Full Transcript for Developer and Arts Patron Sam Goldstein

around one point five million. 77 00:04:49.600 --> 00:04:51.600 Anywhere from one and a half to two and a 78 00:04:51.639 --> 00:04:55.240 half million dollars a year for each one percent amazing. 79 00:04:55.720 --> 00:04:59.120 So one percent goes to the visitors Bureau. I know 80 00:04:59.160 --> 00:05:00.920 they've been under a little bit of fire in the 81 00:05:00.959 --> 00:05:03.839 last couple of years. They've been kind of blamed for 82 00:05:03.959 --> 00:05:06.040 the over tourism problem we have here. 83 00:05:06.360 --> 00:05:07.720 I think they're an easy scapegoat. 84 00:05:07.759 --> 00:05:09.800 I think if we turned off all of our marketing, 85 00:05:09.800 --> 00:05:14.560 and that includes every individual that posts sunset pictures of Laguna, 86 00:05:15.079 --> 00:05:18.319 it wouldn't make a bit of difference. This is no secret. 87 00:05:18.560 --> 00:05:23.839 Well it's Laguna is an interesting place. There's always complaints 88 00:05:23.839 --> 00:05:28.839 for everything, right, we never find happiness. Happiness is not 89 00:05:28.959 --> 00:05:30.720 part of Laguna's mo. 90 00:05:31.439 --> 00:05:32.160 Well, it's funny. 91 00:05:32.199 --> 00:05:34.959 I mean, I think that people that involve themselves in 92 00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:39.519 the civic process tend to be full of gripes. You know, 93 00:05:39.560 --> 00:05:43.160 they tend to think it can be way better. There's 94 00:05:43.160 --> 00:05:47.399 those also who think that they're protecting Laguna from a 95 00:05:47.519 --> 00:05:53.079 fate of becoming over commercial and overcrowded, which is a 96 00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:57.279 tough pill because every resort in the world. Every desirable 97 00:05:57.319 --> 00:06:01.639 place is suffering the same fate. People like making love 98 00:06:01.720 --> 00:06:03.160 too much, Sam. 99 00:06:03.120 --> 00:06:03.600 Well, the. 100 00:06:05.079 --> 00:06:08.519 People are never satisfied and they always want either more 101 00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:12.519 or less. And in the case of California, I just 102 00:06:12.600 --> 00:06:15.040 read in the paper yesterday there's a big movement to 103 00:06:15.040 --> 00:06:18.240 get rid of the Coastal Commission because of the choke 104 00:06:18.279 --> 00:06:21.439 hold they have on everything that's going on in this 105 00:06:21.560 --> 00:06:22.240 day and age. 106 00:06:22.279 --> 00:06:23.199 So yep. 107 00:06:23.319 --> 00:06:27.120 And I know they were formed to ensure access to 108 00:06:27.160 --> 00:06:30.879 the beach for the public and public enjoyment and to 109 00:06:31.000 --> 00:06:35.279 prevent business from restricting access to the beach, which is 110 00:06:35.360 --> 00:06:38.079 kind of a noble thing, but they've been given so 111 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:42.240 much control. I believe the entire coastline and then a 112 00:06:42.319 --> 00:06:44.279 mile inland is their purview. 113 00:06:44.600 --> 00:06:49.399 Yes, it is, and it's created we have. We had

114 00:06:49.439 --> 00:06:55.439 the hotel Montage created back in two thousand, I guess 115 00:06:55.439 --> 00:07:04.360 it was, and it took two lawsuits and three referendums 116 00:07:04.399 --> 00:07:09.360 to finally get the approval to build a hotel that's 117 00:07:09.560 --> 00:07:11.959 from our just our community, had nothing to do with 118 00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:13.079 government agencies. 119 00:07:13.680 --> 00:07:18.319 And yet today we would be upside down financially without 120 00:07:18.319 --> 00:07:19.160 the Montage. 121 00:07:19.279 --> 00:07:23.160 Yeah, but we never said there was broad intelligent thinking 122 00:07:23.480 --> 00:07:26.839 for saying no to anything. You know, we think it's 123 00:07:27.639 --> 00:07:33.720 it's a badge of honor to be a naysayer, and 124 00:07:34.040 --> 00:07:35.680 we happen to love it, and there are a lot 125 00:07:35.720 --> 00:07:40.000 of people who feel very vitriolic about doing it. So 126 00:07:40.040 --> 00:07:45.879 it's you have my thoughts, which is always what more 127 00:07:45.959 --> 00:07:48.600 can we do? Not how little can we do? And 128 00:07:48.639 --> 00:07:51.120 we have the others who say we don't want to 129 00:07:51.160 --> 00:07:52.199 do anything. 130 00:07:52.480 --> 00:07:54.879 And we've din't want to do less. 131 00:07:55.240 --> 00:08:01.360 We've enforced it. By nineteen forty seven seventy four, we 132 00:08:01.519 --> 00:08:03.879 had Bob Gentry. 133 00:08:04.319 --> 00:08:07.839 Who is then mayor then the mayor, and. 134 00:08:07.759 --> 00:08:13.360 He created a city plan. He must have been a 135 00:08:13.360 --> 00:08:18.959 genius at city plans and paperwork because it's still in effect. 136 00:08:19.079 --> 00:08:22.399 We're still dealing with the city plan that we had 137 00:08:22.439 --> 00:08:32.399 in nineteen seventy four, and it's created havoc, impact, no progress, negativity, 138 00:08:34.080 --> 00:08:37.159 a way of thinking that is second to none. We 139 00:08:37.279 --> 00:08:39.879 have groups here like Village Laguna that don't want to 140 00:08:39.919 --> 00:08:43.639 see the thing change and they're living the good life. 141 00:08:43.720 --> 00:08:47.679 They've done really well to say no to everything, and 142 00:08:47.720 --> 00:08:52.039 they keep saying it. And it's people like myself and 143 00:08:52.360 --> 00:08:57.000 Cindy Schopoff and Michael Ray to say enough's enough, and 144 00:08:57.080 --> 00:08:59.240 we've done what we've had to do in order to 145 00:08:59.559 --> 00:09:03.440 change the general feeling. But it's not easy because we 146 00:09:03.559 --> 00:09:08.159 have as many we have a fraction of naysayers. But 147 00:09:08.279 --> 00:09:14.159 there it seemed to be ever never out of energy 148 00:09:14.240 --> 00:09:16.639 to be relentless in naysaying. 149 00:09:17.279 --> 00:09:20.360 Well, Sam, on this radio station, we honor all voices 150 00:09:20.480 --> 00:09:23.879 and we have an hour that's devoted to

Village Laguna 151 00:09:23.879 --> 00:09:25.080 to express their views. 152 00:09:25.519 --> 00:09:28.919 But that said, let's talk about something different. 153 00:09:29.000 --> 00:09:32.759 Let's talk about something positive, and that is Sam Goldstein, 154 00:09:33.440 --> 00:09:36.960 because we haven't been positive for years. That's right, but 155 00:09:37.120 --> 00:09:39.279 you are still at it. And how old are you 156 00:09:39.320 --> 00:09:41.440 going to be this Thursday ninety one? 157 00:09:41.639 --> 00:09:45.519 Come on, man, no way, yeah ninety one. That brain 158 00:09:45.639 --> 00:09:48.600 is as sharp as attack. I know you would disagree 159 00:09:48.600 --> 00:09:48.840 with that. 160 00:09:48.960 --> 00:09:52.159 I hear it from you, but you know I want 161 00:09:52.200 --> 00:09:55.000 the public to hear about you because. 162 00:09:54.840 --> 00:09:59.320 You have a fascinating story. You were born in la Your. 163 00:09:58.879 --> 00:10:03.639 Parents your father was a Russian immigrant, didn't speak English, 164 00:10:03.879 --> 00:10:08.120 struggled in business right Your mother, though, held the family together. 165 00:10:08.519 --> 00:10:11.720 She was the bastion of success and she. 166 00:10:11.879 --> 00:10:15.320 Had the foresight to buy scratched together enough money to 167 00:10:15.399 --> 00:10:18.720 buy a building in down not a downtown in midtown 168 00:10:18.879 --> 00:10:22.200 mid La, La and had enough rooms that after World 169 00:10:22.200 --> 00:10:24.440 War Two she turned it into a boarding house. 170 00:10:24.559 --> 00:10:28.720 Yes, and she went from one to four boarding houses 171 00:10:29.360 --> 00:10:31.240 in my lifetime with her. 172 00:10:31.320 --> 00:10:34.840 And she was Donald Brnn of her time. 173 00:10:34.960 --> 00:10:38.039 Oh absolutely, because I had a sister that wanted to 174 00:10:38.039 --> 00:10:40.919 be an opera singer and I wanted to be a drummer. 175 00:10:41.200 --> 00:10:45.480 And she wanted her kids to succeed, and she had 176 00:10:45.759 --> 00:10:51.200 focus and relentless and she was a driven woman for 177 00:10:51.399 --> 00:10:55.279 her children and her life and she turned it from 178 00:10:55.440 --> 00:10:59.159 poverty success and it was a great example for a 179 00:10:59.159 --> 00:11:00.000 young man growing. 180 00:11:00.120 --> 00:11:00.879 Ye, I couldn't. 181 00:11:00.879 --> 00:11:04.559 And she supported your interest in the arts. She totally 182 00:11:04.600 --> 00:11:06.600 whatever you wanted to do, she just wanted you to. 183 00:11:06.600 --> 00:11:10.480 Never never thwarted any of it. She was my mother. 184 00:11:11.200 --> 00:11:16.799 And then some yeah, what about so how did you 185 00:11:16.879 --> 00:11:19.840 first then encounter music? Do you have a memory of 186 00:11:19.879 --> 00:11:21.960 where you got inspired to play drums? 187 00:11:22.360 --> 00:11:25.559 No? I started piano when I was seven, and I 188 00:11:25.639 --> 00:11:27.960 had to mow the lawn to the piano teacher, who 189 00:11:28.039 --> 00:11:32.360 was awful, so I didn't have to pay her, but 190 00:11:32.440 --> 00:11:36.799 it was it was a barter deal. 191 00:11:36.960 --> 00:11:38.799 And then the piano wasn't happening. 192 00:11:39.440 --> 00:11:42.399 Well, it was it was good for overall knowledge because 193 00:11:43.039 --> 00:11:48.159 the arts and the brain are synonymous with good things. 194 00:11:48.399 --> 00:11:51.559 It brings creative thinking no matter what you do or 195 00:11:51.639 --> 00:11:54.240 how you do it. But without the arts, we have 196 00:11:54.720 --> 00:11:56.399 brain dead unity. 197 00:11:56.519 --> 00:11:57.360 And we're going to get to that. 198 00:11:57.399 --> 00:11:59.399 When your your great love of the arts, and when 199 00:11:59.399 --> 00:12:05.240 you hung up your sticks, you continued to sponsor, support, patronize, 200 00:12:05.639 --> 00:12:07.679 and encourage art wherever you went. 201 00:12:08.279 --> 00:12:11.720 I absolutely I couldn't live without it. And I got 202 00:12:12.519 --> 00:12:17.799 introduced to contemporary art at Newport Harbor Art Museum back 203 00:12:17.840 --> 00:12:33.559 in the WHOA nineteen sixties seventies, and there was a 204 00:12:33.600 --> 00:12:36.879 young curator by the name of Paul Schimmel who came 205 00:12:36.879 --> 00:12:41.519 from Texas. He was fifty four years old with the 206 00:12:41.600 --> 00:12:49.000 youngest curator happening, and he was like a wonderful breeze 207 00:12:49.000 --> 00:12:53.159 that blew through the museum who had insatiable desires and 208 00:12:53.200 --> 00:12:55.240 he wanted all the help he could get to make 209 00:12:55.279 --> 00:12:59.879 it happen. And we aligned ourselves together. I became chairman 210 00:13:00.480 --> 00:13:05.639 the acquisition committee, changed the dues from one hundred dollars 211 00:13:05.679 --> 00:13:08.120 a year to one thousand dollars a year, and I 212 00:13:08.159 --> 00:13:11.600 had fifty members and we started buying art for the 213 00:13:11.679 --> 00:13:15.840 Museum and now the Newport Harbor Art Museum, which is 214 00:13:15.879 --> 00:13:20.039 now part of UCI as probably the best contemporary art 215 00:13:20.039 --> 00:13:21.639 collection in the United States. 216 00:13:21.720 --> 00:13:25.120 We'll look at that. But hey, you skipped about thirty years. 217 00:13:25.360 --> 00:13:28.720 Oh is that all now or maybe just I don't know, 218 00:13:28.799 --> 00:13:33.559 maybe twenty years. But starting in nineteen fifty you became 219 00:13:33.840 --> 00:13:35.039 a professional drummer. 220 00:13:35.559 --> 00:13:35.759 Yeah. 221 00:13:37.200 --> 00:13:40.639 I had already studied, and in nineteen fifty I played 222 00:13:40.639 --> 00:13:43.720 the first rock and roll jamboree of the Shrine Auditorium 223 00:13:43.840 --> 00:13:47.879 and I was the only o faide person on the stage. 224 00:13:48.279 --> 00:13:51.440 Only what O fay?

What's that mean, white guy? Oh, 225 00:13:51.480 --> 00:13:51.960 old fay? 226 00:13:52.519 --> 00:13:55.320 Because you were with I'm reading from this bio that 227 00:13:55.360 --> 00:13:57.200 you produce for me idel Brown. 228 00:13:57.240 --> 00:13:57.840 Is that how you say it? 229 00:13:58.000 --> 00:14:03.679 Idle Brown Barnum. He was from a wonderful California family 230 00:14:05.080 --> 00:14:10.320 and he Idled played HB played seven instruments, and he 231 00:14:10.399 --> 00:14:15.000 had a mother that was all encompassing like mine, who 232 00:14:15.039 --> 00:14:18.279 wanted to see her son do nothing but sixty seed. 233 00:14:18.840 --> 00:14:22.440 So we had an alliance from day one. I don't 234 00:14:22.480 --> 00:14:23.799 know how we met, but we did. 235 00:14:24.240 --> 00:14:26.480 I'm curious though, because you said it was the rock 236 00:14:26.519 --> 00:14:28.639 and roll jamboree and it's hard for me to picture 237 00:14:28.679 --> 00:14:31.759 a black man playing rock and roll in nineteen nineteen fifty. 238 00:14:32.039 --> 00:14:34.200 Yeah, the only white guy on the stage. 239 00:14:34.360 --> 00:14:37.039 You were, Yes, So this was like what kind of 240 00:14:37.120 --> 00:14:37.600 rock like? 241 00:14:38.120 --> 00:14:42.840 It was all these you know singers. 242 00:14:43.000 --> 00:14:44.679 Yeah, yeah, that was it. That was it. 243 00:14:44.799 --> 00:14:45.919 Yeah, four and five group. 244 00:14:46.000 --> 00:14:48.320 There was a transition. I'm trying to picture that. 245 00:14:50.399 --> 00:14:51.320 Music started. 246 00:14:51.480 --> 00:14:52.960 Yeah, and you were on that. 247 00:14:52.960 --> 00:14:54.159 I was, I was in it. 248 00:14:54.279 --> 00:14:58.879 Amazing And and you worked with him for about eight years. 249 00:14:59.080 --> 00:15:02.519 Yeah, we did. We did everything to I had a 250 00:15:02.559 --> 00:15:06.639 cousin who was on radio. It was a disc jockey, 251 00:15:06.960 --> 00:15:11.519 Gene Norman. He did a jazz show on KHJ, and 252 00:15:11.679 --> 00:15:15.080 he was a cousin, and for some reason I didn't 253 00:15:15.080 --> 00:15:16.879 know it, but I found out later on, and I 254 00:15:17.000 --> 00:15:20.799 ended up getting the HB. Varnum trio on his five 255 00:15:20.879 --> 00:15:24.600 day a week television show with the bass player that 256 00:15:24.879 --> 00:15:25.879 we used all the time. 257 00:15:26.440 --> 00:15:27.120 So this is. 258 00:15:27.080 --> 00:15:30.440 Interesting because this is the very early days of television. 259 00:15:30.480 --> 00:15:34.200 Oh yes, and so most of these shows, including I 260 00:15:34.279 --> 00:15:37.759 Love Lucy and shows like that, but also variety shows, 261 00:15:38.279 --> 00:15:39.279 how to Live Orchestra. 262 00:15:39.919 --> 00:15:42.759 They certainly did. And that was the a day of 263 00:15:42.919 --> 00:15:46.799 Hollywood and show biz and everything else. And it lasted, 264 00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:50.960 and it lasted. And I started in the industry in 265 00:15:51.080 --> 00:15:56.360 nineteen fifty and I left it in nineteen seventy eight. 266 00:15:57.200 --> 00:16:05.360 And in nineteen seventy and six the Beatles came to town. 267 00:16:06.720 --> 00:16:12.799 All the studio orchestras got removed and fired and the 268 00:16:12.840 --> 00:16:15.679 wrecking Crew. I was part of the Country Western Wrecking 269 00:16:15.759 --> 00:16:18.159 Crew and a little bit of the rock and roll 270 00:16:18.480 --> 00:16:23.320 with Wrecking Crew. And we were no longer gainfully employed 271 00:16:23.360 --> 00:16:25.360 because they were using garage bands. 272 00:16:25.960 --> 00:16:29.960 So I'm trying to So there was this halcyon days 273 00:16:30.200 --> 00:16:33.039 of you know, you're you're busy, You're you're going from 274 00:16:33.080 --> 00:16:36.559 studio to studio. It's got to be exciting. You know, 275 00:16:36.679 --> 00:16:39.679 you're playing in front of live audiences. It's all being filmed. 276 00:16:39.679 --> 00:16:41.480 It's this new breakthrough industry. 277 00:16:41.960 --> 00:16:42.200 It was. 278 00:16:43.480 --> 00:16:46.519 I was in hog Heaven. Yeah, I was living in 279 00:16:46.559 --> 00:16:50.360 the Hills is studio city in a gorgeous house designed 280 00:16:50.399 --> 00:16:51.559 by Rudolph Schindler. 281 00:16:51.879 --> 00:16:52.399 Oh my god. 282 00:16:52.519 --> 00:16:55.240 Well, I bought it two days after we got married, 283 00:16:55.559 --> 00:16:56.720 Pamela and I got married. 284 00:16:56.799 --> 00:17:00.679 Yeah. Swiss or Austrian architect Army Well. 285 00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:07.240 He brought Richard Neutra to this country, and Hegloyd Wright. 286 00:17:07.319 --> 00:17:10.839 They were originally influenced by Bowhouse. They came here studied 287 00:17:10.839 --> 00:17:14.559 the Prairie architecture and came to LA and invented a 288 00:17:14.640 --> 00:17:16.200 new way of doing it. 289 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:20.559 And he was definitely he's one of the five great 290 00:17:20.640 --> 00:17:23.640 California architects. And to live in one of his house 291 00:17:23.839 --> 00:17:26.920 was the real privilege. And my mother, believe it or not, 292 00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:33.920 in the sixties bought a Schindler house a block from 293 00:17:34.039 --> 00:17:37.359 La County Museum and I grew up in it, so 294 00:17:37.400 --> 00:17:39.640 you already were familiar with you, oh very much. It 295 00:17:39.720 --> 00:17:44.599 was the first cubism he did in Los Angeles. It's 296 00:17:44.640 --> 00:17:47.240 called the Buck House. It's eighth in Genesee, right on 297 00:17:47.279 --> 00:17:52.240 the corner a block from New Lacma and talk about architecture. 298 00:17:52.799 --> 00:17:56.759 And it's now owned by the director of Architecture for 299 00:17:56.799 --> 00:18:00.240 the University of Santa Barbara, which is really wonderful. And 300 00:18:00.319 --> 00:18:03.519 I made it a historical monument, which was

my gift 301 00:18:03.519 --> 00:18:04.359 to the city, so. 302 00:18:04.319 --> 00:18:06.279 It can never be altered, never can be old. 303 00:18:06.359 --> 00:18:09.640 That's awesome, because all too often some philistine comes in by. 304 00:18:09.880 --> 00:18:10.839 That's the end of it. 305 00:18:11.000 --> 00:18:12.160 Yeah, And that's the end of it. 306 00:18:12.359 --> 00:18:15.119 And I drove by it last week when I went 307 00:18:15.160 --> 00:18:18.759 to Lackmo to see the new museum and it's there 308 00:18:19.000 --> 00:18:20.200 just as we left it. 309 00:18:20.200 --> 00:18:23.799 It looks good, wonderful. Yeah, well what a memory. Huh, Oh, 310 00:18:23.839 --> 00:18:24.759 it was wonderful. 311 00:18:24.960 --> 00:18:27.559 So you're living in the hills of Studio City in 312 00:18:27.599 --> 00:18:28.599 a Schindler house. 313 00:18:29.039 --> 00:18:33.319 You're a single guy playing. Oh I was married. Oh yeah, I. 314 00:18:33.279 --> 00:18:36.079 Met my wife in Europe and made her come out 315 00:18:36.079 --> 00:18:39.880 here and she married me in spite of all, and 316 00:18:39.920 --> 00:18:43.440 we moved into the Schindler house for forty thousand dollars. 317 00:18:43.480 --> 00:18:44.119 We paid for it. 318 00:18:44.160 --> 00:18:46.720 We didn't have the money to put pain on the house, 319 00:18:46.759 --> 00:18:50.480 but we moved in. Yeah, and lived there for nineteen years. 320 00:18:50.519 --> 00:18:53.599 And just so because you have quite a story about 321 00:18:53.599 --> 00:18:55.839 how the two of you met, Oh, would you share 322 00:18:55.880 --> 00:18:56.279 that with that? 323 00:18:56.559 --> 00:18:59.839 Yes? I picked her up on this the steps of. 324 00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:04.559 South of Naples, the volcano that destroyed and froze a 325 00:19:04.640 --> 00:19:05.680 city in time. 326 00:19:05.599 --> 00:19:10.240 Right, And she was really angry with all the individuals, 327 00:19:10.839 --> 00:19:13.960 the guides that were backing all these women against the wall, 328 00:19:14.440 --> 00:19:15.599 trying to show them all. 329 00:19:15.480 --> 00:19:19.680 The highlights of pervy Italian dude, pervy guys. 330 00:19:19.960 --> 00:19:22.319 So when I came over, I said, you look lost, 331 00:19:22.359 --> 00:19:25.359 and she said, who the hell are you? And that's 332 00:19:25.359 --> 00:19:26.640 how you don't speak Italian. 333 00:19:26.680 --> 00:19:28.640 You don't sound Italian, that's right. Yeah. 334 00:19:28.680 --> 00:19:33.400 So eight weeks later she was working for Auto Premeger 335 00:19:33.440 --> 00:19:35.039 and he said, you have to come back to work. 336 00:19:35.279 --> 00:19:38.480 So we had eight weeks together and it was the 337 00:19:38.480 --> 00:19:41.400 best eight weeks I've ever had in my life. And 338 00:19:41.799 --> 00:19:47.599 we ended up in Tel Aviv and she got the 339 00:19:47.680 --> 00:19:50.240 call from Auto and she had to fly back. 340 00:19:50.440 --> 00:19:51.720 She was

in New York at the time. 341 00:19:51.839 --> 00:19:53.920 Yeah, she was in New York. She loved New York. 342 00:19:54.039 --> 00:19:58.599 She was British. And I stayed on in Europe for 343 00:19:58.680 --> 00:20:02.160 six more months because I a year off from my life, 344 00:20:02.240 --> 00:20:04.759 from music and everything else. And I said I wanted 345 00:20:04.759 --> 00:20:05.359 to try. 346 00:20:06.039 --> 00:20:07.440 Rode around on a motorcycle. 347 00:20:07.599 --> 00:20:10.759 Yeah, everything I could find. I loved Europe. I put 348 00:20:10.799 --> 00:20:13.359 it almost one hundred thousand miles on a little VW. 349 00:20:13.920 --> 00:20:17.480 I saw every country that rock rollers shook or shaped. 350 00:20:19.200 --> 00:20:22.319 And I had a magnificent time. But you missed your 351 00:20:23.279 --> 00:20:27.039 I missed everything. It was time after a year ye 352 00:20:27.240 --> 00:20:30.279 come back. And I knocked on Pamela's door when I 353 00:20:30.359 --> 00:20:32.960 came home in New York and she said, what do 354 00:20:33.039 --> 00:20:34.359 you want? And I said, I want to bring you 355 00:20:34.400 --> 00:20:37.640 out to California. She said, well, you don't have a job, 356 00:20:37.759 --> 00:20:39.480 you have no money, you have no place. 357 00:20:39.279 --> 00:20:40.359 To rugby musicians. 358 00:20:40.400 --> 00:20:43.759 Yeah, you're a scumbag. I know composers, but I don't 359 00:20:43.799 --> 00:20:44.440 know musicians. 360 00:20:44.519 --> 00:20:46.640 I know composers. What an elitist? 361 00:20:46.759 --> 00:20:49.400 Oh yeah, she was a terrible elitist. Yeah, but she 362 00:20:49.559 --> 00:20:52.000 was so direct and she used to do all the 363 00:20:53.400 --> 00:20:59.039 publishing rights for authors at the Music Corporation of America 364 00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:02.359 in England. And when she came to New York, they 365 00:21:02.400 --> 00:21:07.200 offered her the job worldwide and she said, well, it 366 00:21:07.319 --> 00:21:09.519 sounds good, but what do I have to do And 367 00:21:09.559 --> 00:21:11.440 they said, well, you have to move back to England. 368 00:21:11.799 --> 00:21:13.599 She said, no, that's not for me. 369 00:21:14.079 --> 00:21:16.359 Yeah. Was Lou Wasserman in charts in those days. 370 00:21:16.400 --> 00:21:17.119 Oh yes, he was. 371 00:21:17.200 --> 00:21:18.880 Yeah, strong guy. 372 00:21:19.039 --> 00:21:21.799 Very strong, and they it was a wonderful company to 373 00:21:21.839 --> 00:21:27.519 work for. But she you know, everybody really appreciated English. 374 00:21:27.319 --> 00:21:29.680 Ladies at that time. They still do. 375 00:21:30.039 --> 00:21:33.200 Yeah, if they had English secretaries, you were special. 376 00:21:33.400 --> 00:21:36.759 Yeah, so sophisticated by your sophistication, I know. 377 00:21:37.039 --> 00:21:41.440 So it's like a network of people that recommend you 378 00:21:41.519 --> 00:21:44.799 to jobs and things like that. They kept recommending you, Pamela, 379 00:21:44.839 --> 00:21:47.960 to different jobs, and finally Auto Premature was looking for 380 00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:51.359 somebody had three hundred people apply for his thing, and 381 00:21:51.640 --> 00:21:54.400 Pamela was the last soul in the door. Nobody was 382 00:21:54.440 --> 00:21:57.640 in there, and he said, come into the office, and 383 00:21:57.880 --> 00:22:01.079 two minutes later he said, can you start to type? 384 00:22:01.839 --> 00:22:04.759 He didn't even ask, he just said, can you start 385 00:22:04.799 --> 00:22:05.559 tomorrow morning. 386 00:22:05.640 --> 00:22:08.200 One of the great things about Auto prematur for those 387 00:22:08.240 --> 00:22:10.720 film buffs, is he allegedly discovered. 388 00:22:10.240 --> 00:22:14.039 Gene Seabring, Yes he did, who was an anonymous Midwestern 389 00:22:14.039 --> 00:22:16.240 girl and he wanted her for was it Exodus or 390 00:22:16.279 --> 00:22:16.559 one of. 391 00:22:16.480 --> 00:22:19.680 Those No, it was advising consent, I think. 392 00:22:19.680 --> 00:22:22.240 Some of some film, and then Jean Luke Godaar, the 393 00:22:22.279 --> 00:22:25.799 French director, saw her with her short bob hair and 394 00:22:26.279 --> 00:22:31.319 cast her in that great noir film Breathless. Had an 395 00:22:31.359 --> 00:22:33.799 interesting life that was cut too short. She ended up 396 00:22:33.960 --> 00:22:38.359 living with the Black Panthers And anyway. 397 00:22:37.640 --> 00:22:42.000 Yeah, well he found a lot of people and made 398 00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:44.880 stars out of them. Yeah, it was great and he was. 399 00:22:46.799 --> 00:22:51.759 He was wonderful for Pamela, our daughter who was born 400 00:22:51.799 --> 00:22:54.400 at the time, and myself. He couldn't have been a 401 00:22:54.519 --> 00:22:58.039 nicer man. And everybody said what a badass he was, 402 00:22:58.079 --> 00:22:59.240 and he was anything but. 403 00:22:59.440 --> 00:23:02.759 Yeah, he was just a lovely, lovely you gotta be 404 00:23:02.799 --> 00:23:05.279 tough to run a film production, to be a director. 405 00:23:05.319 --> 00:23:09.200 You're creating your own city, your own community for several months, 406 00:23:09.319 --> 00:23:13.279 and you know, and every every minute is money spent. Oh, absolutely, 407 00:23:13.400 --> 00:23:15.559 you know that you gotta be somewhat of a oh yeah, 408 00:23:15.839 --> 00:23:16.799 it's yeah. 409 00:23:16.960 --> 00:23:20.440 And I love the music business because I got to 410 00:23:20.480 --> 00:23:22.920 play everywhere in the world basically. 411 00:23:23.200 --> 00:23:27.039 Yeah, And going back to that, you know, your career 412 00:23:27.119 --> 00:23:29.519 took a lot of turns, and you got recruited, you 413 00:23:29.559 --> 00:23:30.440 always got called. 414 00:23:30.920 --> 00:23:33.119 Obviously you could tell you could keep. 415 00:23:32.960 --> 00:23:40.519 Time and fortunately, yeah, and you had guys like uh,

Eddie. 416 00:23:41.240 --> 00:23:45.319 Eddie Fisher, Eddie, Yeah, I worked for him for six years, 417 00:23:45.400 --> 00:23:48.119 Carol Channing hal Channy for six years. 418 00:23:48.279 --> 00:23:50.440 You're in Vegas doing shows. 419 00:23:50.039 --> 00:23:52.359 You're in La Broadway show and. 420 00:23:52.319 --> 00:23:55.880 Then you're simultaneously delving in the country Western and you're 421 00:23:55.880 --> 00:23:57.200 playing with Merle Haggard. 422 00:23:57.640 --> 00:24:01.039 Well, it was kind of interesting because Eddie Fisher got 423 00:24:01.039 --> 00:24:05.960 me into country western music because he was bored and 424 00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:09.079 he wanted to do a country Western album and I start. 425 00:24:10.279 --> 00:24:15.960 He brought players in, especially a guitar player who took 426 00:24:16.000 --> 00:24:20.119 the time in Trouble to tutor me and how to 427 00:24:20.160 --> 00:24:25.680 play country music on drums. Because it's it's it's a 428 00:24:25.680 --> 00:24:28.640 different way of playing and you have to be open 429 00:24:28.720 --> 00:24:32.839 to it. And he was patient and we did a 430 00:24:32.880 --> 00:24:36.799 lot of dates together. I mean we did everything Cliffy 431 00:24:36.920 --> 00:24:41.039 Stone did and k you know on Channel five. He 432 00:24:41.079 --> 00:24:45.000 was a big producer of country western music. 433 00:24:45.279 --> 00:24:48.240 Was he married to Elizabeth Taylor when you were no. 434 00:24:48.319 --> 00:24:52.200 He had left Elizabeth when I joined Fisher, And that 435 00:24:52.319 --> 00:24:56.160 was I had just gotten back from Europe and the 436 00:24:56.240 --> 00:24:59.359 day I got back, I still had a phone in 437 00:24:59.400 --> 00:25:03.359 my apartment where I in la and it rang and 438 00:25:03.440 --> 00:25:05.640 it was his conductor and he said, hey, you want 439 00:25:05.640 --> 00:25:08.279 to go on the road with Eddie Fisher. He just 440 00:25:08.400 --> 00:25:10.640 left Elizabeth Taylor and he wants he wants to get 441 00:25:10.680 --> 00:25:14.160 out of you again. Yeah. So and that ended up 442 00:25:14.279 --> 00:25:15.519 lasting six years. 443 00:25:15.599 --> 00:25:18.160 And for those of you don't know, he was the 444 00:25:18.200 --> 00:25:22.319 father of Carrie Fisher and married to Debbie Reynolds. 445 00:25:22.000 --> 00:25:29.480 That's right, which I never met. He was fancy free 446 00:25:29.519 --> 00:25:30.559 when we were with him. 447 00:25:30.599 --> 00:25:34.559 If he could score, you know, Elizabeth Taylor and Debbie Reynolds, 448 00:25:34.640 --> 00:25:35.960 he must have been quite the ladies man. 449 00:25:36.240 --> 00:25:40.839 Well, there was somebody new every day. It was hard 450 00:25:40.839 --> 00:25:41.599 to keep up with him. 451 00:25:41.640 --> 00:25:44.519 Yeah, for those of you wondering you're listening to KXFM 452 00:25:44.640 --> 00:25:47.680 Radio here at one O four point seven Laguna Talks, 453 00:25:47.720

--> 00:25:50.599 and we're talking with the great Sam Goldstein here on 454 00:25:50.720 --> 00:25:55.400 his life in Hollywood, and then you transitioned a little bit. 455 00:25:55.400 --> 00:25:56.319 I find this to be. 456 00:25:56.319 --> 00:25:59.000 Quite interesting because you saw the future was turning the 457 00:25:59.079 --> 00:26:02.240 rock and roll. You mentioned the Beatles, and so you 458 00:26:02.319 --> 00:26:04.400 took a gig with the Flying Burrito Brothers. 459 00:26:04.519 --> 00:26:08.359 Yeah. We worked together for a couple of years and 460 00:26:08.599 --> 00:26:10.880 did a lot of dates with him, and I spent 461 00:26:10.960 --> 00:26:14.960 a lot of time with one or two of the 462 00:26:15.039 --> 00:26:17.960 members separately, and we would do weeks at a time 463 00:26:18.160 --> 00:26:20.960 just in a studio, just two people. 464 00:26:21.240 --> 00:26:24.400 Yeah. I mean, Graham Parsons is a legendary figure. Now. 465 00:26:24.519 --> 00:26:26.519 He was, you know, I don't think he ever achieved 466 00:26:26.799 --> 00:26:30.240 great commercial success, but amongst musicians and songwriters, he's a 467 00:26:30.279 --> 00:26:30.880 bit of a god. 468 00:26:31.200 --> 00:26:31.319 Was. 469 00:26:31.359 --> 00:26:34.039 He was a lovely, lovely man. He was an entitled 470 00:26:34.039 --> 00:26:37.440 soul who couldn't quite get his act together, but he 471 00:26:37.559 --> 00:26:38.720 was a lovely dude. 472 00:26:39.039 --> 00:26:41.799 Was. He had a drug problem too, that kind of 473 00:26:41.799 --> 00:26:42.440 held him back. 474 00:26:43.000 --> 00:26:43.559 Unfortunately. 475 00:26:43.599 --> 00:26:46.240 He was famous, but spending He was good friends with 476 00:26:46.319 --> 00:26:49.119 Keith Richards and they spent time in France when they 477 00:26:49.119 --> 00:26:52.720 were recording Exile on Main Street, and he allegedly was 478 00:26:52.759 --> 00:26:56.400 the one that influenced the Stones moving into country western, 479 00:26:56.920 --> 00:26:58.599 which is a lot of their music people and then 480 00:26:58.640 --> 00:27:00.000 their canon as country influence. 481 00:27:00.839 --> 00:27:04.799 It was the whole thing. Me going into country music 482 00:27:04.880 --> 00:27:08.240 with Cliffey Stone started it all. And there was a 483 00:27:08.319 --> 00:27:12.799 cadre of five to six players and we do everything 484 00:27:13.279 --> 00:27:14.000 rhythm section. 485 00:27:14.119 --> 00:27:15.759 It was just wonderful. 486 00:27:15.799 --> 00:27:20.359 Earl Ball who played for the guy who became the 487 00:27:20.440 --> 00:27:28.559 conductor and musical director for Who's the Guy Foldsome City Blues, 488 00:27:29.519 --> 00:27:33.839 Johnny Cash, and he was great, I mean really great, 489 00:27:34.119 --> 00:27:36.319 Ralph Sutton, and a lot. 490 00:27:36.240 --> 00:27:38.920 Of people don't know I think is that California has 491 00:27:39.079 --> 00:27:42.400 a deep, deep history of country western, particularly in Bakersfield. 492 00:27:42.559 --> 00:27:47.640 Oh absolutely, between Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, that's Bakersfield 493 00:27:48.160 --> 00:27:51.440 and that was that was part of the city. And 494 00:27:51.480 --> 00:27:56.200 then the Pallamino on Monday nights or the talent shows. 495 00:27:56.319 --> 00:27:56.839 Amazing. 496 00:27:56.960 --> 00:27:59.759 Oh yeah, my life was totally different from what I 497 00:28:01.079 --> 00:28:02.640 and I loved the change. 498 00:28:04.599 --> 00:28:06.799 But you also saw the writing on the wall. You 499 00:28:06.880 --> 00:28:09.240 were a bit older than these guys, You had young kids. 500 00:28:09.440 --> 00:28:12.039 There was life on the road, a lot of drugs 501 00:28:12.720 --> 00:28:13.960 and rock and roll. 502 00:28:14.359 --> 00:28:14.759 That's it. 503 00:28:14.839 --> 00:28:17.400 And I had a choice. I said, what am I 504 00:28:17.440 --> 00:28:19.960 going to do? Either moved to Ashville, which I didn't 505 00:28:19.960 --> 00:28:20.480 want to do. 506 00:28:21.240 --> 00:28:23.000 That's worse than moving to England. 507 00:28:23.000 --> 00:28:28.319 Probably, but they don't like little Jewish drummers somewhere anyway, 508 00:28:28.440 --> 00:28:32.440 that it doesn't matter. So it was they were going 509 00:28:32.519 --> 00:28:35.160 to bust my kids an hour and a half to Pacoima, 510 00:28:35.319 --> 00:28:38.519 and they didn't speak a foreign language. And it was 511 00:28:39.400 --> 00:28:42.839 there were drugs that were rampant in La. This is 512 00:28:42.880 --> 00:28:45.920 when we moved out here, and my kids were seven 513 00:28:45.960 --> 00:28:46.519 and nine. 514 00:28:47.839 --> 00:28:50.440 So what was the catalyzing event that brought you to Laguna. 515 00:28:51.359 --> 00:28:52.640 We had neighbors. 516 00:28:52.240 --> 00:28:54.240 Across the street in Studio City. 517 00:28:54.240 --> 00:28:58.039 The Earl and Jane Hamner, he wrote The Waltons and 518 00:28:58.640 --> 00:29:02.880 Falk and Crest and everything, and they were our dearest 519 00:29:02.920 --> 00:29:08.759 friends for forty years. And they had a house out here, 520 00:29:09.680 --> 00:29:12.640 maybe two and they would invite us to come and 521 00:29:12.680 --> 00:29:15.680 spend five days or a week out here in the summer, 522 00:29:16.519 --> 00:29:21.240 in which we did. And we when they wouldn't take 523 00:29:21.319 --> 00:29:26.119 my son in private school in La they take my daughter, 524 00:29:26.160 --> 00:29:28.000 but they wouldn't take my son, we said, well, we 525 00:29:28.119 --> 00:29:31.000 got one choice. To do because we can't go to 526 00:29:31.079 --> 00:29:34.440 the west side of La because it's better than Tijuana 527 00:29:34.880 --> 00:29:38.440 for drugs. So let's try Laguna. So we moved out 528 00:29:38.440 --> 00:29:42.920 here to Lago. Your neighbors, yeah, they did, but we 529 00:29:42.960 --> 00:29:47.000 rented a house from someone who we knew in

Studio 530 00:29:47.119 --> 00:29:51.839 City who was a producer at NBC. So it was 531 00:29:52.799 --> 00:29:55.799 very show busy, you know, Studio City was very show busy, 532 00:29:56.200 --> 00:29:59.000 and so we moved out here and. 533 00:29:59.359 --> 00:30:01.839 You were just trying ever read there or so let's 534 00:30:01.839 --> 00:30:03.480 give it a try, and Pamelan. 535 00:30:03.200 --> 00:30:03.759 That was it. 536 00:30:03.960 --> 00:30:07.279 You just tried it and we stayed. And when September 537 00:30:07.319 --> 00:30:11.359 came on around with the kids in school and that 538 00:30:11.599 --> 00:30:17.279 it was Aliso Elementary before it closed. Jeffrey my son 539 00:30:17.480 --> 00:30:22.200 was in the graduating last graduating class of Elisa Amazing. 540 00:30:22.640 --> 00:30:24.720 So this was late seventies, you said. 541 00:30:24.799 --> 00:30:26.440 Yeah, it was nineteen seventy eight. 542 00:30:26.680 --> 00:30:28.720 Yeah, And what were you doing with your time at 543 00:30:28.720 --> 00:30:31.480 that point because you had retired from drumming, right. 544 00:30:31.559 --> 00:30:37.240 Yeah, yeah, when when the music business, the recording business 545 00:30:37.279 --> 00:30:42.559 for Sam disappeared my account and said, don't worry, Sam, 546 00:30:43.039 --> 00:30:45.000 You'll be okay. And I said, well, I don't know 547 00:30:45.039 --> 00:30:48.240 anything except music. He said, not to worry. He said, 548 00:30:48.279 --> 00:30:49.599 you can add and subtract. 549 00:30:49.640 --> 00:30:50.119 I said, what the. 550 00:30:50.079 --> 00:30:51.920 Hell does that have to do with making a living. 551 00:30:52.279 --> 00:30:55.519 He said, it's real estate, which is so pressy. 552 00:30:55.559 --> 00:30:57.880 And for him to say something like that, because people 553 00:30:58.039 --> 00:31:03.480 forget music education is real education. It teaches people to 554 00:31:03.640 --> 00:31:06.880 count and to you really have to understand. 555 00:31:06.440 --> 00:31:09.279 Mass, and you have to think, and you have to think. 556 00:31:09.240 --> 00:31:11.440 And you have to listen, and you have to pay attention, 557 00:31:11.880 --> 00:31:14.400 and you have to be aware. It makes all your 558 00:31:15.319 --> 00:31:20.680 It's like it took me nineteen years to bring orchestra 559 00:31:21.680 --> 00:31:26.400 to Laguna Beach. I went through nine superintendents and nobody, 560 00:31:26.720 --> 00:31:31.839 nobody wanted to bring music into this school system. Nine 561 00:31:31.880 --> 00:31:37.200 superintendents later, finally made it happen. And the first check 562 00:31:37.240 --> 00:31:43.559 that rolled in the door was school Power. They wrote 563 00:31:43.559 --> 00:31:46.599 a check for seventy thousand dollars done to write the program. 564 00:31:46.680 --> 00:31:49.400 Wow, talk about a miracle. A miracle. 565 00:31:49.559 --> 00:31:53.599 So this is an interesting story because you ventured into 566 00:31:53.599 --> 00:31:55.680 real estate. You bought your first building, I think you 567 00:31:55.720 --> 00:31:58.440 told me in Burbank with a loan from a friend. 568 00:31:58.960 --> 00:32:00.799 Did so well, you paid him back in a year. 569 00:32:01.720 --> 00:32:06.559 It was a good time. That was nineteen seventy eight. 570 00:32:06.799 --> 00:32:10.799 Seventy eight. The getting was good. It was so wonderful. 571 00:32:10.880 --> 00:32:15.279 He went back to England. Lovely guy. He had five children. 572 00:32:15.400 --> 00:32:17.440 He said he wanted to live the life of an 573 00:32:17.440 --> 00:32:20.960 English gentleman. And he gave me a check for twenty 574 00:32:20.960 --> 00:32:23.880 five thousand dollars and I matched it, and that's how 575 00:32:23.960 --> 00:32:27.119 I started. And I gave him a lot of money 576 00:32:27.160 --> 00:32:28.680 back in a year and a half. 577 00:32:28.960 --> 00:32:33.319 And you didn't need partners anymore. 578 00:32:33.640 --> 00:32:37.640 I didn't need anything anymore except myself to be able 579 00:32:37.680 --> 00:32:42.079 to think clearly. Yeah, and it was built up. Yes, 580 00:32:42.119 --> 00:32:46.079 it was a miracle. All in commercial real estate, nothing residential. 581 00:32:47.039 --> 00:32:52.519 It was a different time, different rules, different regulations, and 582 00:32:53.279 --> 00:32:57.640 it was like an act of God that made me successful. 583 00:32:57.799 --> 00:33:01.319 Well, I think your mom gets some credit to Oh. Absolutely, 584 00:33:01.319 --> 00:33:03.200 everybody talks you something about numbers. 585 00:33:03.359 --> 00:33:05.279 Yes, everybody did. Music did. 586 00:33:05.400 --> 00:33:07.000 And I find that. 587 00:33:08.440 --> 00:33:13.279 It's like telling the school district you don't have to 588 00:33:13.319 --> 00:33:17.640 be a professional to enjoy what music brings you. It 589 00:33:17.640 --> 00:33:21.599 brings you imagination and creativity, and it gets you to 590 00:33:21.839 --> 00:33:26.240 think beyond your own capabilities, which is in this day 591 00:33:26.279 --> 00:33:27.240 and age. 592 00:33:27.359 --> 00:33:30.440 I can't think of anything else that man has created 593 00:33:31.119 --> 00:33:32.440 that surpasses music. 594 00:33:33.279 --> 00:33:35.960 I agree with you it's it just it makes you 595 00:33:36.039 --> 00:33:37.880 think outside the box. 596 00:33:37.880 --> 00:33:40.160 And the feeling that you get from it, the piece 597 00:33:40.359 --> 00:33:42.200 that you get from it, and of course when you 598 00:33:42.240 --> 00:33:45.279 play it, when you're locked into a groove, it's meditative. 599 00:33:45.359 --> 00:33:47.920 It's the high of highs. 600 00:33:47.960 --> 00:33:50.279 It's the high of highs. But you were able to 601 00:33:50.279 --> 00:33:53.119 walk away from it because you reluctantly. But that's the 602 00:33:53.160 --> 00:33:54.000 only thing I could do. 603 00:33:54.240 --> 00:33:56.759 Yeah, and then so

you come down the laguna and 604 00:33:56.839 --> 00:33:58.440 most of your portfolios in. 605 00:33:58.559 --> 00:34:02.559 LA and in La and I took my showbiz with me. 606 00:34:02.759 --> 00:34:06.519 I bought property across the street from CBS and Studio City, 607 00:34:07.039 --> 00:34:11.079 eleven properties, and they were residential and I turned them 608 00:34:11.280 --> 00:34:16.840 all into office buildings two story and I got rid 609 00:34:16.880 --> 00:34:20.800 of the apartment feel of it and I rented it 610 00:34:21.039 --> 00:34:25.079 to the motion picture industry for short term production office space. 611 00:34:25.400 --> 00:34:26.239 Talk about a need. 612 00:34:26.840 --> 00:34:30.000 Thirty eight years I did that, and in two thousand 613 00:34:30.000 --> 00:34:33.360 and five I sold the eleven properties. 614 00:34:33.599 --> 00:34:36.440 That was probably a good timing too. Now that AI's 615 00:34:36.480 --> 00:34:38.519 come along, it's going to shrink the industry. 616 00:34:38.880 --> 00:34:41.679 Well, it was a good time and a bad time. 617 00:34:41.960 --> 00:34:44.639 Two thousand and five was economic chaos. 618 00:34:44.920 --> 00:34:46.719 M was that dot com bubble? 619 00:34:47.039 --> 00:34:49.920 Well, I don't know what bubble, but money was gone 620 00:34:50.039 --> 00:34:52.480 bye bye. Yeah, and you couldn't borrow it, beg it 621 00:34:52.599 --> 00:34:56.840 or steal it. So it was good and bad. But 622 00:34:57.039 --> 00:34:59.800 somebody wrote me a check and I said, well, better 623 00:35:00.079 --> 00:35:03.039 out than ever. Yeah, yeah, so that's what I did. 624 00:35:03.119 --> 00:35:04.119 Then I came out here and. 625 00:35:04.519 --> 00:35:06.159 Bought the Heisler Building. 626 00:35:06.239 --> 00:35:08.679 Well, I was going to say, you were very, very 627 00:35:08.719 --> 00:35:13.559 savvy real estate guy until you decided to come to Laguna. 628 00:35:13.920 --> 00:35:16.880 So well, I already lived here, but I was it 629 00:35:16.920 --> 00:35:20.239 was a catch twenty two. Yeah, and in two thousand 630 00:35:20.280 --> 00:35:22.800 and five there wasn't a lot to buy and I 631 00:35:22.840 --> 00:35:27.440 had a very short window for an exchange. So it 632 00:35:27.440 --> 00:35:28.079 it was well. 633 00:35:28.119 --> 00:35:31.079 I said that jokingly, because you know, we all know famously. 634 00:35:31.280 --> 00:35:33.840 I'm sure the City of Burbank and Studio City were 635 00:35:34.039 --> 00:35:38.679 far easier cities to get entitlements and permits on than Laguna. 636 00:35:38.960 --> 00:35:44.000 I'm not sure, but all I know is it was 637 00:35:44.079 --> 00:35:46.719 a good year and it was a bad year. 638 00:35:46.840 --> 00:35:49.280 Yeah, but the so people know. 639 00:35:49.360 --> 00:35:52.079 The Heisler Building, of course, is a historic building on 640 00:35:52.159 --> 00:35:55.960 the corner of Coast Highway and Lee Laguna Avenue, and 641 00:35:56.639 --> 00:36:00.280 it's one of our really, it's one of our iconic holdings, 642 00:36:00.360 --> 00:36:04.840 right across from the hotel Laguna. It was interesting, but 643 00:36:04.920 --> 00:36:08.440 it was in need of a lot of improvements, and 644 00:36:08.480 --> 00:36:11.840 I had is that something you had historically done or 645 00:36:11.880 --> 00:36:13.760 you just usually buy them and rent them. 646 00:36:14.639 --> 00:36:17.159 I would fix them up, clean them up. But I 647 00:36:17.360 --> 00:36:20.239 didn't have to go to the city and get on 648 00:36:20.320 --> 00:36:22.239 my hands and knees to make change. 649 00:36:22.880 --> 00:36:24.360 Laguna was a different thing. 650 00:36:24.599 --> 00:36:30.559 I had to appear before the Historic Committee thirty six 651 00:36:30.679 --> 00:36:32.599 times leading a case. 652 00:36:33.320 --> 00:36:36.119 And you did a magnificent job with it. What could 653 00:36:36.119 --> 00:36:37.519 they possibly think was. 654 00:36:37.920 --> 00:36:39.360 Any any changes? 655 00:36:40.559 --> 00:36:43.760 But you didn't do anything to change the original character 656 00:36:43.760 --> 00:36:45.440 of the We did. 657 00:36:46.199 --> 00:36:50.039 We made it more French than what it was. It 658 00:36:50.119 --> 00:36:55.679 was kind of a bastardized, dilapidated, leaking, it was a 659 00:36:56.000 --> 00:36:57.079 it was a mess. 660 00:36:57.400 --> 00:36:59.639 Well, if you had to call it a certain style, 661 00:36:59.760 --> 00:37:05.840 what architectural teardown? But in the spirit of was it French? 662 00:37:06.519 --> 00:37:10.800 French? Normandy? Okay? And what was it used for originally? Well, 663 00:37:10.800 --> 00:37:14.920 that's an interesting question. There must have been a guy 664 00:37:14.960 --> 00:37:16.239 named Heisler who built. 665 00:37:16.000 --> 00:37:20.559 It, well something like that, but it was it got we. 666 00:37:20.440 --> 00:37:24.000 Have to ask Anne Christoph. Of course it was Heisler Park. 667 00:37:24.079 --> 00:37:26.119 I mean he's probably well. 668 00:37:26.639 --> 00:37:29.320 It had it had an interesting history. 669 00:37:29.800 --> 00:37:35.320 What year was it built? Roughly twenties probably huh. 670 00:37:35.920 --> 00:37:38.159 And it was an abused building. 671 00:37:39.320 --> 00:37:41.199 And when you say abused. 672 00:37:41.119 --> 00:37:44.039 By tenants and owners. 673 00:37:43.679 --> 00:37:47.199 Has had some residential units at one time, could have. 674 00:37:47.360 --> 00:37:50.119 But you know, there was a brewery in the back 675 00:37:50.239 --> 00:37:55.440 on top of the off the alley, and the young 676 00:37:55.480 --> 00:38:01.679 man that owned it removed all the the brewing equipment, 677 00:38:01.960 --> 00:38:04.920 put them on trucks and went down to Tijuana or 678 00:38:05.000 --> 00:38:08.400 Mexico to create a brewery down there. And it was 679 00:38:08.440 --> 00:38:12.400 a lovely guy. And the Mexican government just destroyed him. 680

00:38:12.440 --> 00:38:14.599 I mean it was really there. He's said, is he 681 00:38:14.679 --> 00:38:15.920 the guy who bought it from? 682 00:38:16.079 --> 00:38:18.760 No, he was just a tenant. And the two people 683 00:38:19.360 --> 00:38:21.840 I bought it from a lawyer who was one of 684 00:38:21.880 --> 00:38:26.400 the owners, and one other guy. I can't think of 685 00:38:26.440 --> 00:38:32.199 who the hell it was, but it was the manager 686 00:38:33.000 --> 00:38:37.599 was a bad guy. He was taking the tax money 687 00:38:37.599 --> 00:38:41.960 from his employees and sticking it in his pocket. He 688 00:38:42.119 --> 00:38:45.199 ended up at Stockton Federal Prison. 689 00:38:45.920 --> 00:38:50.119 Sounds like the lenders to me. The mom group, we 690 00:38:50.960 --> 00:38:54.400 get our share of shysters around. Well, that's nature of 691 00:38:54.400 --> 00:38:54.679 the game. 692 00:38:55.000 --> 00:38:59.800 Well, when you put out big dollars, you get big crooks. 693 00:38:59.480 --> 00:39:00.440 Big Crook. Yeah. 694 00:39:02.239 --> 00:39:04.679 So okay, So aside from the hives of building, you 695 00:39:04.760 --> 00:39:07.679 got all these real estate holdings. They're kind of passive income. 696 00:39:07.760 --> 00:39:10.440 I shouldn't say passive A note. You got always you know, 697 00:39:10.440 --> 00:39:13.159 there's always money and time to invest. But you had 698 00:39:13.199 --> 00:39:16.400 time on your hands and you decided to bring more 699 00:39:16.519 --> 00:39:18.280 art and culture to Laguna Beach. 700 00:39:19.039 --> 00:39:23.519 Well, I just got tired of we can't say we're 701 00:39:23.519 --> 00:39:25.960 the city of the arts and do nothing about it. 702 00:39:26.159 --> 00:39:27.039 Well, that's interesting. 703 00:39:27.119 --> 00:39:30.920 The show before mine was George Duban with Art Matters, 704 00:39:30.960 --> 00:39:33.519 and he was saying the same thing today. 705 00:39:33.599 --> 00:39:35.800 It was I went to the museum. 706 00:39:35.840 --> 00:39:38.880 They wanted me to join the board. Were you collecting art? 707 00:39:38.880 --> 00:39:40.719 At this point, I. 708 00:39:40.719 --> 00:39:47.159 Was involved with the Newport Harbor. 709 00:39:47.320 --> 00:39:48.960 Okay, so you had a nice house. 710 00:39:51.239 --> 00:39:51.440 Yeah. 711 00:39:51.519 --> 00:39:53.440 We were grabblers. 712 00:39:53.480 --> 00:39:59.280 We were art educators and art buyers and holders. And 713 00:40:00.639 --> 00:40:03.400 what they offered me at the museum here was not 714 00:40:03.599 --> 00:40:07.320 something for my brain or my soul. And so we 715 00:40:07.400 --> 00:40:11.840 gravitated at Newport Beach and we spent many, many many 716 00:40:11.920 --> 00:40:16.719 years there, met wonderful people, got totally engaged with it, 717 00:40:17.159 --> 00:40:22.639 and the curator, Paul Schimmel, became my best friend because 718 00:40:22.679 --> 00:40:27.400 we created a partnership at the museum, I took control 719 00:40:27.480 --> 00:40:33.519 of the acquisition committee and he was chief curator and 720 00:40:34.800 --> 00:40:39.239 he needed money to buy art for the permanent collection, 721 00:40:40.000 --> 00:40:43.960 and I was his supply source because I created an 722 00:40:44.039 --> 00:40:47.239 annual vent card they called the Art of Dining, and 723 00:40:47.320 --> 00:40:52.000 I did it with Jokim Splechelle Oh famous, a very 724 00:40:52.000 --> 00:40:58.119 famous chef and a partner of his. Michelle Rochard was 725 00:40:58.159 --> 00:41:01.760 another great chef, and two two of us created this 726 00:41:01.840 --> 00:41:05.480 event for eight years at the Four Seasons near the 727 00:41:05.519 --> 00:41:08.679 Newport Harbor Art Museum, and we'd have a sit down 728 00:41:08.760 --> 00:41:12.400 dinner for three to four hundred people every year, with 729 00:41:12.519 --> 00:41:15.320 all these chefs coming in to cook the dinner eight 730 00:41:15.400 --> 00:41:20.000 courses and Mondhabi giving the wine. And out of that event, 731 00:41:20.320 --> 00:41:25.760 I would take half the proceeds and give it to 732 00:41:25.840 --> 00:41:30.079 Paul Schimmel for the collection, and the other half would 733 00:41:30.079 --> 00:41:34.000 go to the operating committee of the museum. Which went 734 00:41:34.039 --> 00:41:37.639 on for eight years that I did it, and it 735 00:41:37.800 --> 00:41:44.199 raised a lot of money for everybody, and it was 736 00:41:44.320 --> 00:41:50.719 really good until the end when I wanted to take 737 00:41:51.119 --> 00:41:53.800 the half of the money that the art part of 738 00:41:53.840 --> 00:41:57.079 it received and buy a piece of art which was 739 00:41:57.119 --> 00:42:01.199 about one hundred and twenty thousand dollars and I had 740 00:42:01.280 --> 00:42:06.000 some kickback from the board of trustees. Pushback. They said, 741 00:42:06.039 --> 00:42:08.599 we need the money so we can pay for the 742 00:42:08.679 --> 00:42:12.760 lights and insurance. I said, that's not my job. The 743 00:42:12.760 --> 00:42:16.639 board was forty five strong. I said, all you have 744 00:42:16.679 --> 00:42:19.960 to do is say, hey, ladies and gentlemen, it's time 745 00:42:20.000 --> 00:42:24.639 to write a check. And that's what happened. But it didn't. 746 00:42:24.760 --> 00:42:32.400 It didn't happen nicely and smoothly because people that sit 747 00:42:32.480 --> 00:42:37.079 on board sometimes don't realize their responsibility. That you know, 748 00:42:37.159 --> 00:42:40.280 their institutions and they need to be nurtured, just like 749 00:42:40.360 --> 00:42:46.320 everything else. It's called hard learning education, the hard way. 750 00:42:46.599 --> 00:42:52.480 It's you know, it was kind of sad more than 751 00:42:52.519 --> 00:42:56.079 anything else. But the people that were on the board 752 00:42:56.280 --> 00:43:00.960 and the people we met there were just spectacular. 753 00:43:01.079 -->

00:43:04.199 Yeah, and it's been saidden and you you would have a. 754 00:43:04.199 --> 00:43:06.440 View on this, a viewpoint that you know, we're a 755 00:43:06.559 --> 00:43:12.320 very affluent community, but with a museum that many would 756 00:43:12.320 --> 00:43:15.760 say the endowment does not match the demographics of this town, 757 00:43:15.800 --> 00:43:18.679 that they don't have enough money to be world class. 758 00:43:19.480 --> 00:43:22.760 Well, and that's why I was so busy with the 759 00:43:22.800 --> 00:43:26.800 bed tax here is that they needed every Yeah, the 760 00:43:26.840 --> 00:43:36.000 Playhouse of College and the museum needed annual money just 761 00:43:36.039 --> 00:43:39.880 have And after we did it back in two thousand, 762 00:43:41.199 --> 00:43:44.480 I got so much kickback from the community at large 763 00:43:44.599 --> 00:43:47.559 saying why did anything go to the College of Art 764 00:43:47.599 --> 00:43:53.440 and Design. And I couldn't understand or fathom that kind 765 00:43:53.519 --> 00:43:57.280 of thinking that they, you know, and I was on 766 00:43:57.360 --> 00:44:00.960 the Chamber of Commerce and members city on the Common 767 00:44:01.239 --> 00:44:05.039 Chamber of Comment every month would come to me and say, 768 00:44:05.079 --> 00:44:07.880 you young, yeah, and you shouldn't do that. You know, 769 00:44:08.000 --> 00:44:11.599 you're the bad guy. And I said, oh Jesus Christ, 770 00:44:12.199 --> 00:44:13.960 it's hard to keep the Indians happy. 771 00:44:14.360 --> 00:44:14.559 Yeah. 772 00:44:14.639 --> 00:44:16.199 Yeah. 773 00:44:16.280 --> 00:44:19.840 And then apart from this effort, you also were involved 774 00:44:19.840 --> 00:44:20.639 with Laguna Live. 775 00:44:21.599 --> 00:44:28.920 Laguna Live. Yes, I ciddy brew it. She came to 776 00:44:28.960 --> 00:44:32.239 me in two thousand and said, you and I have 777 00:44:32.360 --> 00:44:35.960 to start Laguna Lagunalive. I said, are you out of 778 00:44:36.000 --> 00:44:38.599 your mind? I said, you know how much effort it 779 00:44:38.639 --> 00:44:41.519 takes to do something like it? He said, I don't care. 780 00:44:41.639 --> 00:44:43.159 I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it, 781 00:44:43.239 --> 00:44:47.159 I said. And the original idea was what to bring bring. 782 00:44:46.920 --> 00:44:48.119 Live music to town? 783 00:44:48.280 --> 00:44:53.000 Yeah. What were the venues at that point, probably. 784 00:44:52.639 --> 00:44:58.119 On the street. There was the place in the Canyon 785 00:44:58.880 --> 00:45:01.760 which was seven seven degrees. 786 00:45:01.559 --> 00:45:04.000 Okay, that was about it. 787 00:45:04.239 --> 00:45:08.039 And and you got was was the Billy Childs show 788 00:45:08.159 --> 00:45:09.199 part of Laguna line. 789 00:45:09.159 --> 00:45:11.920 No, that was part of my stint to being on 790 00:45:11.960 --> 00:45:15.239 the board of PBS. Okay, I was on their board 791 00:45:15.239 --> 00:45:15.840 for

eight years. 792 00:45:15.880 --> 00:45:18.760 So you brought the great jazz pianist Billy Childs to Laguna. 793 00:45:18.880 --> 00:45:22.119 He played a concert at Laguna High School Artist Theater. 794 00:45:22.119 --> 00:45:23.239 And it was filmed. 795 00:45:23.280 --> 00:45:25.719 They were filmed. I got it filmed with the help 796 00:45:25.760 --> 00:45:29.159 of the Montage. They were gracious and lovely, and I 797 00:45:29.280 --> 00:45:36.599 used the college here in Orange County, Chapman, and I 798 00:45:36.719 --> 00:45:39.920 used their film crew at Chapman Perfect to film it. 799 00:45:40.679 --> 00:45:49.880 And it was my first endeavor into television and I 800 00:45:49.960 --> 00:45:54.480 produced it, made it happen. Got the Calder Quartet with 801 00:45:54.760 --> 00:45:58.239 Billy Childs, who was an incredible pianist. And you can 802 00:45:58.280 --> 00:46:01.840 still bring it up if you want to look BBS. 803 00:46:02.119 --> 00:46:05.519 So it's uh, it will go down in his It's 804 00:46:05.559 --> 00:46:08.360 the only television show that's ever been produced in this town. 805 00:46:08.320 --> 00:46:12.840 Except for that MTV BS. You know MTV Oh Yeah, 806 00:46:12.880 --> 00:46:15.519 that was yeah, that was that's not me. 807 00:46:15.679 --> 00:46:17.480 That's that was something else. 808 00:46:17.519 --> 00:46:20.840 Well, Sam, what a what a story? And I'm just curious. 809 00:46:20.400 --> 00:46:23.719 Now in terms of your view looking forward, because you're 810 00:46:23.760 --> 00:46:25.239 not a backwards looking guy. 811 00:46:25.280 --> 00:46:27.519 You're not looking in the rear view. You're looking ahead. 812 00:46:28.400 --> 00:46:30.280 And what what do we need. 813 00:46:30.159 --> 00:46:34.760 In this town to retain or even sustain us as 814 00:46:34.800 --> 00:46:37.239 a true arts and culture community. 815 00:46:37.639 --> 00:46:40.559 Well, I'm sitting in a radio station that's alive and 816 00:46:40.639 --> 00:46:46.239 well and hey, yes, yeah, and it's got imagination and creativity. 817 00:46:46.719 --> 00:46:50.679 And I haven't been involved with any I haven't volunteered 818 00:46:51.800 --> 00:46:55.599 for an organization for quite a while. I've resigned from 819 00:46:55.719 --> 00:46:58.840 quite a few, but I haven't signed on for it. 820 00:46:58.880 --> 00:47:02.440 And I'm ninety one years old, and I don't do 821 00:47:02.519 --> 00:47:05.559 it lightly. But I said I would be more than 822 00:47:05.639 --> 00:47:08.719 happy to be a board member here and endorse it 823 00:47:08.760 --> 00:47:14.320 because it's the most creative thing that I've encountered in alone. 824 00:47:14.679 --> 00:47:18.000 Long long, Well, you're very much a mention, and I 825 00:47:18.000 --> 00:47:21.280 appreciate you, and you know what, I hope that we 826 00:47:21.360 --> 00:47:23.639 can live up to your expectations joining us. 827 00:47:23.679 --> 00:47:26.760 You've already done it. You don't have an All you're 828 00:47:26.760 --> 00:47:31.559 building on is imagination and creativity, and it's something that 829 00:47:31.599 --> 00:47:33.679 doesn't stop if it's there to begin with. 830 00:47:33.880 --> 00:47:37.159 It's not a role we feel like sky's the limits. 831 00:47:37.719 --> 00:47:40.400 The radio is our is our sort of trojan horse 832 00:47:40.480 --> 00:47:44.519 and gives us currency. We're doing something unique that is 833 00:47:44.679 --> 00:47:47.840 not very common anymore, and radio has struggled to survive. 834 00:47:47.920 --> 00:47:51.159 And we see our mission as unifying this town with 835 00:47:51.320 --> 00:47:54.800 all of our disparate voices, bring people together as a hub, 836 00:47:55.320 --> 00:47:57.679 and then expanding from there because there's a lot of 837 00:47:57.719 --> 00:47:59.480 talent in this town and we want. 838 00:47:59.239 --> 00:48:10.000 To perfect it's. Podcasts are the new way to promote thoughts, wishes, dreams, 839 00:48:10.079 --> 00:48:13.760 all that stuff. I own two television stations in Hawaii, 840 00:48:14.280 --> 00:48:18.599 ABC and Fox, and they're just facilities and they're just 841 00:48:18.719 --> 00:48:19.840 broadcasting whatever. 842 00:48:19.880 --> 00:48:20.440 They're broad it. 843 00:48:21.360 --> 00:48:29.239 But podcasts are the new communication in the world. It's 844 00:48:29.400 --> 00:48:32.920 twenty it's twenty first century, not twentieth century. 845 00:48:33.039 --> 00:48:35.920 And it's crowdsourced. Anybody can produce it. You know, you 846 00:48:35.920 --> 00:48:36.719 don't have to go through. 847 00:48:36.760 --> 00:48:40.320 Everybody's got an idea, and everybody's got negativity, and everybody's 848 00:48:40.360 --> 00:48:45.719 got positivity, and everybody's got something to say. And it's 849 00:48:45.760 --> 00:48:49.239 a great vehicle. And the more you got to say, 850 00:48:50.039 --> 00:48:54.239 it's fun. And so for this station to get great 851 00:48:54.360 --> 00:49:00.159 podcasters lined up to bring their friends and talent to 852 00:49:00.239 --> 00:49:02.960 the airways is to me is a miracle. 853 00:49:03.000 --> 00:49:05.360 It's a miracle. And you know you've got something special 854 00:49:05.360 --> 00:49:06.880 when people don't do it for money. 855 00:49:07.440 --> 00:49:10.679 There's not a nickel in it. It's like, tell me 856 00:49:10.719 --> 00:49:13.280 about you, Tell me what the hell you're doing, Show 857 00:49:13.360 --> 00:49:14.079 me what you got. 858 00:49:14.199 --> 00:49:16.480 Yeah, you know, the most interesting thing in the world 859 00:49:16.480 --> 00:49:19.440 to me is two people talking and just yep. And 860 00:49:19.519 --> 00:49:24.519 the human condition is never ending source of material. And 861 00:49:24.719 --> 00:49:26.920 you know, I think within a five mile radius of 862 00:49:27.000 --> 00:49:29.599 right here, we've got enough stories to tell for a lifetime. 863 00:49:29.719 --> 00:49:45.800 Oh, this town is full of nostalgia, hypocrisy, yeah, good, bad, history, arrogance, everything. 864 00:49:45.880 --> 00:49:47.760 Everything's a microcosm of the world. 865 00:49:48.079 --> 00:49:52.199 Yeah, well it's of a wealthy world. Yeah it was. 866 00:49:52.360 --> 00:49:54.119 This is a fall. 867 00:49:53.920 --> 00:49:56.360 Small yeah town town. 868 00:49:56.559 --> 00:49:59.199 I mean, but I was up in La twice in 869 00:49:59.239 --> 00:50:01.119 the last week, and boy oh boy, I mean, I 870 00:50:01.159 --> 00:50:03.559 love the stimulation up there, but I couldn't see where 871 00:50:03.559 --> 00:50:06.320 I live in there anymore. It's just a mess. And 872 00:50:06.400 --> 00:50:09.960 here we still have this beautiful ocean breeze. Or you know, 873 00:50:10.039 --> 00:50:13.320 we complain about our traffic. It doesn't compare to anywhere 874 00:50:13.360 --> 00:50:14.760 else we you know, it's it's. 875 00:50:14.719 --> 00:50:15.639 How good do you want it? 876 00:50:15.800 --> 00:50:18.519 How good do you want it, and well, Sam, you're 877 00:50:18.519 --> 00:50:20.039 one of those people that makes it better. 878 00:50:20.719 --> 00:50:25.519 Well, I try because I don't accept what I'm given. 879 00:50:25.840 --> 00:50:28.320 I've never have in my life and I never will. 880 00:50:30.039 --> 00:50:34.679 There you go, Sam Goldstein, will happy happy birthday this Thursday. 881 00:50:35.079 --> 00:50:37.440 Another trip around the sun and I and I hope 882 00:50:37.440 --> 00:50:41.000 next year you'll be back here on the station, sharper 883 00:50:41.000 --> 00:50:44.039 than ever. And the only miracle and you, the only 884 00:50:44.079 --> 00:50:46.119 thing you'll say is my God, I can't believe. I 885 00:50:46.159 --> 00:50:48.159 remember when this radio station was little. 886 00:50:48.960 --> 00:50:51.840 You've never been little. And since you took it over, 887 00:50:52.639 --> 00:50:57.480 that's a miracle. That's a real change of everything. As 888 00:50:57.480 --> 00:51:02.480 far as I'm concerned, I've been so excited about getting 889 00:51:02.519 --> 00:51:06.079 involved with anything in a long time, and I've been 890 00:51:06.119 --> 00:51:10.039 on a lot of boards and a lot of nonprofit stuff, 891 00:51:10.639 --> 00:51:13.039 and this, to me is the most exciting thing I 892 00:51:13.079 --> 00:51:16.760 could even imagine in my nineties. 893 00:51:16.960 --> 00:51:18.920 Wow, Thank you so much, Sam. 894 00:51:19.000 --> 00:51:22.360 You heard it here first everybody at KXFM Radio. The 895 00:51:22.360 --> 00:51:25.639 great Sam Goldstein, our newest board member who's going to 896 00:51:25.719 --> 00:51:29.559 drive us into the twenty first century. Amen, beyond amen. 897 00:51:29.800 --> 00:51:32.400 Thank you Sam. Great to see you and come back soon. 898 00:51:32.679 --> 00:51:33.079 I will