LIST OF THE MUSICIANS, PRODUCERS, MANAGERS, AND PROMOTERS INTERVIEWED FOR WHITE LIGHT/WHITE HEAT: THE VELVET UNDERGROUND DAY-BY-DAY

Doug Yule (bassist/keyboardist/guitarist/occasional lead vocalist, Velvet Underground, 1968-1973)

Martha Morrison (wife, Velvet Underground guitarist/bassist Sterling Morrison)

Paul Morrissey (manager of Andy Warhol; co-manager of Velvet Underground, 1966-67; manager of Nico, 1966-1967)

Norman Dolph (co-producer of April 1966 sessions for the Velvet Underground's first album, The Velvet Underground & Nico, aka "the banana album")

Billy Yule (drummer, Velvet Underground, summer 1970)

Hetty MacLise (wife of original Velvet Underground drummer Angus MacLise)

Steve Nelson (manager of Boston Tea Party, the Velvet Underground's favorite venue in 1967-1969; also booked the VU on numerous occasions in Western Massachusetts and designed some posters for their gigs)

Charlie Rothschild (booked their May 1966 gigs in California and fall 1966 gigs at the Balloon Farm in St. Marks Place, New York City)

Richard Goldstein (Village Voice rock critic who wrote first substantial Velvet Underground article discussing their music and interviewing Lou Reed, John Cale, and Sterling Morrison, printed in October 1966)

Elliott Murphy (singer-songwriter who wrote liner notes for the 1974 double LP 1969 Velvet Underground Live and helped select tracks for that album with Mercury A&R man Paul Nelson)

Peter Abram (owner of Matrix Club in San Francisco, which taped live VU shows in November 1969 that comprised bulk of their classic album 1969 Velvet Underground Live)

Terry Philips (hired Lou Reed for Pickwick Records in 1964 and wrote songs with him while Reed worked at Pickwick in the pre-VU days)

Tony Conrad (played with John Cale in La Monte Young's group in 1963-65, played in the Primitives with Cale and Lou Reed in 1964-1965)

Terry Riley (collaborated with John Cale on Church of Anthrax album sessions, 1969-1970)

Bob Ragona (general manager of frontline product at Pickwick Records, where Lou Reed worked as songwriter in the mid-1960s prior to the Velvet Underground; has demo tape of Reed doing "Heroin" and other songs from May 11, 1965)

Andrew Oldham (Rolling Stones manager, arranged for recording of Nico's debut single in London in 1965)

Peter Jenner (original Pink Floyd manager, who expressed interest in managing the Velvet Underground in 1966)

Lewis Merenstein (co-producer of John Cale's first solo album, Vintage Violence, recorded in late 1969)

Henry Flynt (played with Velvets in place of an ill John Cale for four shows, September 1966)

Bob Fass (WBAI radio host, cited by Sterling Morrison as only New York radio DJ to play the banana album when it came out)

Chip Baker (guitarist in the Free Spirits, who shared the bill with the Velvet Underground at the Scene in New York in early 1967)

Chris Hills (bassist in the Free Spirits, who shared the bill with the Velvet Underground at the Scene in New York in early 1967)

Bob Moses (drummer in the Free Spirits, who shared the bill with the Velvet Underground at the Scene in New York in early 1967)

Ted Gehrke (manager of the Free Spirits, who shared the bill with the Velvet Underground at the Scene in New York in early 1967)

Dorothy Moskowitz (singer with the United States of America, who shared bill with the Velvets at the Boston Tea Party in March 1968; also remembers how Nico tried to join the United States of America in late 1967 after leaving VU)

Jan Nelson (wife of Steve Nelson, saw the Velvets on several occasions dating back to one of their first out-of-state gigs in Ann Arbor, March 1966)

John Wilcock (one of the first journalists to report extensively on EPI shows in early 1966)

Vic Briggs (Animals guitarist who produced the third Velvet Underground for about three days in November 1968 before both he and the band mutually decided it wasn't working out)

Ron Nameth (director of short film Andy Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable, shot at the Velvet Underground's performances in Chicago in mid-1966)

Kate Heliczer (wife of filmmaker Piero Heliczer, screenings of whose films the Angus MacLise lineup of Velvet Underground accompanied at some of their first performances in 1965; Kate Heliczer also helped circulate early VU demos in the UK)

Rosalind Stevenson (filmmaker who filmed silent footage of Lou Reed, John Cale, and Sterling Morrison rehearsing "Sunday Morning" in her apartment in 1966)

Charlie Larkey (bassist in the Myddle Class, who played on same bill at the Velvets' first paid gig at Summit High School, New Jersey, December 1965)

Ray Manzarek (Doors keyboardist, about Velvets' influence on Jim Morrison)

Susan Pile (saw and wrote about Velvet Underground many times in 1966-69; worked for Andy Warhol at the Factory in the late 1960s; appeared as dancer in Andy Warhol's Plastic Inevitable with the Velvet Underground, filmed during their performances in Chicago in mid-1966)

Leee Black Childers (photographed Velvet Underground at Max's Kansas City, summer 1970)

Jerry Yester (from Modern Folk Quartet, shared bill with Velvet Underground at their first California shows at the Trip in Los Angeles in early May 1966)

Jimmy Carl Black (drummer of the Mothers of Invention, shared bills with the Velvet Underground at the Trip in early May 1966 and at the Fillmore in San Francisco in May 1966)

Peter Stampfel (from the Holy Modal Rounders, who shared bills with the Velvets at the Boston Tea Party in January 1969)

Bob Reitman (saw Velvets in Chicago in 1969; Milwaukee radio DJ who gave them extensive airplay in late 1960s)

Ken Barnes (saw Velvets in San Francisco in 1968 on same bill with Iron Butterfly; longtime rock critic, currently music editor of USA Today)

Lisa Law (photographed Velvets at the Trip in May 1966; the group stayed with her and Tom Law at "The Castle" in Los Angeles)

Darice Murray-McKay (saw Velvets in San Diego in July 1968 at legendary gig where they played unreleased song "Sweet Rock and Roll"; currently reference librarian at the Haight-Ashbury public library)

Steve Paul (owner of the Scene club in New York, where Velvets/EPI played in 1967)

Richard Williams (first British rock critic to regularly write about and praise the VU in UK rock press; later was instrumental in signing John Cale and Nico to solo deals at Island Records)

Dick Pountain (busboy at Max's Kansas City in summer 1970, wrote about their gigs there for British magazine Friends)

George Manney (member of Philadelphia band Stone Dawn, saw and photographed VU in Philly in late 1960s)

Jonathan Talbot (opened for Nico for several weeks at the Dom in New York in April 1967)

Richard Alderson (engineer for "Noise," VU recording that appears on 1966 ESP compilation LP East Village Other)

Rob Norris (saw Velvets on several occasions in the '60s, including their first known gig with Maureen Tucker at Summit High School in New Jersey in December 1965; later got to know band at Boston Tea Party, then ended up playing in the Doug Yule-led Velvet Underground that toured the UK in late 1972)

Chris Darrow
(in Kaleidoscope, who shared bill with Nico at the Scene in New York for a week in late October 1967)


Michael Barbiero (engineered 1985 Velvet Underground outtakes collection VU)

J.C. Convertino (engineer of 1986 Velvet Underground outtakes collection Another View)

Joan Kron (booked first Philadelphia shows for Velvet Underground at YMHA/Philadelphia Art Festival in December 1966)

Guy Webster (photographer for sleeve of Nico's second solo album, The Marble Index)

Miles Copeland (head of IRS Records, about reported story that John Cale played him VU demos back in 1965)

Karl Jenkins (British musician from Soft Machine and other groups, played in same orchestra with John Cale for a time as a teenager)

Pete Sahula (photographed Nico for album covers in 1962 and 1965, when she was still primarily a model)

Stuart Churchill (saw Velvets as teenager in Ann Arbor in April 1967)

Peter Siegel (produced late-'60s Earth Opera LP on which John Cale played as session musician)

Milan Hlavsa (from Plastic People in the Universe, Prague band inspired by Velvet Underground who later played key role in movement for democracy in the Czech Republic and Vaclav Havel's rise to the Czech presidency)

Daniel Moore (worked with Angus MacLise in the Bay Area in 1967, shortly after he left the Velvets)

Warren Hill (discovered VU April 1966 sessions acetate in New York flea market)

Scott Wax (brokered sale of VU April 1966 sessions acetate on eBay)

Ben Edmonds (attempted to compile official VU video anthology in mid-1980s)

Dick Summer (among first DJs to play Velvet Underground on the radio, at WBZ in Boston)

Gregg Barrios (wrote fourth-ever review of Velvet Underground record in January 1967; saw and interviewed band for one of their first national features in the rock press in Austin, fall 1969)

Billy Angel (saw all VU performances in Austin, October 1969)

Jeff Perkins (worked light show for Pinnacle Productions at VU performances in Los Angeles, May and July 1968)

John Van Hamersveld (partner in Pinnacle Productions, who put on VU shows in Los Angeles in May 1968; designed poster for their May 24-25, 1968 shows)

Ken Brown (worked light show at Boston Tea Party at VU performances)

Ira Cohen (filmmaker who collaborated with Angus MacLise in the late 1960s)

Harvey Brooks (session musician, played bass on John Cale's Vintage Violence album, 1969)

Dean Wareham (singer/guitarist in Luna, support band for several shows on VU's 1993 reunion tour)

John Hagelston (US fan who flew to London to see some of the VU's first reunion concerts, June 1993)

Mark Brend (British music journalist who saw VU's London concerts, June 1993)

John Hopkins (organizer of British festival 14 Hour Technicolor Dream in April 1967, whose poster listed the VU, although they didn't play)

Mick Farren (lead singer of the British band the Deviants, possibly first act to cover VU songs after hearing mid-1960s demo tape)

Ronn Spencer (helped arrange for VU to play Rhode Island School of Design in spring 1967)

Gregg Turner (about second-ever US VU bootleg release)

Mark Holmes (assistant road manager during VU gigs in Oregon, November 1969)

Marisabina Russo (sister of Piero Heliczer, avant-garde filmmaker at whose multimedia events the early VU played in 1965)

Pat Thomas (journalist who saw and interviewed VU during reunion shows in Germany, June 1993)

Michael Carlucci (friend of Robert Quine, about Quine's 1969 tapes of Velvet Underground)

Mitch Blank (helped archive tapes used for 2001 compilation The Velvet Underground: Bootleg Series Volume 1: The Quine Tapes)

Jeff Friedman (helped assemble tapes used for 2001 compilation The Velvet Underground: Bootleg Series Volume 1: The Quine Tapes)

The Unreleased Beatles: Music and Film


contents copyright Richie Unterberger , 2000-2010
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