THE END AND THE BEGINNING The unique genesis of American ... · man Mo Ostin, prominent...
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T he unique genesis of American Recordings and comments made on the label’s day of birth encapsulate the core values and intentions of the label and its creator, producer Rick Rubin. Nearly 20 years ago, American Recordings came into the world in a most unusual way. From 1983 to 1993, Rubin’s label was called Def American Recordings; but when Rubin found out that the word “def” had been added to the 1993 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, defining it as “an 80s street word that means ‘excellent,’” he decided to drop the term that had become far too mainstream, and in fact, a cliché. “’Def’ had become this catchall catch phrase for hip-hop or rap culture,” Rubin told the Los Angeles Daily News. “It just didn’t feel right anymore.” RUBIN COULD HAVE JUST taken out a full-page ad in Billboard with the international “no” sign over a photo of the Def American logo to an- nounce the change, but instead, on August 27, 1993, he put “def” to rest by holding a full-blown funeral to mark its pass- ing. Rubin had a plot, a coffin, and a black granite headstone purchased at the Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery (now the Hollywood Forever Cemetery), and reserved its Chapel of the Psalms for the funeral service. The contro- versial Reverend Al Sharpton was flown in to deliver a proper eulogy for “def” in the chapel, pall bearers that in- cluded then Warner Bros. Records Chair- man Mo Ostin, prominent enter- tainment attorney John Branca, and the Geto Boys’ Bushwick Bill, carried the coffin into the chapel where some 500 mourners were invited to pay their final respects by filing past the open casket and leaving some sort of memorabilia with “Def” on it – a t-shirt, hat, coffee mug, CD. Someone even placed a Gold record in the coffin. As the Rev. Sharpton so aptly put it, “Def died of terminal ac- ceptance.” Flower tributes arrived from Andrew Dice Clay and Sir Mix-A-Lot, and mourners in- cluded the entire Def American Recordings staff/family as well as friends such as Tom Petty and Roseanna Arquette, members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Cult, De- peche Mode, Slayer, Pearl Jam and Nine Inch Nails, among others. Dur- ing the service, mentalist The Amazing Kreskin read the minds of Petty and Arquette. After the service, the mourners accom- panied the casket outside where it was placed into a 19th century, horse- drawn hearse. Rubin and Sharpton, flanked by a retinue of Black Panther-type armed guards, lead the proces- sion that now included a New Orleans-style fu- neral marching band playing “Amazing Grace” and “When The Saints Go Marching In.” The mourners wound their way through the cemetery to the gravesite where “def” was finally laid to rest, spending its eternity in the company of luminaries such as Rudolph Valentino, Tyrone Power, Bugsy Siegel, Cecil B. DeMille, and John Houston. “When we bury Def,” said Sharpton as the coffin was lowered into the ground, “we bury the urge to con- form.” Rev. Al Sharpton delivers the eulogy to “Def.” Rick Rubin puts his Def memorabilia into the coffin. Petty, Kreskin, Arquette The coffin is loaded into the horse-drawn hearse. Inside the chapel. T T HE HE E E ND ND AND AND THE THE B B EGINNING EGINNING Sharpton, Rubin make their way to the gravesite.
Transcript of THE END AND THE BEGINNING The unique genesis of American ... · man Mo Ostin, prominent...
The unique genesis of American Recordings and comments made onthe label’s day of birth encapsulate the core values and intentions ofthe label and its creator, producer Rick Rubin.
Nearly 20 years ago, American Recordings came into the world in a mostunusual way. From 1983 to 1993, Rubin’s label was called Def AmericanRecordings; but when Rubin found out that the word “def” had been addedto the 1993 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, defining it as “an 80s streetword that means ‘excellent,’” he decided to drop the term that had becomefar too mainstream, and in fact, a cliché. “’Def’ had become this catchallcatch phrase for hip-hop or rap culture,” Rubin told the Los Angeles DailyNews. “It just didn’t feel right anymore.”RUBIN COULDHAVE JUST taken out a full-page ad in Billboardwith theinternational “no” sign over a photo of the Def American logo to an-
nounce the change, butinstead, on August 27,1993, he put “def” to restby holding a full-blownfuneral to mark its pass-ing. Rubin had a plot, acoffin, and a black graniteheadstone purchased atthe Hollywood MemorialPark Cemetery (now theHollywood Forever
Cemetery), and reserved its Chapel of the Psalms for the funeralservice. The contro-versial Reverend AlSharpton was flownin to deliver aproper eulogy for“def” in the chapel,pall bearers that in-cluded then WarnerBros. Records Chair-man Mo Ostin,prominent enter-tainment attorneyJohn Branca, and the Geto Boys’ Bushwick Bill, carried the coffininto the chapel where some 500 mourners were invited to pay theirfinal respects by filing past the open casket and leaving some sort of
memorabilia with “Def”on it – a t-shirt, hat, coffeemug, CD. Someone evenplaced a Gold record inthe coffin. As the Rev.Sharpton so aptly put it,“Def died of terminal ac-ceptance.”
Flower tributes arrivedfrom Andrew Dice Clay
and Sir Mix-A-Lot, and mourners in-cluded the entire Def AmericanRecordings staff/family as well asfriends such as Tom Petty andRoseanna Arquette, members of theRed Hot Chili Peppers, the Cult, De-peche Mode, Slayer, Pearl Jam andNine Inch Nails, among others. Dur-ing the service, mentalist The AmazingKreskin read the minds of Petty andArquette.
After the service, the mourners accom-panied the casket outside where it wasplaced into a 19th century, horse-
drawn hearse. Rubinand Sharpton, flankedby a retinue of BlackPanther-type armedguards, lead the proces-sion that now included aNew Orleans-style fu-neral marching bandplaying “AmazingGrace” and “When TheSaints Go Marching In.”The mourners wound their way through the cemetery to thegravesite where “def” was finally laid to rest, spending its eternityin the company of luminaries such as Rudolph Valentino, Tyrone
Power, Bugsy Siegel,Cecil B. DeMille, andJohn Houston.“When we buryDef,” said Sharptonas the coffin waslowered into theground, “we burythe urge to con-form.”
Rev. Al Sharpton delivers the eulogy to “Def.”
Rick Rubin puts his Def memorabilia into the coffin.
Petty, Kreskin, Arquette
The coffin is loaded into the horse-drawn hearse.
Inside the chapel.
TTHEHE EENDND ANDAND THETHE BBEGINNINGEGINNING
Sharpton, Rubin make their way to the gravesite.
Rubin was – and is to this day -guided by two principals: “Do theright thing at the right time for the
right reason,” and whatever it is, “make itthe best it can be.” Financial gain has neverbeen the main impetus for anything he’sbeen involved with; integrity, truth andmaking a great record was and is. The coreof The Death of Def event and the birth ofAmerican Recordings embodied thoseprincipals.
Def was dead.Long live American Recordings.
The funeral marching bandleads the horse-drawn hearse andthe 500 mourners to the gravesite.
Rubin visits Def’s grave a fewmonths after the burial
Mourners say their final good-byes
Rubin, Depeche Mode’s David Gahan andRaging Slab’s Greg Strzempka at theAmerican birthday/bowling party
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The cortege – nearly a score of stretch limou-sines and some 200 cars - was then escortedby a dozen Los Angeles Police Departmentmotorcycle cops a few miles away to theShatto 37 Lanes bowling alley where, longinto the night, the birth of the label’s newname, American Recordings, was celebratedby some 2500 family and close friends.
Rock’n Roll hadn’t seen anything like theDeath of Def in decades. And likely neverwill again.
Rev. Sharpton, Rubin, Mo Ostin
American’s George Drakoulias, Sharpton, Bush-wick Bill, Rubin, Ric Menello, Mark DiDia
