Since writing my first bog post, I've kept a light hearted attitude. There is already enough negativity to go around. The truth is, over the past twenty years the audio industry has been going through non-stop change and evolution. Unfortunately, much of this transformation has been driven more by market development strategies and less about performance and technology. Granted, the advent of surround sound forever changed the home cinema business, but it did not necessarily cause the decline of great audio. This decline has been caused by laziness and new consumer acceptance of "good enough."
Great audio experiences with high end products needs to be experienced to be appreciated and understood.
Not so many years ago the Audio Demo was an absolute art form: understanding customers wants and needs, selecting equipment you felt best served those needs, carefully choosing exactly the right material, explaining technical aspects of the products and why they work well together, easing the customer into the perfect sweet spot and ultimately giving them an experience of a lifetime. Please forgive me for short cutting the actual time involved and all aspects of the artful demo, but you get the idea. Get to know the listener and establish a rapport, set the mood, and let the fireworks begin. Many of my original retail partners would only do demo's with a single pair of speakers in the room. Perhaps some may remember the Linn hierarchy?
Paul Klipsch put it in perspective best as he competed with friends to create the closest thing to live music in his living room. He used his experiences listening to a live symphony on Sunday afternoons at Standford University as his guide. Paul often reminded us that our ears should always be our final test equipment.
I am painting with a very broad brush when I say this, but as I travel around the world, it is seldom that a true high end listening environment can be found. Finding audio sales people that are capable of doing a true mind blowing sound experience is rare. Many times for good reason: rapid turn over of employees, tougher economic times, surround sound, flat panel TV, Apple, demand for digital music, personal listening rather than communal experiences, and so on.
Where does that leave us? Well fortunately or unfortunately, I'm forever the optimist. I think people are still moved by passion and emotional experiences. People will reevaluate their priorities over time and begin to understand, regardless of the innovations in technology, music still moves people emotionally like no other art form. Whatever shape audio products take in the future, people will still equate value to the way a product makes them feel. A high quality audio system is a great investment that brings years of happiness. It encourages sharing the experience with family and friends, and facilitates the appreciation of something that has moved man kind since its inception: music.
In the end, I think audio will continue to be driven by passionate innovators who understand that delivering a great audio experience to any person moves the soul, improves health, and makes the world a better place, and the desire for that fulfillment will continue to bring these leaders to the forefront to revolutionize the industry again.
Yes, I think there is a very bright future and cannot wait to see what the next chapter brings.
As stated during my first growing-up-is-hard-to-do post, these reveal some of what surrounds me at the office. Over the years of traveling and meeting amazing people, I find collecting art from around the world is a great way to remember where I have been.
This one from the Greek Isle of Hydra is interesting, conversational, and, depending on your angle, a bit disturbing. When the purchase was made, I only saw the "interesting" part; only later would the "disturbing" occur to me.
Take a look at the three photos and see if you can identify the three lives of my Greek art that watches over me every day.
Here, I see simple driftwood:
And now I see something from the cover of the Rolling Stones "Goats Head Soup":
And this is straight out of the movie Poltergeist:
It is possible this disturbing art may be just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to my often questioned life.
Ok, it's true. I should be punished for going so long without a blog update. In my defense, there are reasons which justify this. Specifically, I've been home 7 days in the past 2 1/2 months. My body has given up trying to understand what sleep habits it should get used to. I've made four trips to Europe, including Amsterdam three times, Rotterdam twice, Copenhagen three times, Paris twice, Berlin, Athens, Milan, and back in the States I've traveled to New York, Orlando, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Chicago. Oh yeah, almost forgot Dublin. All of this has been business-focused, except for four days drinking wine in Napa and eight days in Orlando with the fam (I would not be totally honest if I don't reveal, not only was I called into several two hour conference calls, but had to meet with the chairman while there....my wife was less than happy with me at times).
Anyway, now that we have that cleared up, let's talk about an unforgettable summer of music. Or maybe post more pictures than talk...
Dublin. Got to take top European customers to see U2 at their home coming:
Got off the plane from Dublin and went directly to the Vogue (Indianapolis) to see the Wallflowers... that was a long day:
Collective Soul and Gavin Degraw again at the Vogue:
Robin Trower at the Murat (strangest show... or at least crowd of the year).
Augustana at the Vogue:
Counting Crows, Augustana, and Michael Fantie and Spearhead at the Fillmore East:
Collective Soul and SafetySuit at the Irving Park... same night in New York we saw Counting Crows = busy night.
Creed Indianapolis. I know Scott Stapp is the most hated guy in rock, but it was a fun show:
Dysfunctional Soul at Quasi Modo in Berlin:
U2 in Chicago this past weekend:
Kings of Leon is next on the 25th.
Also caught some small acts out of the country that were amazing as well.
I have much more to say, but this blog is lengthy as it is... more soon!
I've decided while continuing to post a normal blog every few weeks, there is something a little less important I need to get out of my system:
Will I ever grow up?
You might wonder why I'm asking that question - and frankly the list of things that concern me is long indeed - however, it's my office that makes me ask the question today. It seems I surround myself with things I love and have collected, or things that remind me of experiences I've had, great moments...you get the idea.
None of what I see, save a few family pictures and some drawings by my 12-year-old, could be interpreted as part of an office of someone slightly less mature than myself. So every week or so I'm going to post a shot of my surroundings and see if it shakes loose a conclusion on my part (or yours) as to the validity of my current state.
Uomo Santo "Holy One" was painted as a gift by my good friend and former creative director Mr. George Harris in honor of my love for the Bass:
If you’ve read my past blogs, you know music is a big part of my life - from playing, listening, and most importantly, hearing it live. I’ve shared some photos of live shows and have made many references throughout my posts. In fact, it was just 10 days ago that I attended the much talked about Coldplay and Snow Patrol show. More on that later.
This weekend, I was asked a question by my wife that was stunning, perplexing, concerning, and utterly ridiculous: “Paul, do you think you’re overdoing the concerts this year?” Initially I was certain I had misunderstood the question, but after further discussion it was true - she had actually asked me if we were going to OD on live music. I'll be the first to admit the schedule is packed, and I may have to resign my post at Klipsch to make all the shows, but is it really too high a price to pay?
For me, hearing great musicians in a basement club or a large venue doesn’t matter. I’ve been privileged to experience both and they are equally among life’s great rewards. So after I pled my case, it was clear to my wife (of many years) she had simply not understood that no matter the sacrifice, it was not possible to experience too much live music. She felt better after knowing she could focus her time and energy on truly troubling things, such as the world economy and the price of gold.
Coldplay and Snow Patrol... I was drug against my will to this show but agreed simply because it would pave an easier way for me to get to go to the shows I really wanted to see, but.................Let me say Snow Patrol is an amazing Irish band, and if they keep their egos in check, could have a long and successful future ahead of them.
Coldplay was one of the greatest surprises of my musical life – they were extraordinary. Chris Martin was engaged and truly seemed to love what he was doing. As Professor Thump said, the band on two occasions went into the crowd and played up close and personal to the lawn - a very cool move. Unfortunately for me I was up getting a drink when they did and found myself locked out of my seat during 4 songs. But as luck would have it, I ran into two of my favorite Klipsch friends and we shared a few laughs during my seating exile.
And so goes my life on the perfory of the music business, and as always, it is a good one to be living.
I spent the weekend in Key West, Florida, one of my favorite vacation destinations. It was not just some time off, but also a weekend with my 27-year-old son, live blues, and a little sky diving adventure. The sky diving was our catalyst for the trip, but I really don’t need a reason to head to the southern most point in the Continental U.S. While I find the proximity to Cuba an interesting side-fact, it’s simply the coolest place on earth, and I’ve never had anything other than an amazing time. 82˚ and sunny the whole trip.
My purpose in jumping out of a plane was to clear my mind, have a fresh start on life, and to challenge myself to do something difficult (I have a phobia with heights). But the main reason was because my son wanted me to, which was enough for me. It was a rush I cannot describe. The video and photos are amazing, and it definitely gave me the opportunity to resolve three major things floating around in my life.
When not jumping, there are ample bars and restaurants to hang out in - which is where the music comes in. On Friday night post-jump, needless to say we both felt really good. We enjoyed the famous sunset from Mallory Square, had little dinner, and wandered into my favorite local bar, The Green Parrot. We had the good fortune to find the legendary blues man Mr. Joey Gilmore on stage, staked out two seats on the corner of the bar, and watched for two hours as this mid-60's blues legend ripped through a set. I was left wondering why the music gods had smiled on me and allowed this night to happen.
I was humbled and grateful. After the set, I discussed with Joey the inspiration I felt as he performed his vocals and guitar with such passion and emotion, and how it felt like walking through the story of his life. He had a look of sheer joy and appeared content knowing he may play in relative obscurity compared to the pop-artist dribble we are bombarded with from the radio and big record labels. The fact he had been fortunate enough to spend his life playing, and was still bringing people off their seats and on to the dance floor, was reward enough for him.
The experience of jumping from two miles over the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean as they come together at the southern most point, spending four days with my son, and experiencing all of this over some of the greatest blues I've ever heard made me once again realize the good fortune I have. Listening to a blues legend talk about his own fortune and being blessed enough to play his guitar made me think about how our priorities can sometimes lead us astray. For those who really understand what is important, life can truly be an amazing thing.
Friday night I had the privilege of seeing one of
the great bands in the world today, The Killers. It was an interesting reunion for The Killers and me. During second half of 2006, I was living in Copenhagen, Denmark working with our Jamo brand team and Klipsch Group Europe. One very cold November night, I landed only to find the airport filled with media and celebrities as
the MTV European music awards were being held in Copenhagen. That night there was a VIP pre
show concert featuring Jet, Muse, and The Killers. I was tired, cold, and a little depressed spending so much time away from home, but seeing a live outdoor show was better than setting around feeling sorry for myself.
Last night was different - we obtained front row center seats
at a small Indianapolis venue, and by front row, I mean we-used-the-stage-to-rest-our-drinks kind of
front row. The band was as good as any I have seen, but more impressive than
their talent was the joy they blasted from the stage. It was the passion that
each emitted, starting with things as simple as smiling through every
riff, that caused the sold out crowd to never stop singing and dancing.
If you ever forget why you love music, or in our case why
you work in the audio industry, go check out a live show. Maybe it will help
you recall. I never stop benefiting from going, and almost always have an
enlightened moment, not to mention memories I’ll never forget.
It's almost one a.m. on the fifth night of my ten day trip.
We had the opportunity to celebrate the early retirement of my esteemed colleague Alain Varipatis, who has overseen our French business for the past 16 years. We spent the day talking about music, equipment, the audio business, the economy, our respective countries and his future plans. But as I reflect on the night, what we talked about most were the memories we have made spending most of our adult lives in the audio business - the changes, the people, and the experiences.
When I consider the people I have been so fortunate to know, there is
no question what we do and the experience we provide attracts some of
the most talented and amazing people on the planet, and it has been
such a great pleasure to call them my friends and to work side by side
to move our industry into the future.
It also occurred to me how the love and passion so many of us feel regarding audio, as well as the knowledge to build a sustainable business, can survive the global ups and downs to ensure people always have the opportunities to own and enjoy great products. In moving forward, it is with pleasure to announce Stephane Tessier as our new French General manager who will be working with us to achieve that goal. Stephane is also a long time friend and colleague who shares a similar view of life, business, and the future of audio.
I'm off soon to Italy and Greece to work with yet more of the greatest people in the world.
Photo left to right: Dave Kelley, President of Global Sales, Alain, myself
After many months of my Sony ES SACD player (777) playing only selected discs, I stopped crediting the player’s ability to sort out music I should be listening to and instead determined it had a flaw. Considering my new Klipsch Palladium P-37F speakers had been in the system for less that two weeks, this was an untenable yet unavoidable dilemma....I would in fact remove my beloved player from it's resting spot - a well assigned shelf in my minimalist Standesign rack above my Aragon 8008 amplifier and Argon 28k preamp – and take it to my favorite electronics RX.
That meant filling my now empty music space with something else.
As luck would have it, The Eagles are currently promoting their Long Road Out of Eden record, so off I went with friends, two of which were with me when I saw them on the Hotel California 76/77 tour. I've long held the view it's possible to live well forever (as proven by Benjamin Button), but it does require shooting straight with ourselves about the inevitable impact of growing older.
The whole Eagles experience continued a dilemma that was started 18 months ago when I sat front row at an REO Speedwagon show, followed by last summers Eric Clapton quadruple final farewell tour event, in which he sat in a chair playing wandering blues riffs through most the show. In '92 when Clapton was on the Unplugged tour, I had the privilege of seeing the greatest performance likely ever witnessed. Last summer it was more like Grandpa Eric came over to fiddle with his guitar.
Perhaps if I had not seen each of these bands at the top of their game, the experience would have been extraordinary....instead it felt like seeing some really cool guys making a living, but lacking the power and emotion they once had in a different time and place.
Initially I blamed myself and a possible egotistical and judgmental approach to the shows, until I saw Tom Petty and Jimmy Buffet last summer. Their shows were as good (or better) than any I had ever seen. So where does this leave me? I have no idea. I'm a sucker for live music, and as I get older, I look to some of these bands and their original members for inspiration. Despite my sometimes disappointing experiences, I don't ever want to see them stop. But lately I’ve been searching for new inspiration.
Tuesday night my player was re-installed.
It was a dreary, rainy overcast night, in which I'm not feeling particularly inspired but did feel obligated to reignite my system. Susie Suh was first up because my player had previously refused to extract her music. My intention was only to make sure the player worked, after all, I was a bit lonely and feeling sorry for myself for reasons not entirely clear to me...until the first note. I didn't move for the next 40 minutes, just taking in the emotion and splendor of the lyrics, her voice, the outstanding recording quality - and realizing that my system was allowing me to hear it all.
I was actually moved to tears during two songs: "Battlefield" and "Seasons Change." When it was over I realized once again how lucky my life has been, what an amazing opportunity I've been given, and how this incredible and little known artist in just 40 minutes was able to change my life.
It should come as no surprise to learn the speaker business is not always a barrel of laughs. When times get tough, speakers are one of the first things people put off buying. They would rather put things like food and housing first, for some reason. While I don't agree with this philosophy - speakers should be a top priority in all our lives - unfortunately it's the current reality.
In light of this new revaluation, it's important to understand Klipsch Group has taken every action to not only survive, but to become far more innovative in delivering great sounding products. For example, we recently challenged our design and engineering teams to take the same approach used developing our $20,000 per pair Palladium P-39F speakers, but along the lines of $599 per system. Offering outstanding sound solutions which people have an opportunity to own during such times is a great way to build brand loyalty, not to mention to test our engineers technical capabilities.
Because engineers are normally quite literal in what they say and do, they did just that: the new Klipsch HDT 500 system is astounding.
Congratulations to the entire team for such an accomplishment, and to all our every day accomplishments. I continuously see our teams take on challenges and treat each project as if they are developing the most expensive product in the world.
Through my years at Klipsch, this has always been the culture. For that reason the group earns the right to be proud and passionate about the work they do, which manifests itself in our personality. This kind of Passion and Dedication is why we can save the world one speaker at a time.
No matter what your situation, take out a great piece of music tonight, close your eyes and consider how you want to shape the future.
Great audio and live music are like peanut butter and jelly for me. They are both really good alone, but outstanding when used together (responsibly). That's the story of my life.
The other day I was trying to pin down my first system, first record, and first concert. Interestingly, only two of the three are etched in my memory.
First Record: Black Sabbath "Masters of Reality." For a 13 year old kid raised in a religious home, it was quite a contast. Oddly enough, the girl next door played it for me in the basement of her home. She had invited me over and pulled it from her Dad's collection. I, of course, was there for reasons not clear to me at the time - there was just a voice in my head telling me she knew something that someday would be very important to me... Sorry, different topic.
First Concert: Grand Funk Railroad American Band Tour. I thought then what I think now: Mark Farner was/is one of the greatest guitar players to come from the great state of Michigan.
First System: I can't remember anything about my first system. Initially I was kind of bummed, but then it occured to me that the music is what I remembered -not the gear. Isn't that how its supposed to be?
A couple of side notes: Stairway to Heaven inspired me to make music my life. I listened to it continuously. And last but not least, it was some years later when attending my first Black Sabbath show that finally I understood my favorite song from my very first record..."Sweet Leaf..." Oh what my Mama didn't tell me!
On to my current system...a few years ago I decided to once and for all lock down my electronics and make speaker changes the interesting part. For a while I spent more time changing gear than listening to music, and with my travel schedule, that seemd a bit crazed. Since I have access to speakers from the 4 greatest brands on the planet, why not? (Every time I repeat that line to myself, it makes me step back and say, "Dude, you have got to be the luckiest man on earth." I concur with the voice in my head.)
Aragon 8008 2 channel amp, Aragon 28k pre amp. Sony 777 SACD player, Audio Quest Volcano cables. Straight wire interconects. I fool around with cables and intercontects occassionally but have to say, and now comes the sacrilige...I think most of the quality wire is just that - quality wire. I do consider it an important and intregal part of my system, but the Audio Quest is in my system because it looks way cool swaggering its way between my bad ass Aragon electronics and whatever speakers I have installed. Which brings me to my speakers...
In the past 4 years, I've had the honor to listen to some of the best stuff available. The current run started with Klipsch RF-5, then a pair of Jamo D450, which was a huge change that forced me to really get out of the "Klipsch only" mode and begin to understand what the rest of the world was up to, on to a pair of the Jamo flagship R909, to Mirage's latest flagship the OMD 28. The most recent acquisition, within the past 4 weeks, was a pair of Klipsch Palladium P-37F. From a 13 year old kid to this, are you kidding me? As Joe Walsh so profoundly put it, life's been good to me so far.
Which brings me to "Long Road out of Eden." On second thought, I'll tell you my thoughts on the Eagles current tour in my next post. I've gone on too long already, however I did just see them and have the 76/77 Hotel California tour buring on my brain.
Music and the "New Deal" (or "Tarp" or "Omnibus"…)We are living in uncertain times, but our approach to them can have a major impact on the lives of people around us. Our children and children’s children will likely be burdened as a result of decisions being made, and in my humble view, we should leave them some soul filling nuggets - not just the bills. That's where music comes in. If the goal is to spend money for the sake of future generations, we should at least use some of it to enrich their lives: school music programs, scholarships to the school of rock, trips to
Ronnie Scott’s club in London to hear
Ahmad Jamal rip through a set with sheer joy plastered on his face are just a few examples.
Music is a true art form that when executed the way God intended can move anyone to tears. It is universal - great music elicits the same reaction in every corner of this tiny planet. Unfortunately, kids are losing the social aspect of how music can be listened to simply because the old days of building hi-fi have lost popularity. We should not fall victim to low performance audio. It is not acceptable.
For me…I love the new formats for convenience and accessibility throughout the day, but when I'm at home, I open a bottle of wine and ignite my 2-channel system. It stops people in their tracks, and that's where we end up spending the evening. Who knows the number of canceled dinner reservations because friends wanted to stay and listen? Our kids are going to miss out unless we ensure they at least have one great audio experience embedded in their cortex. We need to find the brilliant musicians hidden out there. For every one Klipsch can turn on to a great music experience, maybe we'll be remembered just a little more fondly.
In this challenging economic environment people are looking for an anchor. We can spend our time worrying about things out of our control, or we can speak positive and encourage people around us. Music can be that anchor allowing you to depart from reality and visit another place and time. Choose carefully where you go and help as many others as possible make the trip with you.
Next time I'll download what system I’m currently using, and what’s currently on my “gotta have” play list. I'll be interested in your feedback.
Imagine a place for me to share all of my thoughts on life, business
and the global economy. The world has no idea what’s in store.
After
great encouragement from my work colleges, I determined the time was
right and KGI was ready. It is interesting how they positioned their
encouragement: “Paul, you have been in the industry all of your
working life, played music before this, spent years traveling around
the world, have so many great and enlightening stories; your insights
and rants are relevant, and you have strong views on Klipsch Group, the
audio industry, politics, and the world...” Since I’m such an easy
going, low pressure good “sport,” I’m accepting the challenge, and in
fact look forward to it. But let me say, I don’t for one second buy
any of this. I’m certain they think if I start using my new blog as a
place to let out my thoughts, they won’t get trapped in any more of my
rambling diatribes about life, love or the future of audio. They, of
course, would be wrong.
What did they use as a final push? Check out Amy’s Blog
from last week and see my head on the tee-shirt of Meredith, one of our
brilliant and vibrant marketing managers, as they celebrated my
oh-so-disturbing birthday. How could I say no to this? So today is
the first day of the rest of my life.
By the way, I’m the Global President and Chief Operating Officer of Klipsch group. I’m responsible for Klipsch, Jamo, Mirage, and Energy loudspeaker
brands. My passion has always been music, and prior to entering the
Audio industry I was/am a bass player, at least in my heart and mind.
Not so bad a consolation - in lieu of being in a touring rock band, I
spend my life conjuring up new ways to deliver the greatest sound on
earth and working with the most talented people on the planet.
In my next post I’ll tell you why more music should be part of the global stimulus package.