Some insight
Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 2:18 amBryan Adams
Manager Bruce Allen would prefer that his long-time client Bryan Adams not be interviewed for his own Canadian Music Hall of Fame tribute piece -- understandably, of course.
It would be kind of pompous for the Canadian singer, guitarist and songwriter to talk about why he is so deserving of the honour, and Adams is a humble sort.
Instead, Allen and Adams' long-time guitarist Keith Scott share insight into the man to be inducted this weekend (April 2) at the Juno Awards ceremony in Halifax.
The accomplishments of Adams are innumerable, enviable, and admirable: staggering sales in excess of 65 million albums worldwide, wonderful portrait photography that is simple yet expressive, multiple Juno and Grammy wins and three Academy Award nominations. But Adams is more than just a successful recording artist. The Kingston, ON native is also an active humanitarian, recognized as such by his appointment to Officer of the Order of Canada.
There's another '-able' word Allen uses to describe his client of 28 years. "He's indefatigable. There's nobody in our organization that works as hard as he does as an artist," says Allen.
At this stage of his career, the 46-year-old Adams could very easily retire, slow down or at least leave many business details to others, but he doesn't. Prior to our interview, Allen had just had an hour-and-a-half conversation with him about the re-design of his web site.
"A lot of guys wouldn't even worry about it. They'd say, 'Take care of it, set me up a web site, here's what I want it to do, see ya later,' but he's into it," says Allen, still with a hint of amazement in his voice.
"He looks after all his merchandise. He wants to approve it. He wants to sit down and help design it, he does it. He wants to get involved in the lighting. He wants to get involved in the stage set, he does it. This is the furthest thing from a robot there is. He's in there doing all that stuff, hands on, his career, all the time."
That's what prompted Allen to start working with Adams back when the singer was just 18 -- an artist who would be as committed and hard-working as he is. Beyond writing great pop/rock songs and being a consummate entertainer with no need for pyrotechnics and dancing girls, what makes him so successful?
"Somebody said something about Bryan Adams one time which I've always filed at the back of my brain," recounts Allen. "If he made a decision in his younger years to be a neurosurgeon, he'd be the best neurosurgeon in the world. He just is that type of person --'If I'm going to do this, then I'm going to do this the best.'
"So he drives everybody to do things as well as he possibly can. He surrounds himself with those types of people. He takes a lot of risks, but he challenges all those around him to keep up with him. He's just driven to be excellent. It's unbelievable."
Scott, Adams' guitarist for the past 25 years, agrees. When asked what he has learned from Adams, he doesn't hesitate. "Most of all, he's got a terrific work ethic, loves to work," Scott says. "No matter what he embraces, he gives it his full all: photography, charity, touring, writing music, being a spokesperson. He really enjoys it. He just loves the work and, if anything, he's taught me that if you do put a little extra time into something, the results will be more fruitful."
He also talks of his friend/boss's generosity. When the public hears of Adams' great adventures, they seldom hear of the people he brings with him.
"I can't tell you how many times Bryan has involved me personally in something that he's been able to participate in," says Scott. "If it means dinner with Wayne Gretzky, he's invited me to just about everything he's been involved in, save the things that he knows I wouldn't enjoy. He's been incredible for that. 'Okay guys, I've got this opportunity go play for people in Pakistan, let's go,' and he invites us all, and he does it again and again.
"We were in India a few years ago in New Delhi and he said, 'I want to see the Taj Mahal. I'm going to rent a little plane and we'll fly over to Agra and we'll go see it,' and he invites everybody to do it when he could have done it himself.
"He did that in Jordan as well," Scott continues. "He invited us to see Petra; we were joking about it. (I was) saying after the show in Jordan in Amman, 'I'm going to stay an extra day and drive down to Petra and see the city in the rock,' and he preempted me and said, 'No, I've rented a helicopter and when we land we're going to go down for the afternoon and then we'll come back and do the show that night.'
"Or I was in New York a few months ago and I said, 'Bryan, we've got the night off tomorrow; we're going to get a ticket to go see the Rangers play,' and he said, 'No, I've already called Bruce. We've got seats.' He loves to do that, including everybody in on it. It's a group thing. He's amazing for that."
One hears press reports about Adams' near fatal skydiving attempt in 1985 or a minor motorcycle accident in 2000, but while some songwriters might write about such personal incidents, Adams doesn't. Besides 1987's "Into the Fire," Adams' political and social beliefs come out more in his actions than his song lyrics, which are almost always about affairs of the heart. In rare interviews, his dedication to music is apparent, but his personal life remains rightfully out of the spotlight and his quick-wit and strong character easily deflects such talk.
So what irks his manager when he reads the press on Adams or hears people talking about him? What is it they always miss?
"I don't think he's ever got the credit for what he's done musically," says Allen, somewhat surprisingly, considering all his awards and this induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. "I think they miss that. Yes, they always begrudgingly recite the numbers about how many records he's sold, but they've never understood that he might be -- as Mutt Lange and Bob Rock, two of the greatest producers in the business, said -- the best white singer in the business today. He could sing the phone book, and they miss it."
And what of the fact that unlike other great songwriters, from Bob Dylan to Bruce Springsteen to Eminem, one doesn't get a lot of Adams' personality from his lyrics -- his political and social views, his latest adventure?
"He's done so much in his career, done things that you can actually take a look and say, 'He was the first act to go to Pakistan; first in Vietnam; first in Turkey.' He believes that music breaks down all borders. That's what he really thinks about music.
"His actions speak louder than his words. He shows up. The money he's raised for cancer; he's the guy who got the whale sanctuary going in the southern hemisphere; he's built schools in Pakistan. He played Jordan on the last tour. Korea, Iceland, Egypt, Qatar, India, Chile, East Berlin, Russia -- a lot of people would never even go to these places.
"He does everything -- the first Amnesty tour, Live Aid, Live 8, the Prince's Trust two or three times, the Nelson Mandela Freedom Concert. He was a driving force behind 'Tears are Not Enough' and has played with Pavarotti in Italy, Smokey Robinson at the Apollo, McCartney in London, Streisand, Sting, Rod Stewart, Tina and the Who.
"He's Canada's number one ambassador by far," Allen declares. "There's nobody close."
Manager Bruce Allen would prefer that his long-time client Bryan Adams not be interviewed for his own Canadian Music Hall of Fame tribute piece -- understandably, of course.
It would be kind of pompous for the Canadian singer, guitarist and songwriter to talk about why he is so deserving of the honour, and Adams is a humble sort.
Instead, Allen and Adams' long-time guitarist Keith Scott share insight into the man to be inducted this weekend (April 2) at the Juno Awards ceremony in Halifax.
The accomplishments of Adams are innumerable, enviable, and admirable: staggering sales in excess of 65 million albums worldwide, wonderful portrait photography that is simple yet expressive, multiple Juno and Grammy wins and three Academy Award nominations. But Adams is more than just a successful recording artist. The Kingston, ON native is also an active humanitarian, recognized as such by his appointment to Officer of the Order of Canada.
There's another '-able' word Allen uses to describe his client of 28 years. "He's indefatigable. There's nobody in our organization that works as hard as he does as an artist," says Allen.
At this stage of his career, the 46-year-old Adams could very easily retire, slow down or at least leave many business details to others, but he doesn't. Prior to our interview, Allen had just had an hour-and-a-half conversation with him about the re-design of his web site.
"A lot of guys wouldn't even worry about it. They'd say, 'Take care of it, set me up a web site, here's what I want it to do, see ya later,' but he's into it," says Allen, still with a hint of amazement in his voice.
"He looks after all his merchandise. He wants to approve it. He wants to sit down and help design it, he does it. He wants to get involved in the lighting. He wants to get involved in the stage set, he does it. This is the furthest thing from a robot there is. He's in there doing all that stuff, hands on, his career, all the time."
That's what prompted Allen to start working with Adams back when the singer was just 18 -- an artist who would be as committed and hard-working as he is. Beyond writing great pop/rock songs and being a consummate entertainer with no need for pyrotechnics and dancing girls, what makes him so successful?
"Somebody said something about Bryan Adams one time which I've always filed at the back of my brain," recounts Allen. "If he made a decision in his younger years to be a neurosurgeon, he'd be the best neurosurgeon in the world. He just is that type of person --'If I'm going to do this, then I'm going to do this the best.'
"So he drives everybody to do things as well as he possibly can. He surrounds himself with those types of people. He takes a lot of risks, but he challenges all those around him to keep up with him. He's just driven to be excellent. It's unbelievable."
Scott, Adams' guitarist for the past 25 years, agrees. When asked what he has learned from Adams, he doesn't hesitate. "Most of all, he's got a terrific work ethic, loves to work," Scott says. "No matter what he embraces, he gives it his full all: photography, charity, touring, writing music, being a spokesperson. He really enjoys it. He just loves the work and, if anything, he's taught me that if you do put a little extra time into something, the results will be more fruitful."
He also talks of his friend/boss's generosity. When the public hears of Adams' great adventures, they seldom hear of the people he brings with him.
"I can't tell you how many times Bryan has involved me personally in something that he's been able to participate in," says Scott. "If it means dinner with Wayne Gretzky, he's invited me to just about everything he's been involved in, save the things that he knows I wouldn't enjoy. He's been incredible for that. 'Okay guys, I've got this opportunity go play for people in Pakistan, let's go,' and he invites us all, and he does it again and again.
"We were in India a few years ago in New Delhi and he said, 'I want to see the Taj Mahal. I'm going to rent a little plane and we'll fly over to Agra and we'll go see it,' and he invites everybody to do it when he could have done it himself.
"He did that in Jordan as well," Scott continues. "He invited us to see Petra; we were joking about it. (I was) saying after the show in Jordan in Amman, 'I'm going to stay an extra day and drive down to Petra and see the city in the rock,' and he preempted me and said, 'No, I've rented a helicopter and when we land we're going to go down for the afternoon and then we'll come back and do the show that night.'
"Or I was in New York a few months ago and I said, 'Bryan, we've got the night off tomorrow; we're going to get a ticket to go see the Rangers play,' and he said, 'No, I've already called Bruce. We've got seats.' He loves to do that, including everybody in on it. It's a group thing. He's amazing for that."
One hears press reports about Adams' near fatal skydiving attempt in 1985 or a minor motorcycle accident in 2000, but while some songwriters might write about such personal incidents, Adams doesn't. Besides 1987's "Into the Fire," Adams' political and social beliefs come out more in his actions than his song lyrics, which are almost always about affairs of the heart. In rare interviews, his dedication to music is apparent, but his personal life remains rightfully out of the spotlight and his quick-wit and strong character easily deflects such talk.
So what irks his manager when he reads the press on Adams or hears people talking about him? What is it they always miss?
"I don't think he's ever got the credit for what he's done musically," says Allen, somewhat surprisingly, considering all his awards and this induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. "I think they miss that. Yes, they always begrudgingly recite the numbers about how many records he's sold, but they've never understood that he might be -- as Mutt Lange and Bob Rock, two of the greatest producers in the business, said -- the best white singer in the business today. He could sing the phone book, and they miss it."
And what of the fact that unlike other great songwriters, from Bob Dylan to Bruce Springsteen to Eminem, one doesn't get a lot of Adams' personality from his lyrics -- his political and social views, his latest adventure?
"He's done so much in his career, done things that you can actually take a look and say, 'He was the first act to go to Pakistan; first in Vietnam; first in Turkey.' He believes that music breaks down all borders. That's what he really thinks about music.
"His actions speak louder than his words. He shows up. The money he's raised for cancer; he's the guy who got the whale sanctuary going in the southern hemisphere; he's built schools in Pakistan. He played Jordan on the last tour. Korea, Iceland, Egypt, Qatar, India, Chile, East Berlin, Russia -- a lot of people would never even go to these places.
"He does everything -- the first Amnesty tour, Live Aid, Live 8, the Prince's Trust two or three times, the Nelson Mandela Freedom Concert. He was a driving force behind 'Tears are Not Enough' and has played with Pavarotti in Italy, Smokey Robinson at the Apollo, McCartney in London, Streisand, Sting, Rod Stewart, Tina and the Who.
"He's Canada's number one ambassador by far," Allen declares. "There's nobody close."
