It`s not Friday, but I won`t have much time tommorow, so it`s a Thursday "embarrasing things I have done at record companies post" this week.

In about 1986, Dave Massey rang us out of the blue when he was at Chrysalis and invited us up to see him.
We were very nervous after finally getting into the hallowed building and being greeted at reception.
"We have an appointment with Mr Maffey,"said I, putting my envelopes on the counter.
"We have nobody called Maffey here" I was told.
I pointed to the name I had written in marker pen on the envelope and showed it to the receptionist.
"Mr David Maffey", I assured her.

She looked skyward, and said "Oh Dave Massey!" and buzzed him.



I finally get into Chrysalis, and present myself as a deaf musician with a lysp!

Dave was great by the way and very enthusiastic and encouraging.

Next week, probably the most embarrasing, how not to get record deal story ever.

As a journalist I was once sent to interview Jean-Michel Jarre in a hotel room. This was before the Infobahn, and I had no idea what he looked like. So I duly went to the room and started my little "greeting famous musician" routine on... his manager. Jarre was a few minutes late.

On the bright side, in the same hotel many years later, I got a goodbye kiss from Marisa Monte after an interview.

www.fly.co.uk/fly/marisa_monte.jpg

~sigh~

The first time I had the chance to speak to Elvis Costello I ignored him because I suddenly realised that Pete Thomas was the brother of Phillipa, so I had to ask him about her ...