Danny Fields(bornDaniel Feinberg;November 13, 1939) is an American music manager, publicist, journalist, and author. As a music industry executive from the 1960s to the 1980s, he was one of the most influential figures in the history ofpunk rock.He signed and managedIggy and the Stooges,signed theMC5and managed theRamones,and worked in various roles withJim Morrison,the Velvet Undergroundand theModern Lovers.In 2014The New York Timessaid, "You could make a convincing case that without Danny Fields, punk rock would not have happened."[1]

Danny Fields
Fields in 2017
Born
Daniel Feinberg

(1939-11-13)November 13, 1939(age 85)
EducationHarvard Law School(Did not graduate)
Alma materUniversity of Pennsylvania

Early life

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Fields was born to a Jewish family and grew up inRichmond Hill, Queens.After graduatingPhi Beta Kappa[2]from theUniversity of Pennsylvaniain 1959, he attendedHarvard Law School,but left during his first year. He moved to Manhattan'sGreenwich Villagein 1960, briefly enrolled atNew York University,and became involved with the burgeoning downtown arts and music scene.[1]

Career

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After stints at publications such asLiquor StoreandOutdoor Advertiser,Fields got a job at the teen-fan magazineDatebook.In 1966, as Managing Editor, he was responsible for shining a spotlight onJohn Lennon's "more popular than Jesus"quote.[3]

In the 1960s, Fields began frequentingMax's Kansas City.It was there that he developed connections toAndy Warhol'sFactorysocial circle. Fields occasionally shared his loft with Warhol actressEdie Sedgwick,[4]and wrote an account of the Warhol-sponsoredVelvet Undergroundduring their early years. He later penned the liner notes for the band's albumLive at Max's Kansas City,recorded in 1970, but released in 1972, after the band broke up.

Fields hosted a radio show onNew Jersey'sWFMUduring its groundbreaking 1968–1969 free-form years, and he was hired byElektra Recordsas a publicist. Elektra, which had primarily been afolk musiclabel, was having huge success in the rock record market withThe Doors,and hired Fields to publicize the band, despite the fact (discussed by Fields in numerous interviews) that he and lead singerJim Morrisondisliked each other.[3]Despite this mutual antagonism, Fields got Morrison on many key teen magazine covers in 1968. In September 1968, Fields visited Detroit and Ann Arbor on the recommendation of two fellow DJs at WFMU (Bob Rudnick and Dennis Frawley). He recommended to Elektra that the label sign theMC5andThe Stooges.[3]Both bands served as major inspirations for the US and UK punk music movements of the mid-to-late 1970s. Danny was also instrumental in getting the legendary New York street musician, David Peel, released on Elektra in 1968[5]

In 1975, Fields discovered theRamonesatCBGB,and helped get them signed toSire Records.Around this time, Fields was writing a regular column in theSoHo Weekly News.[6][7]As the band's co-manager, withLinda Stein,Fields brought the band toEngland,where they had an enormous impact, inspiring the nascent UK punk movement, including such bands as theSex Pistols,The ClashandThe Damned.Under Fields' management the Ramones recordedRamones,Leave Home,andRocket to Russia.The 1980 Ramones albumEnd of the Centuryincludes the track "Danny Says",about Fields. The song has been covered by theFoo FightersandTom Waits.[8]

In 1990, Fields discovered singer-songwriterPalefaceat a performance in New York's Chameleon club and became his manager: he helped the young artist get signed toPolygram RecordsandElektra Records.[9]

After leaving the music business, Fields co-authoredDream On,the biography of Warhol actressCyrinda Foxe,the wife ofAerosmithlead singerSteven Tyler.He subsequently wroteLinda McCartney: A Portrait,[10]which was turned into a television miniseries by CBS.[citation needed]

Fields in a discussion withJennifer Otter BickerdikeatLiverpool Sound Cityfestival 2017

In 2015, Fields discovered East London punk bandFalse Headsin Camden and has been highly influential in the band's career and growing success,[11]naming them as "the future of rock and roll".[12]

Personal life

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Fields was one of the first people in the music business to be openly gay.[13]

He currently lives in New York City.

Film and books

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Interviews with Fields are included in the documentariesNico: Icon(1995),We're Outta Here!(1997),25 Years of Punk(2001),MC5: A True Testimonial(2002),End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones(2003), andA Walk Into the Sea: Danny Williams and the Warhol Factory(2007),It's Alive 1974–1996(2007), andLords of the Revolution: Andy Warhol(2009). He is also one of the central characters ofEdie: American GirlbyJean SteinandPlease Kill Me|Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of PunkbyLegs McNeilandGillian McCain;the dedication of the latter book reads, "For his gorgeous taste in music, his generous intellect, and his killer sense of humor, this book is dedicated to Danny Fields, forever the coolest guy in the room." The 2006 bookThe Heebie-Jeebies at CBGB's: A Secret History of Jewish Punk(A Cappella Books/Chicago Review Press), by Steven Lee Beeber, includes a chapter about Fields, entitled, "A Nice Jewish Boy."[14]

Danny Says,a feature-length documentary chronicling Fields' life, premiered atSouth by Southwestin 2015.

References

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  1. ^abCurkin, Charles (December 26, 2014)."He Was Present at the Birth of Punk, and He Took Notes".The New York Times.New York City.RetrievedJanuary 18,2019.
  2. ^Curkin, Charles (November 14, 2013)."Because Danny Fields Says So".W.New York City:Condé Nast.RetrievedJanuary 18,2019.
  3. ^abcBrannigan, Paul (April 21, 2016)."Danny Says: How Danny Fields Changed Music Forever".Louder.London, England:Future plc.RetrievedJanuary 18,2019.
  4. ^Seabrook, John (August 30, 2010)."The Back Room".The New Yorker.New York City:Condé Nast.pp.26–27.
  5. ^"Danny Fields Reflects on the Passing of David Peel".May 2017.
  6. ^"Danny Fields".The Downtown Pop Underground.August 24, 2018.RetrievedOctober 31,2023.
  7. ^Rosen, Miss (April 24, 2018)."VICE - Culture".Real Art Press.
  8. ^Heisel, Scott."Under The Covers: Foo Fighters vs. Tom Waits".Altpress.com.
  9. ^All Music Guide (2010)."Artist: Paleface".Answers.com.RetrievedOctober 30,2010.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^"Linda McCartney: A Portrait: Danny Fields: Amazon.com: Books".www.amazon.com.Archived fromthe originalon July 5, 2013.RetrievedMay 22,2022.
  11. ^Enderli, Noa Lou (June 7, 2017)."An Interview With Danny Fields".BIMM LIFE.Sussex, England: BIMM Group. Archived fromthe originalon January 21, 2018.RetrievedJanuary 18,2019.
  12. ^Mitchell, Jenness (September 15, 2017)."Newsquest Sessions: False Heads hit the road with The Libertines".The Evening Times.Glasgow, Scotland: Herald & Times Group.RetrievedJanuary 18,2019.
  13. ^Villareal, Daniel (June 13, 2015)."Danny Fields: The Most Influential Gay Man In Music Who You've Never Heard Of".Hornet.San Francisco, California: Hornet Networks.RetrievedJanuary 18,2019.
  14. ^Ballon, Mark, "Book reveals secrets from the Patriarchs of Punk: CBGBs was really Heebie Jeebies",Jewish Journal,February 1, 2007
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