Gods, Gangsters & Honour

Steven Machat was born into the entertainment business. His father, Marty, was one of the most successful post-war American entertainment lawyers, with a glittering array of clients from Sam Cooke and the Rolling Stones through to the boxer Sugar Ray Robinson and the stars of London's Swinging Sixties. A fateful introduction to Frank Sinatra on the top floor suite of Miami Beach's Fontainebleau Hotel in 1968 was all the encouragement that teenage Steven needed to follow his father into that alluring world. He had no idea at the time just what that decision would cost him. Steven's story of a life in the world of international entertainment is presented here as it now appears to him: the gods he admired, the gangsters he fought, and the honour he struggled to find. A fast-forward life of excess, duplicity and greed, presented by the author in a series of fascinating glimpses ranging over forty years. Entertaining cameo appearances from the likes of Leonard Cohen, Phil Spector, Peter Gabriel, Michael Jackson, Suge Knight, Joan Collins, David Copperfield and many others are combined with fascinating insights into the nature of the industry which has created much of the landscape of our lives. The intrigues and commercial calculations behind the most seemingly simple pop song, the payola culture, the reckless behaviour of both artists and managers: these make for one of the most revelatory and authoritative books about the music and entertainment business ever published. Steven Machat walked into the lion's den of the music business right after that first meeting with Sinatra. He has emerged, his honour intact, with the most extraordinary story to tell. Steven Machat is an international entertainment entrepreneur, who has worked in music, films, books, plays, and national US politics. He was trained as both an attorney and an accountant in the entertainment business. He has thirty five years of experience as a producer of music, films, television, and theatrical productions. He has been a record company owner, a music publisher and a manager of music talent. In these roles, and as a provider of legal services, he has worked with all the majors around the world, as well as many independents. He has worked for and with ELO, Leonard Cohen, Phil Spector, Genesis, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Micky Mantle, Donny Osmond, Suge Knight, David Copperfield, John Waite, New Edition, Bizzy Bone to name a few. He now lives in Miami Beach, FL.