Tearing Down the Wall of Sound (60 page)

In a subsequent interview with a reporter from the
Los Angeles Times,
conducted in her lawyer's office, Blaine described how Spector had become obsessed with the trial, keeping two copies of his “murder book,” the compilation of evidence against him, and reading them constantly. His only regular visitors were his housekeepers, his attorneys and his hairdresser, who came as often as three times a week to groom Spector's wigs. Blaine's own duties, she said, had come to focus largely on protecting him from the ensuing media circus and attempting to rehabilitate his image. One idea, she said, was to make a movie or reality television show (working title “Phil Spector's The Producers”) that would show his “human side.” She also claimed that Spector had tried to dispatch her to music business parties to pass out fliers proclaiming his innocence. She refused to go. In February 2007, however, the case was settled out of court when Blaine agreed to return $900,000 to Spector, at the same time dropping her suit against him.

The money would prove extremely useful. Over the past four years he had employed three of the most expensive criminal defense attorneys in America—Shapiro, Abramson and Cutler—along with their attendant retinues of counsels and advisers. One estimate put Spector's legal bill at around $1 million a year.

His income from recordings had dwindled dramatically in recent years. It had been twenty-five years since he had released a new album—the Ramones'
End of the Century;
fifteen since the release of the
Back to Mono
CD box set. That collection remained in print, along with “greatest hits” packages by the Ronettes, Darlene Love and the Crystals. And in a bid to breathe new life into the catalogue, in December 2006 Allen Klein arranged for the release of yet another “best of Spector” package, along with the Christmas album. Added to that were the ongoing producer royalties from his recordings with John Lennon and George Harrison, and the songwriting royalties from radio plays of his old hits. Of these, the biggest revenue earner by far was “You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin',” which in 1999 had been named by BMI as the most played song on American radio and television in history—8 million performances, or the equivalent of forty-five years of continuous back-to-back airplay.

Perhaps the most telling indication of Spector's financial circumstances came, oddly enough, during the TV broadcast of the Super Bowl in February 2005. Spector had always been highly protective of his music being used in advertisements, and had poured contempt on others—notably Berry Gordy—who allowed theirs to be. It came as something of a surprise, then, to hear probably his most famous song, “Be My Baby,” being used to sell the male sexual aid Cialis during one of the Super Bowl's innumerable commercial breaks.

Nor, at this point, it seemed, could Spector rely on any of the money that he was seeking to recoup in his lawsuit against his original lawyer Robert Shapiro. In October 2005, Shapiro's twenty-four-year-old son Brent died from an accidental overdose of Ecstasy. Two months later, Spector dropped his suit against the attorney.

But in January 2006, Judge Fidler ruled that Spector's deposition in the Shapiro suit, which he had given the previous July, should be made available to the prosecution in the Clarkson case. Fidler noted that he had read the material but had found “no smoking gun” in the testimony.

For the deposition, Spector had been cross-examined by Shapiro himself, whose intention was clearly to establish just how important his services had been to Spector at the time of his arrest. Spector's answers provided a fascinating insight into his psychological condition.

Responding to Shapiro's questioning, Spector stated that he had habitually been taking five medications daily, for “sleep and emotional stability” for the previous eight years. A psychiatrist, he said, had diagnosed him with “manic depressiveness,” which had manifested in “no sleep, depression, mood changes, mood swings, hard to live with, hard to concentrate, hard…just hard.”

Medication, Spector said, had helped him “immensely” with his problems. Pushed on whether he had ever drunk while using the medication, Spector replied “occasionally,” but never more than three drinks. His favorite tipple was vodka and orange. Shapiro then asked whether Spector had discussed his mental condition with any newspaper reporters since the death of Lana Clarkson.

Spector, apparently referring to my meeting with him, but forgetting that it had taken place before the killing, said he had—with “a gentleman from London.” At this point amnesia seemed to envelop Spector.

Question: Did you ever tell the reporter that you had mental disorders?

Answer: No, I don't think I used that word, but I…it's possible.

Q: Did you ever tell the reporter that you sometimes felt you were insane?

A: No, but I might have. It's not…I might have…He might have concluded that, but I don't recall saying that, no.

Q: So what would be the basis for him concluding that?

A: I don't know.

Q: Did you ever tell the reporter that you were borderline insane?

A: I don't recall saying that.

Q: Have you ever said that to anyone?

A: I might have jestingly said that, yes.

Q: But not in seriousness?

A: I don't know what insane is, insanity, so I don't know how I could say it knowingly.

Q: What does the term mean to you?

A: Somebody who's not there all the time.

Q: And would you describe yourself as not being there all the time?

A: Yeah, because I've been called a genius and I think a genius is not there all the time and has borderline insanity.

Q: And would you say that would be your…The description of yourself on the day of Lana Clarkson's death?

A: No.

Spector's forgetfulness even extended to the name of his driver, Adriano De Souza, on the night of Clarkson's killing. “Le…something is his last name. I never knew what his name was when…he came to call. I used to call him ‘Tony,' but that wasn't his name.”

He had evidently forgotten too that he “owned a lot of weapons” until the police told him after the killing. “They were locked away.”

However, his memory apparently sharpened up in recollecting his alcohol consumption on the night of the killing. Contradicting police evidence about the amount of alcohol he had consumed that evening, and testimony from Adriano De Souza and various police officers about his inebriated condition, Spector maintained that he had actually drunk no alcohol at the Grill, despite the fact that it had been brought to the table. Nor, he claimed, had he ordered or drunk anything at Dan Tana's, despite the bartender sending over “something which he wanted me to try.” Spector said he had a habit of ordering “a lot of stuff that I don't consume, food and alcohol.”

Shapiro then pressed Spector on the gratuities he had left during the evening—a hundred dollars each to the “five or six” waiters at Trader Vic's; a $300 tip at Dan Tana's.

“Would you describe yourself, in the circumstances, at least, of being in a restaurant, as being overly generous?” Shapiro asked.

“Extraordinarily,” Spector replied.

“And would you describe yourself as being that way in most things in your life?”

“Yes, especially with you.”

Shapiro then moved on to question Spector about going to the House of Blues, meeting Lana Clarkson and what had occurred after that. Invoking the Fifth Amendment, Spector refused to answer.

         

Deciding that this deposition could be included by the prosecution in the trial was one thing; deciding when that trial should actually take place, quite another.

The first date set by Judge Fidler—January 2006—passed, and in March he agreed to a further postponement, noting that prosecutors and defense attorneys had scheduling conflicts. Bruce Cutler was still involved in his case in New York; prosecution attorneys, in the case of Michael Goodwin, who had been charged with the 1988 shooting of racing driver Mickey Thompson and his wife.

Spector's trial was rescheduled for September, but in June, Fidler ruled that it should be postponed for the third time, until January 2007. That date too would later be moved back to March. At the same time, the wrongful-death lawsuit was also postponed, until after the criminal trial.

In September 2006, Spector married Rachelle Short in a private ceremony at the Alhambra castle. Only a handful of guests attended, among them Spector's bodyguard.

Spector didn't get out much anymore. Secluded behind high walls with his lawyers and his hairdressers, he fretted and agitated about his forthcoming trial. The jukebox in the music room was silent. It was a long time since he had played his old hits. They seemed to belong not just to another era, but to another lifetime. Now that they were married, Rachelle seemed to spend less and less time at the castle. Friends said she was planning to record an album, and maybe Spector would produce—after the acquittal. It would, they said, be the comeback to end them all.

Acknowledgments

This book would not have been possible without the help of Caspar Llewellyn Smith who, as commissioning editor on the
Telegraph
magazine, was complicit in initiating my interview with Phil Spector in December 2002. I am indebted to Caspar, Michele Lavery, editor of the
Telegraph
magazine, and Kathryn Holliday, deputy editor of the
Telegraph
magazine, for all their support, enthusiasm and friendship throughout the project.

Special thanks are due to the redoubtable Harvey Kubernik, authority on Los Angeles music, for spiritual traffic-cop duties; to Denny Bruce, Michael Spencer and to Carlton Smith, who has written his own compelling account of the Lana Clarkson case and who has been extraordinarily generous with his advice and help on this book. I would also like to thank Isabel Albiston, Myra Amorosi, Robert Sam Anson, Eugen Beer, Graham Boynton, Tim Burrows, Tony Calder, Robert Chalmers, Rachel Coat, Bobbi Cowan, Hamish Dewar, Dominick Dunne, Andy Greenacre, Richard Havers, Barney Hoskyns, Simon Jameson, Dan Kessel, David Kessel, Eric Lee, Susan Leibowitz, Roderick Lindblom, David May, Jeremy Marre, Frank and Catherine Mazzola, Cheryl Newman, Ajesh Patalay, Dave Platel, Martin Roberts, Scott Ross, Francesca Ryan, Chris Salewicz, Krishna Sheth, Brian Southall, Peregrine and Catherine St. Germans, Professor Lloyd Utan, Richard Williams and Blake Xolton. I owe particular thanks to Naomi West for all her sterling help.

I am grateful to Gary Fisketjon, my editor at Knopf, for all his unstinting encouragement and enthusiasm, and to Liz Van Hoose at Knopf for all her patience and help. I am particularly indebted to Maria Massey, Hugo de Klee and Patty Romanowski for their painstaking and meticulous copyediting.

I would particularly like to thank my agent Kate Jones at ICM in London, who has been a tower of strength and wise counsel throughout the writing of this book and beyond, and Amanda Urban at ICM in New York for all her support, encouragement and advice. Above all, I owe thanks to my wife, Patricia, for everything.

Notes

1. “Mr. Spector Likes People to Walk Up”

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

Ahmet Ertegun, Don Kirshner, Larry Levine, Phil Spector.

         

BOOKS

Smith, op. cit.

Tynan, op. cit.

Wolfe, op. cit.

         

OTHER MEDIA

Cohn, art. cit.

Brown, “Found: Rock's Lost Genius.”

County of Los Angeles, Search Warrants and Affidavits, February 2003.

2. “It Was Phillip Who Was Moving Fastest”

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

Susan Cooder, Cary Cooper, Kim Fowley, Bruce Johnston, David Kessel, Annette Kleinbard, Annette Merar, Ron Milstein, Burt Prelutsky, Phil Spector, Michael Spencer.

         

BOOKS

Finnis, op. cit.

Gillett,
The Sound of the City.

Ribowsky, op. cit.

Smith, op. cit.

Thompson, op. cit.

Williams, op. cit.

         

OTHER MEDIA

Office of Chief Medical Examiner, NYC.

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, NYC. Priore, art. cit.

3. “To Know Him Is to Love Him”

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

Lynn Castle, Kim Fowley, Jimmie Haskell, Bruce Johnston, Annette Kleinbard, Jerry Leiber, Larry Levine, Annette Merar, Stan Ross, Phil Spector, Michael Spencer, Russ Titelman.

         

BOOKS

Boyd, op. cit.

Finnis, op. cit.

Picardie and Wade, op. cit.

Ribowsky, op. cit.

Thompson, op. cit.

Williams, ibid.

         

OTHER MEDIA

www.usc.edu/libraries/archives/la/scandals/chessman.htm: Caryl Chessman website.

www.carolconnors.com

www.goldstarrecordingstudios.com

http://web.inter.nl/users/wilkens/Lh06.htm: the Lee Hazlewood Story website.

http://www.lincolnu.edu/[.similar]nordstro/jou335/payola.htm: Payola history, Lincoln University of Missouri website.

Era Records contract July 3, 1958.

4. On Broadway

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

Ahmet Ertegun, Jerry Leiber, Beverly Ross, Michael Spencer, Nino Tempo, Jerry Wexler.

         

BOOKS

Emerson, op. cit.

Gillett,
Making Tracks.

Gillett,
The Sound of the City.

McKeen (ed.), op. cit.

Picardie and Wade, op. cit.

Ribowsky, op. cit.

Wexler, op. cit.

Williams, Richard, op. cit.

         

OTHER MEDIA

www.felderpomus.com: Doc Pomus website.

5. “A Big Hoot and Howl”

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

Freddy Beinstock, Miriam Beinstock, Ahmet Ertegun, Don Kirshner, Annette Kleinbard, Jerry Leiber, Annette Merar, Stan Ross, Michael Spencer, Russ Titelman, Jerry Wexler, Toni Wine.

         

BOOKS

Betrock, op. cit.

Emerson, op. cit.

Gillett,
Making Tracks.

Picardie and Wade, op. cit.

Ribowsky, op. cit.

Thompson, op. cit.

Wexler, op. cit.

         

OTHER MEDIA

Trow, art. cit.

http://web.inter.nl/users/wilkens/Lh06.htm: the Lee Hazlewood Story website.

www.wtv-zone.com/dpjohnson/parissisters: Paris Sisters website.

“Phil Spector,”
The Story of Pop,
BBC Radio.

6. “They All Thought He Was a Genius”

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

LaLa Brooks, Arnold Goland, Al Hazan, Don Kirshner, Al Kooper, Jerry Leiber, Annette Merar, Beverly Noga, Phil Spector, Michael Spencer.

         

BOOKS

Betrock, op. cit.

Emerson, op. cit.

Finnis, op. cit.

Kooper, op. cit.

Ribowsky, op. cit.

Williams, op. cit.

         

OTHER MEDIA

Petridis, art. cit.

Kubernik, “Wild Colonial Boy: Phil Spector.”

www.spectropop.com: entry on the Crystals.

www.history-of-rock.com: entry on the Crystals.

7. Building the Wall of Sound

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

Fanita Barrett, Hal Blaine, LaLa Brooks, Denny Bruce, Al DeLory, Al Hazan, Gloria Jones, Larry Levine, Annette Merar, Don Randi, Stan Ross, Phil Spector, Michael Spencer, Nino Tempo, Russ Titelman.

         

BOOKS

Betrock, op. cit.

Emerson, op. cit.

Finnis, op. cit.

Love, op. cit.

Ribowsky, op. cit.

Smith, Carlton, op. cit.

Williams, op. cit.

         

OTHER MEDIA

Lloyd, art. cit.

Puterbaugh, art. cit.

http://lpintop.tripod.com/jeffbarry: Jeff Barry—The Man and His Music.

http://web.inter.nl/users/wilkens/Lh06.htm: the Lee Hazlewood Story website.

www.spectropop.com: entry on Jack Nitzsche.

8. “He Wanted to Be Thought Of as Interesting”

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

LaLa Brooks, Denny Bruce, Annette Kleinbard, Larry Levine, Annette Merar, Don Randi, Bill Walsh.

         

BOOKS

Bono, op. cit.

Egan, op. cit.

Finnis, op. cit.

McDonough, op. cit.

         

OTHER MEDIA

Talbot and Zheutlin, art. cit.

Kubernik, “Phil Spector: Jack Nitzsche Remembers the Wall of Sound.” www.spectropop.com: Sylvie Simmons: Interview with Jack Nitzsche.

9. Little Symphonies for the Kids

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

LaLa Brooks, Ahmet Ertegun, Mitchell Geffen, Dennis Hopper, Bruce Johnston, Annette Merar, Joe Smith, Nino Tempo, Jerry Wexler.

         

BOOKS

King, op. cit.

Picardie and Wade, op. cit.

Ribowsky, op. cit.

Williams, Richard, op. cit.

Wolfe, op. cit.

         

OTHER MEDIA

Talbot and Zheutlin, art. cit.

10. Going to the Chapel

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

LaLa Brooks, Denny Bruce, Larry Levine, Annette Merar, Beverly Noga, Stu Phillips, Don Randi, Stan Ross, Frances Sheen, Michael Spencer, Nedra Talley, Nino Tempo.

         

BOOKS

Betrock, op. cit.

Emerson, op. cit.

Finnis, op. cit.

Love, op. cit.

Spector, op. cit.

         

OTHER MEDIA

Wenner, art. cit.

11. “The Wall of Sound, It Kinda Sounds Tired”

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

Tony Calder, Maureen Cleave, Tony Hall, Tony King, Larry Levine, Annette Merar, Nedra Talley.

         

BOOKS

Betrock, op. cit.

Bono, op. cit.

Emerson, op. cit.

Finnis, op. cit.

Loog Oldham,
Stoned.

Loog Oldham, 2
Stoned.

Norman,
The Stones.

Ribowsky, op. cit.

         

OTHER MEDIA

Cleave, art. cit.

Doncaster, art. cit.

12. “The Last Word in Tomorrow's Sound Today”

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

Denny Bruce, Tony Hall, Larry Levine, Annette Merar, Bill Walsh.

         

BOOKS

Emerson, op. cit.

Hoskyns, op. cit.

Ribowsky, op. cit.

Smith, Carlton, op. cit.

Williams, op. cit.

         

OTHER MEDIA

www.mann-weil.com: Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil website.

www.spectropop.com: entry on Jack Nitzsche.

13. “A Giant Stands 5'7"”

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

Denny Bruce, Henry Diltz, Ahmet Ertegun, Emil Farkas, Bruce Johnston, Linda Lawrence, Larry Levine, Annette Merar, Don Randi, Diana Ross, Catherine Sebastian, John Sebastian, Michael Spencer, Jerry Wexler, Brian Wilson.

         

BOOKS

Abbott, op. cit.

Benjaminson, op. cit.

Finnis, op. cit.

Goldman (and Schiller),
Ladies and Gentlemen—Lenny Bruce!
Gordy, op. cit.

Hoskyns, op. cit.

Miles,
Frank Zappa.

Ribowsky, op. cit.

Spector, op. cit.

Thompson, op. cit.

Wilson,
Wouldn't It Be Nice.

Wolfe, op. cit.

         

OTHER MEDIA

“A Giant Stands,” art. cit.

http://members.aol.com/dcspohr/lenny/original.htm: Lenny Bruce, extract from

Lenny Bruce essay “I Remember Lenny” by Grover Sales.

www.freenetpages.co.uk/hp/lennybruce: The Complete Lenny Bruce.

14. River Deep, Mountain Low

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

Rodney Bingenheimer, Denny Bruce, Larry Levine, Don Randi, Catherine Sebastian, Phil Spector, Ike Turner.

         

BOOKS

Emerson, op. cit.

Finnis, op. cit.

Ribowsky, op. cit.

Thompson, op. cit.

Williams, Richard, op. cit.

         

OTHER MEDIA

Kubernik, “Phil Spector: Jack Nitzsche Remembers the Wall of Sound.” Wenner, art. cit.

15. Marriage in Purgatory

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

Tony Calder, Lynn Castle, Ahmet Ertegun, Peter Fonda, Tony Hall, Dennis Hopper, Phil Spector, Michael Spencer, Stewart Stern, Nedra Talley.

         

BOOKS

Biskind, op. cit.

Finnis, op. cit.

Goldman, op. cit.

Ribowsky, op. cit.

Spector, op. cit.

         

OTHER MEDIA

Bart, art. cit.

Wenner, art. cit.

16. “Out There, but in a Beautiful Way”

         

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

Larry Levine, Jerry Moss, Toni Wine.

         

BOOKS

Thompson, op. cit.

         

OTHER MEDIA

Wenner, art. cit.

17. The Lonely Bird in the Gilded Cage

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

Nik Cohn, Peter Fonda, Don Kirshner, Nedra Talley.

         

BOOKS

Abbott, op. cit.

Spector, op. cit.

OTHER MEDIA

Cohn, art. cit.

         

18. With The Beatles

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

Peter Brown, Dennis Hopper, Dan Kessel, David Kessel, John Leckie, Annette Merar, Phil Spector, Klaus Voormann.

         

BOOKS

DiLello, op. cit.

Emerson, op. cit.

Goldman, op. cit.

MacDonald, op. cit.

Miles,
Ginsberg.

Norman,
The True Story of the Beatles.

Ribowsky, op. cit.

Spector, op. cit.

Williams, Richard, op. cit.

         

OTHER MEDIA

Hilburn, “Tearing down the Wall of Silence.”

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/carousel/pob00.htm: You Are the Plastic Ono Band.

http://rarebeatles.com/ghpsatmp.htm: Letter from Phil Spector to George Harrison re: All Things Must Pass.

www.performingsongwriter.com: Bill DeMain.

19. “These Are Pretty Wild Sessions, They Get Pretty Out There”

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

Tim Blackmore, Joe Boyd, Paulette Brandt, Emil Farkas, Dan Kessel, Dave Kessel, Tony King, Bob Mercer, May Pang, Stan Ross, Harold Seider, Joe Smith, Nedra Talley.

         

BOOKS

Goldman, op. cit.

Norman, op. cit.

Spector, op. cit.

         

OTHER MEDIA

Affidavits and statements, Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles, in re the marriage of Veronica Yvette Spector and Phillip Spector.

“Phil Spector,”
The Story of Pop,
written by Tim Blackmore and Charlie Gillett, BBC Radio.

20. “Let's Take Five”

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

Roy Carr, Mitchell Geffen, Zach Glickman, Dan Kessel, David Kessel, Harvey Kubernik, Devra Robitaille, Stan Ross, Nino Tempo.

         

BOOKS

Love, op. cit.

Williams, op. cit.

         

OTHER MEDIA

Carr, art. cit.

“Phil Spector in Mystery Mishap,”
Rolling Stone.

Wexler, art. cit.

http://acereco01.uuhost.uk.uu.net/gotrt/feb01/cdchd793.htm: Dion—Born to Be with You, by Sean Rowley, Ace Records.

21. “Leonard, I Love You…”

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

David Kessel, Harvey Kubernik, Larry Levine, Devra Robitaille, Joe Smith.

         

BOOKS

Nadel, op. cit.

Ribowsky, op. cit.

         

OTHER MEDIA

DeCurtis, art. cit.

Holden, art. cit. www.serve.com/cpage/LCohen/BBCshow.htm: Leonard Cohen on BBC Radio.

22. “Thank You, Folks—Have a Good Life”

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

Roy Carr, Carol Connors, Dan Kessel, David Kessel, Harvey Kubernik, Nola Leone, Larry Levine, Andy Paley.

         

BOOKS

Spector, op. cit.

True, op. cit.

Twiggy, op. cit.

         

OTHER MEDIA