I'm Pretty Sure I'm Not Coming Back

When promoting a new artist or a new song, record companies set aside marketing dollars to help get the project "off the ground."  One marketing avenue might be to support a radio promotion that ties into the song title, the name of the artist or maybe as part of a larger, overall, station promotion.  In some cases, record labels offer up the artist to perform at a radio or retail event - if it will get the song on the air, help overall exposure and ultimately help get other stations around the country on board.  Sometimes the artist will be offered to multiple stations in the same market (in this case) on the same day.  

Blair MacKichan was fronting the house band for Channel 5's "The Jack Docherty Show," a nightly "chat" show recorded at the Whitehall Theatre in London.  But he also wrote his own music and fronted several of his own bands.  Blair landed a single called "Have Fun., Go Mad" on the soundtrack for the movie "Sliding Doors" - starring Gwyneth Paltrow.  The soundtrack also featured the singles "Turn Back Time" by Aqua and "Thank You" by Dido which was sampled by Eminem in his hit single "Stan."  MCA Records signed Blair to a singles deal, which basically gave MCA the option of signing Blair to a longer contract depending on the success of the single.  Based on some early buzz from music directors around the country and some early radio airplay, MCA Records brought Blair to the U.S. to help promote "Have Fun, Go Mad," try and launch a career and see if the single would catch fire at retail.

"Have Fun, Go Mad" was doing pretty well for me regionally and I had three stations in the Green Bay / Appleton area playing it which also meant that I had three stations requesting Blair to do something on their behalf.  WIXX, the long time heritage Top 40 station in the market requested Blair to perform as a part of a county festival on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.  WKSZ, the other Top 40 in the market (whose Program Director was a close friend of mine), requested to have Blair come in and perform at the station for a small group of contest winners.  And then there was WQLH, the Hot AC / Mix station in the market, who wanted Blair to perform on site at an event they had planned with one of their advertising clients.  Oh - and they all requested their performances on the same day…and they all fell between Noon and 7:30 p.m.  In hindsight, I should have pushed back and spread them out over two days, but this is the hand we were dealt and I just kept telling myself that the market exposure and airplay would be worth it.  I made sure to remind my boss that the Green Bay / Appleton market had more airplay than any other market in the country.  If the song wasn't going to "take off" there - then it wasn't going to take off anywhere.

I left Chicago at 6 a.m. that Saturday morning and drove up to Austin Straubel International Airport (which is now up to 2 runways and 12 gates) in Green Bay to pick up Blair who was arriving on a 9:30 a.m. flight from some other market where he had done a radio performance the night before.  I had gotten performance and rider requirements from my record label to make sure he had what he needed at each of our stops, but I certainly didn't realize it was going to be just him when he landed.  I met Blair at the gate (which was still possible at the time) and took him and his (one) duffel bag to the car.

"You want to head to the Radisson hotel first to drop off your stuff?" I asked as we pulled out of the airport parking lot. 

"Neh - but I could use a bite to eat.  Any place we can get some crisps?  Or maybe some fish fingers?"

I thought the accent and some of the terms used in Wisconsin were entertaining…this experience should give me a whole new dictionary of words and definitions. 

Over breakfast at a local diner I gave Blair the run down for the day.  It all sounded good to him…the more to do - the better.  His perspective was that he wasn't sure what would happen with the single, so whatever he could do - and as many places as he could visit - he was game.  "Listen, I know this is a singles deal - and I don't think they will pick up the album, so I get to travel all over America, sing this bloody song over and over and have a blast.  I have nothing to lose."  Blair certainly had the right attitude going into our Saturday event-a-palooza.

On the way to the first station, 96.9 Kiss FM - I had Blair call the radio station request line.  They did a quick on-air interview and he made a big deal about how excited he was to be coming performing and that he would be arriving soon.  When we arrived just after Noon, there were 20 or so people in the conference room.  The station had set up a small mic and DAT machine and had cleared out the conference table and chairs.  He did another on air interview, took questions on the air from the in-house audience, performed a few songs, took pictures and signed autographs.  It went very smoothly and even though the Program Director was not happy we were going to be with two other stations that day, they were playing the single more than anyone and had really done a great job promoting his appearance.  Before we made our way back out to the car, I saw Blair talking to a younger contest winner.  I saw him writing on a piece of paper on her back while she beamed and bounced up and down…making it hard for him to write.  Blair and I were both in our early 30s at the time - so this did not thrill me to say the least.  This wasn't just an autograph he was signing...and I am not sure she was a day older than 16 either.  It really wasn’t my business, but when we got in the car I pointed out how excited the girl was to meet him. 

"Oh yes - she was proper" he said somewhat sarcastically. 

"So you gave her the hotel info?" I had to ask.

"Sure - I wrote down that I was at the Holiday Inn in Green Bay - room 223."

"But you're at the Radisson and you haven't checked in yet" I countered.

"Exactly! What - You think I'm a wanker?"

I breathed.  He laughed.  Point taken.

WQLH was next.  I had directions to the entertainment complex where we needed to be at 3 p.m. up in Green Bay - about a 35 - 40 minute drive.  It was already after 1 p.m. so there wouldn’t be a lot of downtime once we arrived.  This time Blair called WQLH and did another on air interview and made a big deal about how excited he was to be performing for them and that he would be arriving soon.  Sounded familiar.  I pulled into the not-so-full parking lot and parked next to the station van.  I told Blair to hang for a bit while I made sure everything was set up and to make sure he had a place to warm up for his performance.  The Program Director came over and I asked where he was going to be performing.  He pointed behind me.  I looked back over my shoulder and saw batting cages, a putt putt course and a Go-Kart track.  "You want him to sing on a Go-Kart track?!" 

To this day I laugh every time I picture Blair, complete professional that he was, singing his hit song to a group of, maybe, 17 people while dancing around - and even sitting IN - a Go-Kart.  I was hoping it would never end for two reasons:  One - I didn't want to have to face him after what I had just put him through and Two……you just can't make this stuff up!!

Our last stop of the day was for the WIXX festival show.  It was unseasonably warm that weekend and, even with the sun going down soon, it had to be in the lower 70's.  Three bands were performing that night and Blair was opening the show.  It was a massive stage, full lighting rig - the real deal.  Blair called in to WIXX and did a quick on-air interview and made-a-big-deal-about-how-excited-he was-to-be-performing-for-WIXX-and-that-he-would-be-arriving-soon.  (He had this part down solid.)  As we pulled up to the backstage entrance, Blair's eyes lit up.  "Wow - big crowd tonight - this is going to fun." 

Blair got settled in the backstage area while I went to take a look at the set-up and the crowd.  As I looked out front past the backstage barricades, I wondered if we were at the right event.  Tight jeans, belt buckles and cowboy hats flooded the area making me question what was going on. But I looked up and there was the WIXX banner hanging from the stage.  I had heard that the festival had paid something like $50K for the headliner and that WIXX was just sponsoring the event while agreeing to  secure two opening acts.  Maybe I have blocked it out of my memory but I can't recall who headlined the show - though Southern Rock does come to mind.  How was I going to go back and break this to Blair.  Ask him if he knows the words to "Rawhide?"  A British pop song singer in America's heartland opening for a southern rock band on Memorial Weekend.  Yes - Fun!

"So they have you scheduled for 20 minutes.  I will be out at the soundboard and you should be good to go.  Just make the best of it" I said to Blair as he waited at the bottom of the steps leading up to the stage.  As I walked away, I turned my head and said  "Oh - and by the way - this is really more of a rock crowd."  Blair cocked his head to the side like he couldn't hear me…which was fine with me.  I went out front as he started his first song and watched as Blair ran around the stage, reached out to the fans in the front row and did his best to get this crowd going.  But no one knew either of the first few songs and I'm not sure the crowd cared either.  This wasn't a teen crowd, it was more like a 25-54 crowd and It wasn’t until he started to sing "Have Fun, Go Mad" that the crowd even started to buzz.  It was good to see them respond to the song but I think Blair wanted it would be memorable for them.  When I asked him later why he did it, Blair matter-of-factly stated - "I had to do something for myself today.  I am pretty sure I'm not coming back."

Early on in "Have Fun, Go Mad, after his usual stage moves and choreography, Blair started climbing part of the rigging on stage left.  He got about three quarters of the way up and yelled "Are you having fun?!  Are you going mad?!"  Anyone not paying attention - was now.  He climbed a bit higher and the rig started to sway.  He was hanging off the side of the rig like Gene Kelly on the light post in "Singing in the Rain."  The Music Director at the station yelped "What is he doing?!  Security is going to kick his ass…and mine of he doesn't stop that."  But the crowd was totally into it now and you could tell he was feeding off of the energy.  As the song was coming to an end- Blair was almost back down from the rig.  He got a huge roar from the crowd.  He took a bow - from the rig - and  jumped the last 6 feet or so back to the stage.  As the Music Director and I went to meet him at the steps, two uniformed policeman were already waiting for him.  The crowd response was just starting to die down.

"That was just plain stupid" the officer said.

"Officer," I interjected, "He and I are heading straight to his hotel.  He has a flight in the morning and I am sure you have other things you would rather be doing tonight."

"That's probably a good idea" said the officer as a smirk crossed over his face.

I dropped Blair at the airport the next morning and never did get to work with or see him again.  "Have Fun, Go Mad" was never a huge hit - peaking near the Top 10 (but not really driving any sales) and MCA did not pick up his album deal.  But it did well regionally and Green Bay lead the way nationally in sales of the single.  And not to be forgotten is that it was a hit for my daughter's 4th grade soccer team and still gets a spin in the Swanson house when things get a little bit crazy.  Blair is still writing music has had recent credits writing for Will Young and is credited with co-writing Lily Allen's 2007 hit "Shame for You."

To this day, I can't pass a Go-Kart track without thinking of Blair.