Euphoric recall : a half century as a music fan, producer, DJ, record executive, and tastemaker

Euphoric recall A half century as a music fan, producer, DJ, record executive, and tastemaker

Peter Jesperson

Book - 2023

"Beginning with his time working at the legendary Oar Folkjokeopus record store, Jesperson helped shape the tastes of local music fans and foster the Twin Cities as a destination for touring acts from around the globe. His tastemaker role continued while he worked as a DJ and booking assistant at Jay's Longhorn bar, the landmark venue that elevated the Twin Cities' reputation as a mecca for left-of-center artists. In 1977, Jesperson, along with two partners, founded Twin/Tone Records, which over the next 20 years released more than 300 records, including by such groundbreaking artists as the Replacements, the Suburbs, Soul Asylum, Babes in Toyland, the Jayhawks, and many more. With Twin/Tone, Jesperson further solidified Minn...esota's place on the map as a hotbed of musical creativity and a leader in the indie music world. Just three years after starting Twin/Tone, Jesperson made the discovery that changed his life, and the Minneapolis music world, forever: the Replacements. As A&R man and then full manager, he guided the development of this talented and out-of-control foursome, while taking a break to road-manage an upcoming sensation out of Athens, Georgia: R.E.M. But as his career was on the rise in the wild '80s, Jesperson began his own descent into substance abuse, until he overcame his demons and launched a second act in the industry. In Euphoric Recall, Jesperson speaks frankly about his struggle with drugs and alcohol, and how it nearly derailed his career and his life. Motivated by his love of music, Jesperson rallied to pick up where he left off with Twin/Tone and the Replacements before heading west to begin the next phase of his career in Los Angeles. While working alongside such noteworthy artists as Dwight Yoakam, Kris Kristofferson, Vic Chesnutt, and Steve Earle, Jesperson experienced firsthand the dramatic changes in the music industry of the 1990s. Through it all, he has retained his passion for the industry and the art, and now, after a half-century in the music business, Jesperson shares his insights, anecdotes, and lessons from his unique vantage point."--Amazon.com.

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Subjects
Jesperson, Peter.
Twin Tone Records (Firm : Minneapolis, Minn.) > History.
Sound recording executives and producers > United States > Biography.
Concert agents > United States > Biography.
Sound recording industry > Minnesota > Minneapolis.
Autobiographies (literary genre)
Autobiographies.
Genres
Autobiographies (literary genre)
Autobiographies
Published
St. Paul, MN : Minnesota Historical Society Press [2023]
Language
English
Main Author
Peter Jesperson (author)
Other Authors
David Fricke (writer of foreword)
Physical Description
xi, 280 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm
Bibliography
Includes discography (pages 245-255) and index.
ISBN
9781681342719
  • Foreword
  • 1. The Why and the How
  • 2. Oar Folkjokeopus: Where It Began
  • 3. Jay's Longhorn: On with the Shows
  • 4. Twin/Tone Records: Flyin' by the Seat of Our Pants
  • 5. The Replacements, Part I: When It Began
  • 6. R.E.M.: Princes Among Men
  • 7. The Replacements, Part II: On the Road, Crash Landing
  • 8. Euphoric Recall
  • 9. Twin/Tone and Medium Cool: Go West, Young Man
  • 10. New West Records: A New Label in a New Town
  • Epilogue
  • Acknowledgments
  • Discography
  • Credits for Song Lyrics Quoted
  • Index

One day in the spring of 1980, I was working at Oar Folkjokeopus [record store], and a young guy I didn't know walked up to the counter. He said he was in a band and asked if he could give me a demo tape. I said, "Of course." He handed me a cassette and a scrap of paper with his name and phone number on it, and then quickly left. I looked at the tape. It said: "The Replacements." Between Twin/Tone Records and the Longhorn bar, I was inundated with submissions from musicians, and it was a week or so before I played the Replacements demo. Finally one day, I gathered up the cassettes, a boombox, a stack of Oar Folk paperwork, and shut myself away in the back office. I put in one tape after another while I worked. As usual, it was a varied mix of styles and quality. When I popped the Replacements tape in, though, it was like something out of a storybook. The recordings were head and shoulders above those from any new band I'd heard in ages. I told my Twin/Tone partners that I had a demo I needed to play for them right away. Then I called the number on the scrap of paper and let the band know that I loved the songs and wanted to talk to them about making a record. They'd given me the tape as an audition to get a gig at the Longhorn. They were flabbergasted to hear that I wanted to discuss recording them as well. I wanted to see them perform live as soon as I could, and I was able to help them secure a slot at the Longhorn on July 1, 1980. In the meantime, I listened to the demo incessantly, and by showtime, I had the songs memorized. Once we saw the band play, my partners and I were won over. The show was raw, but it blew us all away. And the band was rarin' to go. Together, label and band would go on to secure each other's place on the music map. Excerpted from Euphoric Recall: A Half Century As a Music Fan, Producer, DJ, Record Executive, and Tastemaker by Peter Jesperson All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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