, I thought we were going to be the next Beatles."

He started out in a punk band called The Laughing Apples, playing guitar. As he pushed his records, he found himself in situations where others were giving him their records to push as well. He thought, "Why not?" But, soon the lack of progress of his own band and the major advancement of other's had him doing the management/record label chief (sans label) gig full-time. So, at 23 he started Creation Records... but it was still just fun. Eventually, fun lead to drug abuse, and a host of issues that crept up as a result of addiction to drugs and alcohol while trying to run a business at the same time.

However, Alan persevered. By the time Oasis' ‘Morning Glory' hit, Alan was clean (and has been since '94). Also around that time, he considered what he was doing a real job, and started to make moves in the right direction. Today he owns real estate, a formidable art collection that includes works by Howard Hodgkin, Keith Vaughan, and Roger Hilton, manages about 5 acts that he believes in, and DJs "just for fun". At 46, Alan believes in being approachable and surrounding himself with people that he appreciates and enjoys.

Alan - "I don't want more than 4 or 5 artists. Now, I manage The Charlatans, Dirty Pretty Things, Steve (Beta Band) Mason, and Client - I'm involved with them because my wife [Kate Holmes] is part of that band. I want to be in music because I want to. I'm into doing things that make me happy. I stay here at The Standard because I like the people, and I'm DJing here tonight for free just to have fun. If I manage someone it's because I love their music and them as a person. I don't need the money anymore, so I want to rep someone that I'm musically and personally bonded to."

Cazembe - "What is your approach to management now?"

Alan - "Empowerment through branding. To give bands the ability to make decisions. Alan McGee Management is like a brand."

He wants to pass his philosophy of autonomy and innovation to his bands. It doesn't take a physicist to deduce that this has accounted for a great deal of his success. Being a pioneer seems to be in his blood. It comes naturally for him to go against the societal grain and make radical decisions that he sees as perfectly normal (whether he would repeat them or not is a different story). Still, following his own intuition has taken him places that some people can't even dream of. Where music is concerned, he's seen it all and done even more. It only made sense to ask a British Rock mogul what he thinks the differences are between American Rock and British Rock.

Alan - "American music is about the groove. British music is about the melodies."

Laughter

Today he has embraced the new cyberspace culture. Check out his site, the photo blog ‘Medicated & Sedated'. When asked where his office is, he raises up his PDA and points to it.

Alan - "This is my office. I can do my business from anywhere in the world. And today my job is sitting here talking to you. I want people to come up and talk to me. I'm a bit open-minded, I guess. Some people would say a bad influence."

Laughter

Not too long ago Alan started an online record label called Poptones that broke the band The Hives with platinum success. But, soon after he stepped away from it.

Cazembe - "Why did you stop Poptones?"

Alan - "Merchandising and performance. That's the way to make money."

Alan and his 18-year-old son Dan Waks, have started nights like The Queen Is Dead, Death Disco, and Let's Go To Rehab as DJ nights. Again, for Alan it's pure joy. He can come and go when he pleases. DJ what he wants, when he wants. His inspiration may take him to LA, NY, London, Budapest, Moscow, and beyond.

Alan - "When we have some of these nights in different places, it gives me a chance to spin Oasis records. In some places in England it's not cool to spin Oasis in a club. It's cool to see them in concert, but not to spin their stuff in a club. Death Disco allows me to do things like that. Maybe I've got it wrong, but you should be happy. I'm just having fun."

And the world is your oyster.

Yeah, Alan McGee is cool, man. A bona fide Rock Star.

By Cazembe Abena

Alan McGee's Top Ten Rock Acts Of All Time (In No Particular Order):

1. The Velvet Underground
2. The Beatles
3. The Rolling Stones
4. The Kinks
5. Bob Dylan
6. The White Stripes
7. Oasis
8. The Doors
9. The Clash
10. Led Zeppelin

Alan McGee's Myspace page.