A Word on Words; 4033; Stuart Dill

and now from nashville public television's just do a celebrated authors literature and ideas for more than three decades but this is a word on words jobs alan johnson a dollar and once again welcome toward own words my guest today stewart deal he's what's known as a musical insight as a successful artist manager he's worked with acts ranging from the rubble or build bundy to the legendary mean for decades of experience in comedic sets a stage for this debut novel murder on music row but the walls around my heart assassin record company merger struggle for a pop artist judd gregg there to talk about murder on music row where this idea come from what was a ceiling that came years ago probably ten years ago you know i lived in this world that

i'm an artist manager an icon walk through this earth interesting a day job every day and a time to go home at night and tell my wife the forties wouldn't believe this and it feels kind of felt to me to be my life and it feels a little cinematic and so part of that was just observing and say man we should write this down in that i heard john grisham's a onetime i'm a fan of the diner of mysteries and thrillers and i heard him say one time that has for me was he takes ordinary people puts them in an extraordinary situation and sees that they can get out and that's that was the ceiling idea of saying if i can write a novel that would have a narrative of an internal gets into the maze of the music business and see if he can get out words come from simon is a manager in the story you write what you know as i say it's you know the there are voids there are

times when i hear my own voice in there are times when i am reflecting a lot of voices that i have observed for a long time a lot of a lot of this is hard for me to even some time to know the difference but simons is there is a reflective manager and i have a lot of mentors and what i do and i do enjoy that kind of manager that is not necessarily robust cartoon louder voice for split more reflective than calming and he's that and i've enjoyed watching good managers that are traded those instincts and so that that part of it i think is the montage of several lenders that i really do and minor ripley is the artist's ripley is a complicated character in the book for sure it is in some ways he's a you know he's portrayed as being the most popular artist of his day i knew when i wrote that that people maybe assumed that if their day was in the nineties that was garth brooks of their day was today would

be taylor swift but i've had before and another they reveal that amount of enjoying kid and so i've had a fourth of the aisle want to see those cycles and to see some commonality there and finds a complicated thing success on that level that's super stratosphere level of the complicated thing and so part of the narrative was to try to get in the psyche about the shooting for just a moment okay and the question from the opposite who is the target who the victim was until that you create that dichotomy legally doesn't mislead a switch wealthier sudan asked that question it comes from an observation of mine through the years he crept up on me and observation they missed we do treat famous people differently and

anna times if there is a conflict the public psyche of the public is to side at times for the famous one and so i'm kind of playing off of this idea as their shots that ring out the assumption is is that goes by the end i think part of the story is to at least bring the scope aligned conversation is you know that narrative being do you as a public really assume that the famous one of all is the fact that we pull for folks of fame and power now that story goes on to we also a pretty good at creating these gods and knocking them off the pedestals an unforgiving them and building them back up again so it's an interesting kind of wrong going narrative but that that assumption who's good who's bad in the beginning as intentional as is wrapped in the complicated

situation of think this merger of the spoke about the induction into an international affair endowment and those on the street and all of that then then you watch those power shift and son that company i am one fellow is in control but he's nearly nine intro was somebody else in control and then is either one of them in control and the maybe a third party are you factoring into the digital world where that story was going before you set out to write about the editor all this all in some ways a lot of the details for me of all the part of the narrative never changed i love the idea of

putting on an innocent and turned into this maze and see if he can get out and the complicated kind of secrets in the crossfire a secret within a manager an artist and the record company that stayed the same but as i drove into the minor plot points are some plot points of the book you know you do get into that in some of their star still bothers you right i mean this is my first books on some ways out i was learning how to write as i was doing this and joiner may not mistaken are the reason it took so long but but that that storyline you know some of this is certainly hope the backdrop of the narrative feels true but to people my peers i would read this that backdrop of the murders is not a new idea that record companies have been merging now historically we've had four majors as of late colonial won approval by the americans and universal by the french yeah my historical by the english and for the senate always say

this opening day no that's right so and now you know this was published in october of last year in november universal prejudged we're mindful about how four regions so that they're five classes of what did you use any merger this initial modeled for a story that involved well you know emi have been that i've read and know a lot about a lot of these companies have been in business on some level necessarily the top level job with all of them you might have an interesting company enjoy the british have known some of them at the top level of whites that company i love the beatles all of that is so in some ways they've also had been on sale for a long time that there's been a lot of transition more than that company i would say it's one that i would be you know that there are a lot of examples

of where these murders have happened in its always about the entry for me is it's all about the power and the top of the leadership at the top who they are what they're like what their leadership styles are why they wonder why the plight of the need for the power to grow bigger and bigger you know a fascinating study the message field forward his stories of this because these programs about is how writers write and look plot here is fascinating is gripping you know there are moments as i think back on it when you let me go to play to make me think one thing and i'm sure you didn't intentionally ended enemy force and can say oh yeah i know and what that's about it and then the next thing i know i don't know what's that about what that's about a lot of

characters so we're really thinking although i was led to believe the new year the best part of being a good mystery writer but think about it as you were sitting down for a major track that plot on paper before you i did i'm not that smart but not that detail that i did i did not do a plot chapter by chapter on a plot point a book outline now with that said i really did have in my mind a pretty good understanding of where this was going and will the money was guilty i knew was guilty then along and it i knew i knew what the shooting was about why by that but i will also say this is how it often reflect in some way for me riding pet it is just trying to be an observer

and so i'll reflect on different situation the b the bandana know about an animal and i and i did enjoy that that kind of piecing together their information and trying to create a fictional narrative that would instill some of those same kind of interests so in our royal several levels are ordered the narrative i think just for entertainment in some ways although an ever wonder i don't because until boredom and in one ryder how to be a music business but i did want to have some information that would be interesting to go as a party at his insatiable desire to know what it looks like behind the curtain and in the backstage of music business and i'm in a third level if you're trying to talk about what i don't know if you really get the house trying to talk about what his time some very complicated issue is that you can really get in just the narrative but but it may bring to life a conversation that's more philosophical you know real actually

the first outing covering these characters of those embodied her i read about it is crawling with with with clues there as ripley come from well it is kind of a character that you take it off economist and i start with a slow hilton is the fame again as though they're fact frame for a moment his visit is a complicated subject and it really is interesting to be able to know that my position and watch how famous people kind of transition into this very unnatural state for fame as a communal experience is not fame is not one sided it takes the famous person and the society to make this happen that often had clients say look i don't feel like

i changed the nearby changed around me that at some point they did change critically and the supersonics are the family gets to such a stratosphere that they can never get outside of their own bubble if you will in time there's been a lot of complicated things happened there including people don't tell them the truth until more than what i hear it's hard just told a famous powerful person something they don't want to hear an amicable wants a wall so what happens is it becomes a mental game and part of management really is a mild level the town of the base level the management is between the years ahead how to help negotiate navigate complicated personality and a very unnatural state be successful without hurting it's just a term for those who just joining us i'm talking with so deal about his book murder on music row tailor those be talk to me for a minute about the interim own you know we've heard about

people like fish and unwillingness maybe the nearest thing comes to mind is the legend kris kristofferson at one point his painting as trees only grow in the next minute he's writing hit songs and performing movies and that but what about urine turned well it's a very common practices parlor reason it was so easy to calm place this into the bulk of the music industry uses unpaid interns made him more than they should read it you will never see a want ad on how to get into the music business is this kind of interesting rhythm all negro particularly bad we can pull from these three universities and we get paid in terms of the ones that are really cut the mustard state and they get an entry level and they worked the way up and that's kind of what how the music business works on music row and how that system works so the idea of an unpaid intern

is very realistic but it's also a great tool for the character to be so naive that he doesn't know is indeed as annie comes in with rosa glasses not unlike everyday in terms that we first see in the music as testament to the beautiful thing that has been either moved by music that won't be a part of this really great noble honorable profession and then in some ways somewhat been shattered by reality is not what the effects that i posed that to the nth degree it's not all negative i would say on both sides from an internal from a young artist there's no way that you could describe that to them on the front end that commercial music is very much about the business side and the commercial side and far less about the music and the art that people might think and in some ways a become very disappointing in the solution for people and turns and for artists and

that is get out some figure out how to maneuver throwing stay true to their art history or to their goals of their desires and were through the system but for the book sacred to be able to have an in turn has given information it doesn't know why i didn't know what to do with a life that is a physicist canonize character there is a dimension to the mystery that end so let's go back to the shooting the deception deception in the story aired and deception in the way the people involved begin or that was gone when you started i did but i'll say it's a very very good question have not been asked this before but you're hitting on what hours really can't understand the at the root of this which is that there's a perception and how society treats artists right there there's not a it's

not it's just an interesting observation that it's not real and the sense of it's not a true relationships relationships are built on people really know people fame and fanaticism and the relationship between society and artists and and that is based on illusion is not based on real relationships right and so that that assumption that we really think we know what happened because of what we heard is not really true is like saying hi no you really really well even though you know i just met fifty minutes ago backstage right i do think i know you but do i really i really don't so that that is kind of the very crux of the assumption that's made we assume that we know people famous people and the truth is how could we we really don't know and so as a manager i

see the other side of that i get to know these people and their fears and their human ness and their paintings and their sorrow than their joys but just standing next to them in their autograph and picture taken doesn't necessarily mean a part of their lives is social that they're not also shown being stronger than that so far as we know those council but you create social situations so i take it from real life oh sure is that accurate measure jeremy if what if anything a lot of the narrative the interesting appreciate you saying as glowing things but the truth as i knew my peers for readers to sell one of the backdrop to beat real i wanted to feel to those that i know that worked in the industry the leaders in italy say really get that part right in itself and that sense yes that that that that the backdrop this agenda from real play goes from you know natural in london and new york to la

and those are real backing and back in the real places real situations real settings places i know it's a lesson that's not fictional the settings are very real yeah and ten locations in nashville tennessee over rio again you were about that and all i really did nicely father would be something that would would enhance the story you know it's an interesting thought to place a fictional narrative with a kind of a real backdrop home and worry about our worry about may well have to get it right but i knew if it getting close that it would make it much more entertaining you create a power struggle for control of a company or an i began thinking there is one leader in this economy there's one there is there's one chief executive and then i find that there is a power struggle and it is a bloodletting and those guys are

meeting right and can't throw a cutthroat most violent they are either that there's a parallel fall there for me at first you think ok it's a murder mystery and then there is violence that happens in a murder wobble a little right now the suppliers which are sort of thing about the company will there's violence there too so there's a parallel is a corporate violence that's gone on that's not quite as obvious but it certainly is you know hardly anyone mean spirited in and i'm in the us are going to be talked about you know a year ago in a civil society how we really operate we'll have to necessarily have a murder to bring up to the consciousness of how we akerson corporation you get a sense that this business that we love and really you know in a sense the base is the business community is the

music the country but the business of the city where we both we both live in why they're some mean spirited campaign and says it for the story is pushing the nth degree in the negative and and how bizarre summer that israel for sure now there's really some great heroes in this town and in the music business of them amazing that that come out and a deluge yet you have both this is just like in any industry does late in ourselves as that enable an audience and for pushing me on the law to make the story dramatic but know that is that's true in and i can add you know it makes me appreciate it we get into real life characters when you find famous people that have been able to stay grounded and have this enormous talent but humility vince gill and this tune is an example actually do is you know has every reason to be a

diva anna certainly the last person more than we could ever claim is and it's where he really empowered collide and it's the most brilliant wonderful experiences but on the other side of that there or they can become very dark and that that part was that he was a servant chair of the new global economy called for surly border in the eye that and that never met a nice time and you know you've been a three star power there any good talent in its roots from the well you he's a union at i think is one of the rare ones god bless him but he's been able to take that pedestal and that fame and recycle it into goodness some people absorb it and it's become very dark tough talk about as being the black hole and if

you take that ego energy and you try to contain it and hold it and put into yourself it becomes an egomaniac if you recycle it like some do but some kansans is a great example that can become a powerful talk of war so what do you do when you're creating a character like ripley and i don't mean for a moment that the killers ending like richard what do you take people you've met no navy managed encapsulate two three four personalities into yeah i think that is one human being and they have these estar i think that's exactly right the main characters in the book the manager the artist for the intern the record and they relate to me personally are an amalgamation of a few people kind of meshed into what then becomes this fictional character that i start to live with them

and it's about and you know it takes a little while to kind of get those characters are settled in your mind but once they cover some entered into your imagination then they start to live with you and they're embedded they are and you know when you start riding low it as fuel huge what happens use that is an act of violence autumn it comes before a plot that involves they own a power struggle inside the business right to try and attack the violence again within the business about the spartans are the storyline and yet with that said you know then you start to realize the maturity with the judge makes the internet and bonding of venus between lebanon's security is at an end

and their camaraderie that starts to form and that you know simon the manager is often not present in the book and it has influenced everybody in the book who's the most important character well i'm probably the least present so yes all of those kinds of nuances of relationships entanglements are very real in the music that and if there isn't if there is a power broker their strikes me that simon's social privacy possibly get here having this romantic but ultimately the protagonist and they would probably judd next budget but simon is definitely the mentor that has strained to students early on in him believing him when he heads in st martin's an intuition in and there will be winnable but that's where i got a sewer tunnel into such a mystery and not just a minute left you don't you know again i you know it's

funny that i sat down had come alive a total rip plan around family for that was cheaper than therapy and nsc i would write a few pages two years as she would be degrading perjury and she would read it and she would read it out loud parties book was written purely because my wife to have a space in enough to rehabilitate his back to me allowed and i heard a different way and i get excited and keep right so with that process i cannot let that rhythm has kind of gotten ingrained in may i started a second book will simply finished i really didn't sit down say love got a publicist i sat down at the piece of enjoyment that overrides my friends my family it was a family physically another mystery we heard birds to rebuild they do so what they've all of you for watching for word on words and john similar he really

did