An awful lot of industry characters appear to have faded away.
Now obviously a lot of this is because I "went missing" myself for three and a half years, at exactly the time when the industry started to collapse and people began to get fired, retired and so on... but that world of active executives in the 90's has dissipated and taken people with it.

So where are the Colin Bells, the Paul Russells, the Burgers and Cokells and Nick Philipses and Wadderses and that enormous bank of people who were crucial cogs in the wheel of 90s music?

Very few remain in music (Lucian was just an up and coming hopeful then; I remember a trip in his newly acquired Smart Car when he played me demos for a brand new future project called S Club)...

So where are they? If you're reading this (10,000 a day do) or remain in touch with that era of personalities, I'd love to hear from you all.

Example - via this wonderful web and another board (Velvet Rope) I've recently been back in touch with John Carter (First Class) and many of that group of musos - and he was delighted to hear my story of bumping into an affectionate Roger Greenaway in France last month.

Just writing to my brilliant engineer from the 60s and 70s, John Mackswith, thanks to a contact provided by Mr Carter...

The simplest answer is they were all fired , mainly by people who know a great less about music and musicans, but pretend to know more about business.
They went off to other businesses, became managers, run their companies; the usual, and don't forget , JK, nothing lasts forever and new executives rise, stay awhile-Nick Gatfield is locked into EMI for 5 years, allegedly, and move on to the next big cheque.

You seem light on the current big players,JK; for example , give us your view on the Live Nation boardroom struggle between Rapino and Cohl, which has just seen Michael Cohl depart. Try HITS for an overview.

You've hit the nail on the head Walter, I do feel "light" on the current big movers - if they are "big" any more. If not, who are the equivalents of Clive Calder, Steve Ross, Sir Edward, Mo Ostin, Daniel Miller...

But this was more a personal thing. Over the year they became, if not friends exactly, friendly acquaintances.

A few remain so (you mention The Captain elsewhere).