RIP Allen Klein
One of the most intriguing behind-the-scenes characters in the history of music, Allen Klein, is dead 1t 77. Read all about it here
Much of the coverage will focus on his wheelings and dealings on behalf of (or against the best interests of) his celeb clients such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Peter Guralnick’s biography of Sam Cooke, Dream Boogie, provided a much more nuanced and detailed account of Klein. In fact, part way through Guralnick’s bio, I was thinking Klein was a much more interesting character and deserved a similarly detailed accounting of his life.
Inevitably, there is a business in show business. Klein was in his own way the kind of mad, ambivalent genius he counted among his clientele. Among his extra-musical accomplishments was the production of the astounding films of surrealist Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowsky.
More on the life of Klein here.
BTW, here is John Belushi doing Klein as “Ron Decline” in The Rutles.