{"id":12550,"date":"2020-02-12T07:45:05","date_gmt":"2020-02-12T07:45:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/skylight.gr\/?p=12550"},"modified":"2020-02-12T07:45:08","modified_gmt":"2020-02-12T07:45:08","slug":"music-industry-veteran-michael-alago-opens-up-about-changing-the-landscape-of-metal-battling-addiction-and-beating-death-in-new-autobiography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/2020\/02\/12\/music-industry-veteran-michael-alago-opens-up-about-changing-the-landscape-of-metal-battling-addiction-and-beating-death-in-new-autobiography\/","title":{"rendered":"Music Industry Veteran Michael Alago Opens Up About Changing the Landscape of Metal, Battling Addiction and Beating Death in New Autobiography"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Music industry veteran\u00a0Michael Alago<\/strong>\u00a0can be credited with changing the landscape of heavy metal – and rock \u2018n\u2019 roll as a whole \u2013 yet his name remains relatively unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


In his new autobiography,\u00a0I am Michael Alago<\/em><\/strong>, available March 2 via Backbeat Books,\u00a0Alago\u00a0<\/strong>shares his successes in the music industry, such as signing\u00a0Metallica<\/strong>\u00a0to their first major label recording contract, while battling 1970s and \u201880s stereotypes, addiction and life-threatening illness.
\u201c<\/em>Michael Alago<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0was my first genuine connection to the real world of music,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0says bassist\u00a0Jason Newsted<\/strong>.\u00a0\u201cHe is a key player and lynchpin in the early careers of\u00a0<\/em>Flotsam and Jetsam<\/em><\/strong>, and\u00a0<\/em>Metallica<\/em><\/strong>, and more importantly; a greatly respected lifelong friend, loved and admired by the people that make up these legendary acts. He\u2019s a fan. We\u2019re all fans.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n


Alago<\/strong>\u00a0grew up in Brooklyn, in a large, spirited, and devoted Puerto Rican family. Through his early passion for music, art, theater, and photography, he soon found himself rubbing elbows with many downtown NYC scene makers, from\u00a0Stiv Bators<\/strong>\u00a0to\u00a0Jean Michel Basquiat<\/strong>,\u00a0Cherry Vanilla<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Wayne County<\/strong>\u00a0to\u00a0Deborah Harry<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Robert Mapplethorpe<\/strong>. As an underage teenager going to Max’s Kansas City, CBGB and various art galleries,\u00a0Alago<\/strong>\u00a0also began running\u00a0The Dead Boys<\/strong>\u2019 fan club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


A few years later,\u00a0Alago<\/strong>\u00a0became the assistant music director for legendary nightclubs the Ritz and the Red Parrot.\u00a0\u201cI met Michael in 1980,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0says\u00a0Jerry Brandt\u00a0<\/strong>of The Electric Circus\/The Ritz.\u00a0\u201cHe walked into my office at The Ritz and I knew instantly that his kid was going to do great things.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n


At age 24, he began a storied career as an A&R executive at Elektra Records that started with signing\u00a0Metallica<\/strong>\u00a0in the summer of 1984, changing the entire landscape of rock ‘n’ roll and heavy metal.\u00a0Alago<\/strong>\u00a0continued to work in A&R for both Palm Pictures and Geffen Records. He was thrilled to executive-produce albums by\u00a0Cyndi Lauper<\/strong>,\u00a0Public Image Ltd<\/strong>,\u00a0White Zombie<\/strong>, and\u00a0Nina Simone<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u201cWith his gifted passion and open-minded appreciation for music,\u00a0<\/em>Michael Alago<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0changed the world and the lives of millions (myself included) forever,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0says\u00a0Orange is the New Black<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0actor and\u00a0Alekhine\u2019s Gun<\/strong>\u00a0vocalist\u00a0Jessica Pimentel<\/strong>.\u00a0\u201cI am constantly inspired by him and thank him for sharing his rich life with us: the good, the bad, the ugly, the sacred and the magical.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n


In the late 1980s,\u00a0Alago<\/strong>\u00a0was diagnosed with HIV, which manifested into full-blown AIDS 10 years later, a diagnosis that equaled death at that time. But with the advancement of medical science and the foresight of a brilliant doctor, he survived and continued his music career. In 2005, he left music to pursue his other love: photography.\u00a0Alago<\/strong>\u00a0went on to publish three bestselling books:\u00a0Rough Gods<\/em>,\u00a0Brutal Truth<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Beautiful Imperfections<\/em>\u00a0with German-based publisher Bruno Gm\u00fcnder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Alago<\/strong>\u00a0has also since overcome his longtime addiction to drugs and alcohol. In his clean and sober life, he has reconnected with his family, continues to be a working photographer as well as record producer, and only through the grace of his 12-Step program is he able to live this big, beautiful life.\u00a0Who the Fuck Is That Guy? The Fabulous Journey of Michael Alago<\/em>, a 2017 documentary directed by\u00a0Drew Stone<\/strong>\u00a0and produced by\u00a0Michael Alex<\/strong>\u00a0on\u00a0Alago<\/strong>\u2019s wildly successful career in music, was released in theaters and on Netflix, where it is now in its third year. The film is also now available on Amazon Prime Video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u201cA true Hollywood tale of how a gay Puerto Rican man in a heavy metal world can become a conqueror!\u201d<\/em>\u00a0says\u00a0Gary Holt<\/strong>, guitarist for\u00a0Exodus<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Slayer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u201cFrom running wild in the streets of NYC as younger men to still being close to this day, Michael is a legend in the world of hard rock. The heavy metal landscape would look much different if it weren\u2019t for him. We owe him a debt of gratitude for his foresight in music and I am thankful for his contributions and even more so, his friendship.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n


Michael Alago\u00a0<\/strong>is the quintessential New Yorker with an \u201conly in New York\u201d career. Passionate about music, art, and literature, legendary music executive and published photographer,\u00a0Alago<\/strong>\u00a0is known for his extraordinary work with\u00a0Metallica<\/strong>,\u00a0White Zombie<\/strong>,\u00a0John Lydon<\/strong>,\u00a0Cyndi Lauper<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Nina Simone<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u201cI\u2019ve known Michael forever, and he is fabulous,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0says music business veteran\u00a0Danny Fields<\/strong>.\u00a0\u201cSo this book is fabulous! Would I ever lie?\u201d<\/em>I am Michael Alago<\/a>was co-written with Laura Davis-Chanin.\u00a0I am Michael Alago<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0is available in paperback for pre-order from\u00a0Amazon<\/a>,\u00a0Barnes & Noble<\/a>,\u00a0Books-A-Million<\/a>,\u00a0IndieBound<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Rowman & Littlefield<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


A release party for\u00a0I Am Michael Alago\u00a0will be held Friday, March 6 at The Map Room at The Bowery Electric.\u00a0Alago\u00a0will read and sign copies of the book from 7\u201310 p.m. Register here for\u00a0Alago\u2019s only New York City appearance: https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/michael-alago-book-release-party-tickets-91835818405?aff=odwdwdspacecraft<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


About Backbeat Books:<\/strong>Since 1991, Backbeat Books have been favorites among passionate music fans and musicians. Known for their depth, spirit, and authority, Backbeat offers a diverse range of books – from biographies and memoirs, critical examinations and histories, to authoritative volumes on musical instruments and instruction – covering all areas of rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, and beyond. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Music industry veteran\u00a0Michael Alago\u00a0can be credited with changing the landscape of heavy metal – and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12551,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23,2],"tags":[197,879,184],"class_list":["post-12550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music-news","category-news","tag-metallica","tag-michael-alago","tag-music-industry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12550","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12550"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12550\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12552,"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12550\/revisions\/12552"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}