HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MAX!!!!! WE WILL PARTY IN AMSTERDAM THIS YEAR!!!

This year will be 27 years that Max and my paths have crossed on his birthday!! It's been a kickass journey! We, amazingly, aren't sick of each other and we still share the same dreams. Birthdays are always a mystery in our household! We never know where we will be to celebrate!! Our son, Igor, must have had at least 4 birthdays in a row in various cities of Spain. He has only had 3 birthdays, out of 21, at home! I spent at least 3-4 birthdays at Ziggie's in Winston Salem. I don't know how they managed to end up there, but they magically did and we rocked the house!!

Max took his 30th birthday in stride and didn't freak out like many people do, at that milestone. it was his 40th year, that he wanted a bash! We were home in 2009, so we agreed to rip it up in style!

I ordered laminates and special camo picks for party gifts. If you are a pick collector and you mange to get your hands on one of those old picks, I suggest you keep it in your treasure chest. Very few were made and no one trades them!

The cake had to be special, and since Max is a Leo, a lion was in order!! BBQ, booze, friends....so, why not throw in a petting zoo, while we are at it!

This year, we will be walking around Amsterdam, looking for wickedness! With Marc Rizzo's birthday here first; Max's next and then Shonda's, we have much to celebrate!! This week is always a slam dunk!! Happy birthday, Max!! May the Spirits guide you!!



Class dismissed.......

1996......ROOTS!!! WATCH THEM FREAK!!!!!!

In the first half of the 90's, fans would often have the opportunity to meet the bands they worshipped, at instores, autograph sessions, organized by record stores in conjunction with record labels. Besides meeting your idols, you could pick up the newest releases and be part of something exciting! Waiting in line for the day gave you some seniority! It provided you with time to meet people like yourself and swap your fishing stories.

We went to our share of in stores! Why, one in Mexico City had over 4000 people and lasted 8 hours! With many gifts of bottles of tequila, the last hour was brutally fun! In London once, Roadrunner Records rented a double decker red bus as our limo!!

Instores, concerts and traveling filled most of our days. The one problem at the time was the sweep of alternative music. Fans switched their black shirts out for flannel! The transformation was so fast, bands could barely stand their own ground! Even a label person remarked to me that the Roots record was too Metal for the times!

We will now celebrate the great time of Metal history with the Return to Roots Tour, which is heading out soon! If you can locate that old Roots cd or vinyl, bring it with you if you plan on attending the meet and greet later!! 20 years flew by! The kids grew up...Soulfly was born. Cavalera Conspiracy and Killer Be Killed lined up for creation, and the grandkids appeared asking for old Metal shirts!! The world never stops turning....

Class dismissed.......

IT'S SUMMER.....TAKING NAMES AND ROCKIN' HARD!!

In the early 1990's, I managed several bands. My 2 priorities were Sacred Reich and Sepultura. Sacred and I had been together since 1985 and I met the Seps in 1989. Sacred was well established by then. I had been with them since Jason Rainey stood at the end of the Bootlegger's Bar and told me he had a band. I remember it like it was yesterday. From the first gig they ever did, they were brutal, heavy as shizzle and frikken tight!!

Some of the tours I made overlapped the bands I managed. This particular year, they were both on the Dynamo Festival in Holland and the Rock Hard Festival in Germany. I had enjoyed many kickass years with the Dynamo Festival, including the one festival Nailbomb tore shoulders out of sockets at...

Rock Hard was affiliated with the popular Metal mag, with the same name.......Rock Hard. And the employees there, certainly did love their Metal! They were all wearing jean vests with patches in the '80's! Let's go back and check this shit out!!!

The festivals have grown in number and size and in their professionalism. I admit even the catering is more together!!! The whole world knows about these concerts now, and the US has been adding to this matinee!!! Summer lasts only another month and fall will creep in..... so get your tent, pack the cooler, take your munchies and party like there's no tomorrow!

Class dismissed......

1996......ROOTS.....BRIXTON ACADEMY....THE END....PART 2

Max had made a long set list for this show. We knew it was to be the last time he would share the stage with the other guys together.. Looking back, I now know that we were the only people outside of our children, who knew this was the end. Lots of emotions... We went through the routine, it was what we did, every day, on tour. Photos, press, visitors... What we did not know was that Roadrunner Records had hired a mobile recording unit to capture the show, and it was tucked out of sight. Sure, they thought they had some secret insight, but they were wrong...very wrong.

Our family was in force...every one of us...except Dana. Kristen was there with the little guys, and of course, Christina was there..ever my champion. The side of the stage was filled with friends, support and opening bands and family. It was a strong unit. But something was amiss...

The set began and some of the bands with us pulled me aside. "Gloria, the guys want us to come out on stage naked during Ratamahata, but we don't feel right." Sure, this caught me by surprise! That track was Max's favorite of the live show. He interacted with the crowd during it and this would cause distraction and also catch him off guard. I though and said "Well, with his children on the side of the stage, his wife and other people, a sold out London show...You need to decide; but I wouldn't recommend it." They agreed and the show smoothly proceeded.

The drum jam was coming up. I wanted this to be one to remember. I had some of the tribal face paint in my purse. God only knows where it came from, but it was there. Christina and I gathered everyone we could...the bands, friends, family, and gave everyone a dose of tribal face paint. We shooed them all on the stage for the most memorable drum jam Sepultura would ever have with Max at the helm. On Max's sides, the friends and bands, and in the center, around their Pops...the children..all 5 of them! Roxanne held little Igor, who was only one year old.

This brought laughter and massive crowd response. Everyone was smiling..and then..it was done. Max and the kids went to the bus and I went to talk to the others.

Briefly, I was told that they didn't want me to manage them They would get someone else and I would continue to manage Max and everyone would be happy. I focused on Max...WHAT A CRIME! Whoa! Oh, so it was MY fault he was charismatic? It was My fault the press and fans ran after him? No, it wasn't. It was just Max, and everyone wanted him and everyone loved him. I never said a word but I knew I was gone the second I walked out the door. After al, my contract was done. Did I offer another? Nope, I didn't. Why would I stay and share management when I had just completed their fantastic deal with Roadrunner? Why did I need someone when I had the entire next year booked? I didn't. Why did I need someone when it was my management that took them to the level they were at? I didn't. How do you fire someone who is done with their contract? You can't!

I went to the bus and all Hell broke lose! Everyone was fighting and cursing. Max started drinking and it carried through to the hotel. I got the bags and kids ready for the flight home. They were flying from Heathrow and we were leaving from Gatwick. Max kept on drinking. It was pure fire and chaos around us! Max was pissed off royally, and I had to think about all the arrangements to get us all home.

Max, Zyon, little Igor and I got dropped off first. Max was pretty much useless from the booze and I struggled to get the luggage, stroller and kids in the terminal. I ran a load in and hauled ass back to the bus but it was gone. No cell phones in those days and guess what? Our airline tickets were on the table in the front lounge! I was at my limit of stress!

Crying and exhausted from my All Nighter, I herded everyone to the ticket counter and began to rattle off my story. Igor was in the stroller at my feet and Max and Zyon were on a bench nearby...or so I thought This was going to take some explaining and I tried to gather what brain cells I had left and get our butts on the plane!

As I was making some headway, there was a tap, tap, on my shoulder. I looked around to see a Bobby, a police officer, a Popo. This was getting worse by the minute! "In the UK, it is illegal for an inebriated person to be in charge of a minor, " he explained. I looked around for Max and caught my share of surprises as I saw him staggering across the terminal, dragging Zyon by the hand. Max was falling and couldn't walk at all. "I am in charge of the youngster, " I said to him. It took some begging and explaining to get the officer to let Max return to me and not get himself hauled off to jail! The kindly airline cancelled our first class tickets and gave us new ones in the back row of another airplane...leaving in 6 hours!!!

This was pushing it, as I had to sober Max up and keep the little guys comforted during the eternal wait for the next flight! Hours seemed like days, with much time to reflect...

I knew what to do...let him create. Let him pour his pain and hate into music. Let it flow. Then, pull the music out of him...begin anew... I knew the procedure....encourage the artist, get the music...call Cees and then Monte.... And that's what I did. And..... in staying true to ourselves, Max's fans and our family, we let our SOUL FLY!!!

Class dismissed....

1996.....ROOTS......HEADING TO BRIXTON ACADEMY...PART 1 OF A 2 PART CLASS...

1996 started really great! Sure, there was a dark undercurrent, but it came and left, returned and disappeared. It was a shadow that no one acknowledged. Max and I had the new baby Igor, and our family was really happy! We went to Europe in the summer and had our first family bus. It was like a dream we had, that came true. Wide eyed wonder. It made being a family easier, and working at the same time. School was on all fall, winter and spring, and the summer was the time to stay together.

In August, tragedy struck and we lost Dana. It was an overwhelming shock..a grief to our happy family. No where to run. No where to hide from it. This was worse than the shadow.

The Roots release was scheduled in my sudden tunnel-vision..Dana and demise were the demon on the left, the family was crammed in the middle, fighting for air, and the Roots release was on the right, in all it's tribal Metal glory. I knew every heartbeat of all three roads..Dana, our family and Roots. I had been at the birth of them all.

The tours rolled up under my feet, sweeping me away on a magic carpet. I was consoling the children, accepting the support of Max, and the loyal friends around me, and I was managing, all at once. Believe it or not, in my spare time, I began tracing my family history! It took the edge off the stress filled days. The first tour was with Ozzy and Sharon on board, so it really gave me strong shoulders to lean on. Those retched, first weeks were spent in their loving care. Sharon protected me and warned me several times on this tour, something was going on. Honestly, when you lose a child, many things in life take on a trivial quality. I was more overwhelmed by her good instinct and that the Osbournes gave love so freely to others.

A short jaunt through South America was next. Max had a surprise visit from one of the guys, in Buenos Aires. He appeared at our hotel room and began a rant that I am sure Max will never forget. It wasn't directed at me. It was to Max. It was falling down, at that instant. Max knew then, that the rumors were true.

We flew to Europe, for another tour, at the end of the year. By then, we both knew what was seriously coming. I think, that in Max's heart he thought it would go away. He never meant for it to happen, and tried to ignore it, hoping it was all a dream. For myself, I could see the finish line in the distance. It was December 16, the day I completed my contract. And it was coming right at us! Coincidentally, it was also the last show I had booked for the band...Brixton Academy, and it was sold out!

We flew the family out. My longtime friend, Kristen, accompanied them. I could trust her. I could have a loyal friend. She was someone I could suffer in silence with. She gives me strength. Max and I had a German friend, Jorg, who was also traveling with us. He was helping me keep my sanity on the European dates. He really helped to occupy Zyon and Igor when I worked. These 2 people shared my sorrow.

Shortly before Christmas, Sharon and Ozzy invited us to their home. We were so damn excited to see this much talked about house!! It was such a good time for us! Once, Sharon and I walked into Ozzy's gold award lounge and saw Richie and Jack puffing on cigars! Ozzy said "They will never smoke after this!" Sharon and I laughed and shared one of those "Oh what the hell!" looks! Richie smoked ever since!

Brixton loomed outside the bus, one morning. It was a brisk London day. The end of the year...a lifetime ahead... Little did I know that 24 hours later I would be trying to convince a Bobby not to arrest Max! But that's in Part 2....

Class dismissed........