I just found a little nugget inside a Bob Lefsetz letter. Al of moe. wrote in to Lefsetz about moe.'s manager‚ Jon Topper. Inside a typically longggggg posting‚ about managers‚ Lefsetz had said:
Like Jon Topper with moe. The band had a major deal for a time. If they were managed by a hack‚ or someone with bigger commission paydays in their stable‚ the members of moe. would be working day jobs today. But Topper lives and breathes moe. He's got them making first class records‚ doing their own festival. He's not worried about the major league business‚ he's in the moe. business‚ which is quite profitable.
Here's what Al had to say:
hey bob‚
this is al from the band moe. I read your letter pretty regularly. just wanted to comment on the manager missive from the other day regarding our manager jon topper - fwiw‚ topper has been our friend & partner in this operation ever since it even vaguely resembled a business. he is truly one of us & he gets it‚ & that is why it works. he lived in squalor w. us. he was there in the shitholes back in the day. he may not have spent enough time loading bass rigs up to 2nd story venues in ames iowa‚ but he still slept on the floor when it was his turn. he's family.
and jon topper is a fan. not just a moe. fan‚ but a live music fan. he gets it. he's a deadhead. he did his time. he knows what it means to the kids who are really vested in the scene & he knows what is essential to that kind of relationship. you combine those 2 things‚ his sense of family + his love of the music & it all makes sense.
keep up the good work.
thx‚
al
Awwwwww. That warms my heart. Just in time for that festival Lefsetz spoke of‚ moe.down. Congrats to moe. for making it to #9! Day jobs, schmay jobs.
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