The other day an e-mail arrived from Jo Jo Gator, a guy some of you may know is a local and national pop music impresario. Gator’s been around the block and back and has his share of stories to tell. He’s an honest, hardworking dude who prides himself on quality, not always the most direct route in today’s music. And he’s always considered the music, the song, above all else — he’s a songwriter by trade. Maybe that’s why, as the industry desperately searches for an identity, he decided to dispatch this e-mail.
“I did not decide to be a musician or a songwriter, and I definitely did not plan on being in the music business. Those who are really participating in this business of music are born into it. It’s an addiction, a passion, and a curse. The curse is that we as writers, producers, managers, and artists depend on others to make a living. We have to depend on peoples’ knowledge, integrity, talent, and common sense. This does not always work. So one often must do everything himself because of the lack of human resources. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m tired.”
The e-mail, which was sent to many of Gator’s (aka Joe Rainone) industry connections, goes on to explain why he’s disillusioned with the business, and why he’s gettin’ the hell out. Gator writes that early on in his career he had a codicil in his will stating “all he wanted to do was make music.” We believe he has since then deleted it from said will . . .
“That’s insane. I was a sick man. I see things clearly now. Since 2001 everyone in the biz has been scrambling to try and recover from the shutdown of the entertainment business. The only ones that survived were the money people. When they reopened the floodgates amidst finger pointing and piracy scapegoats, they brought in a new generation of crooks. All the real players left, or opened independent labels and are pretending to wake up every day and go to work. My last meeting with a label bordered on extortion. I’m done with it.”
And he means it. Subsequent conversations with Gator have more or less reiterated his feelings. “I never got to spend time with my kids,” he bemoans. “My daughter, who’s 16 now, grew up in the studio.” So, on a recent retreat to the Caribbean to gather his thoughts and plan out the rest of this life, he came up with an idea.
He’d auction his family — himself, his fiancé Jackie, and his kids — on eBay. No lie. Of course, that’s another story altogether. You can read about the wildness that ensued on his website: www.jojogator.com. “It’s insane,” he enthuses, adding that he’s done more national press about this whimsical ploy than in 20 years in the music business. “I should have done this a long time ago!” See ya Jo Jo. Keep in touch, bud.
Jo Jo Gator’s Goodbye to the Music Biz with Santa Mamba [formerly Planet Groove] + Stephanie Taylor + Kristin Trotta + more | Century Lounge, 150 Chestnut St, Providence | Jan 29 | 401.751.2255
