Ramon Hervey has earned global recognition as a highly regarded entertainment manager, brand consultant & publicist who has represented Richard Pryor, Bette Midler, Paul McCartney, the Bee Gees, Muhammad Ali, Caitlyn Jenner, Quincy Jones, Vanessa Williams, The Commodores with Lionel Richie, the Jacksons with Michael Jackson and a whole lot more A Listers. He is the author of the book…The Fame Game: An Insider’s Playbook for Earning Your 15 minutes.

After having invested 4 decades in playing the fame game, Ramon and I sat down to talk on The Motivation Show podcast.

Ramon, why do you call fame a “game” and why did you choose that word for your book title?    “Fame is unpredictable, just as are the results in a game.   Everyone has failures.  You hope to win, but it is not guaranteed. Only .0065% of over 7 billion people in the world are famous.  There are a lot of successful people in the world that never become famous.  Fame and success don’t come with a warranty.”

What does Ramon feel about luck playing a role in success and fame?  “I think there is a certain amount of luck in what I do.  A lot of it is timing.  Timing is a form of luck.”  One example Ramon gives is when Starbucks started to introduce music in it’s cafes.  The first one was Ray Charles, who died shortly thereafter, which skyrocketed sales of his music.   That sales surge is what Ramon attributed to luck.

The pursuit of fame…is it mostly a positive goal?   “Most people don’t know what fame is til they already become famous.  A lot of stars change their mind about what they thought fame was going to be.  A lot of people don’t like all the baggage that comes with being famous. The lack of privacy.  In my time on the planet, it has definitely changed dramatically over the past ten years.”   Ramon points to Social Media and it’s impact on more people having an opportunity to become famous in different ways than were available previously.

Why did Richard Pryor, at the height of his fame, attempt suicide & what was the famous incident which almost killed him that he later confessed to as a suicide attempt? “I managed all of Richard’s missteps.  He was probably the #1 black entertainer in the world at that time.  It’s not my fame. It’s their fame. I think Richard always felt guilty about his fame.  He didn’t think he could live up to the level of fame that he achieved. That created an albatross around his neck.  It made him rely on more substances to sedate him and calm himself.  He reached the point that he did not want to become that person anymore.  For the longest time he said that he didn’t (try to commit suicide), he said it was an accident. Richard always found a way to market his vulnerability.  All of his comedy focused on all of his missteps.  He had shot all four tires on his Mercedes and told his wife during a fight that you are not going to leave in that car.  He put that into his comedy.  He did it the exact opposite way of what we would advise which would be to put the incidences behind you. I don’t know anyone else that was as successful as him in marketing all of the things he did wrong.”

When asking Ramon about what type of confident personality one has to have to become famous he says, “I do believe you have to have a big ego and a certain amount of self confidence to be successful.  Every famous person I met took a different path to get it and they all loss some level of fame at some point.”

Can you give us an example of someone you managed very well?   “I am very proud of my relationship with Bette Midler.  She helped to blossom my career.    I was never her manager, but I was her publicist.  I did work in a management capacity…she didn’t have a manager.  I have a great appreciation and fondness for her.  Also, working with my ex-wife Vanessa Williams on her crisis management.  I did not know her at the time she was embroiled in the Miss America controversy.  She resigned here title and I am glad she did.  We got married and had three kids together and I managed her career.   It took ten years for her to get her life back after she resigned from the Miss America pageant where she was just called Vanessa Williams without alluding to any prior controversy.”

In discussing his earlier years, Ramon shares two musical giants that helped shape his career.  “In my book, I try to enlighten people about the trajectory of my own fame.  My first client I got to work with was Paul McCartney.  My initial task was to put together a press kit. That shaped my next 4 or 5 years when I got an opportunity to work with Quincy Jones who is the first client I brought to Rogers & Cowan who I was working with at the time.  He was someone I treasured to be in his presence because he had so many great stories and so much great insight.”

Ramon muses in his book about fame, that the more you get, the harder it is to manage.  I asked him if there are any other examples like that. “Probably the worst case scenario was Rick James.  He had a very troubled childhood.  For him, fame meant he put himself above people.  He created a lot of bad blood.  The way that he treated people. A lot of people did not want him to win.   He always had a great fan base, but I think his fame was toxic for him.  He self-destructed.    He was obsessed with fame and all the hoopla and perks.  He loved being the king of everything.  He was very demanding.  He did not know how to manage his fame.”

In closing, I ask Ramon, what he is most proud of.  “I am proud of my reputation.  I have never been sued. I’ve always approached business with a great deal of integrity.  I’ve always worked really hard.  I’ve always tried to be honest with my clients.  Authentic and transparent. I think that is much better than being a yes man.”

So when I think of fame, I think of getting the best table in the best restaurants.  I think about people idolizing me.  I also think about people interrupting my conversation and my meal for photos and autographs.   Do I really want that…or do I just want a nice, quiet, peaceful meal.  Hmmm…some food for thought.  How about you?  Do you want to be part of the Fame Game?

You can listen to Eli’s podcast The Motivation Show on any podcast listening app or use this Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/show/3NVmTDAvGbzooN8TCW7tuN.    To contact Eli or to have him speak at your event, email motivatea2z@gmail.com.

G.H. Harding

TINA TURNER — Talk about a voice of a generation … my generation for sure. I think one of the first records I ever listened too was one from Ike & Tina Turner and Tina immediately caught my ear and eye. 1973’s “Nutbush City Limits” and later “Proud Mary.” Tina was simply dazzling. She passed Wednesday in Switzerland after a lengthy illness and surviving a stroke.

12 Grammys; 3 Grammy Hall of Fame awards; a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award; the first Black artist and the first female to be on the cover of Rolling Stone; and, in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. And she had her biggest hit when she was in her 40’s. Tina was a ground-breaker in every sense of the word.

From “Nutbush City Limits” to her stunning album, Private Dancer, she was a fierce innovator.

Tom Cuddy with Tina Turner

Author Mark Bego who did two tomes on Tina said: “The passing of rock legend Tina Turner is truly tragic.  She was an amazing force of nature as a singer, performer, actress, and international inspiration.  Having started out with ex-husband Ike Turner, as part of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue in the 1960’s, Tina broke free from an abusive marriage with Ike, and became a solo legend on her own.  I was privileged to tell her story in the books Tina Turner:  Break Every Rule in 2003, and a German language update in 2009 called Tina Turner: Die Biografie. Her story, her legend, and her timeless music will live on.”

For those in the know: British-singer John Miles (“Slow Down”) toured with Tina in 1987. I knew Miles … great, great talent. Here she is with WOR’s Tom Cuddy, back when he was running WPLJ.

Paul Simon

SIMON OF THE TIMES — (Via Deadline) Singer-songwriter Paul Simon, who at 81 has just released his 15th studio album, titled Seven Psalms, has revealed a recent hearing loss in his left ear and says the condition has left him doubting he’ll tour again.

In an interview with UK’s The Times, Simon said the hearing loss struck while he was writing the new album. “Quite suddenly, I lost most of the hearing in my left ear, and nobody has an explanation for it,” he told the publication. “So everything became more difficult.”

The Graceland singer said he was more frustrated and annoyed than angered by the hearing loss “because I thought it would pass, it would repair itself.” The condition, however, has not improved, and he now has doubts that he’ll perform live again, a decision reinforced by both a 2020 bout with Covid and his lack of enthusiasm for singing some of his old songs.

“The songs of mine that I don’t want to sing live, I don’t sing them,” he told The Times. “Sometimes there are songs that I like and then at a certain point in a tour, I’ll say, ‘What the f*ck are you doing, Paul?’ Quite often that would come during ‘You Can Call Me Al.’ I’d think, ‘What are you doing? You’re like a Paul Simon cover band. You should get off the road, go home.’”

Simon, who lives on a large Texas ranch with wife Edie Brickell, reflected on the recent losses of Gordon Lightfoot and Jeff Beck, noting, “It’s just the age we’re at…My generation’s time is up.”

SHORT TAKES — Brutal review of HBO’s The Idol in Roger Friedman’s always prescient Showbiz 411. Friedman goes to great length to say that the machinations of the music business are not accurately portrayed in the show at all. Truth be told: They’ve never been accurately portrayed. To me, the closest they even came was in Martin Scorsese’s brilliant Vinyl. Euphoria’s Sam Levinson is the force behind this one and I didn’t have any desire to watch it. After reading Roger’s take on it, I probably never will. Check it out here: https://www.showbiz411.com/2023/05/22/cannes-hbo-unveils-the-idol-starring-the-weeknd-abel-tesfaye-and-lily-rose-depp-in-vulgar-gross-outsiders-take-on-pop-life…

Q1043 in NYC giving away DVDs of the recent Neil Bogart-inspired movie Spinning Gold. Sadly, when Justin Timberlake stepped away from portraying Bogart, this movie was DOA. It came out with nary a whisper, terrible reviews and was literally over in three days. I knew Bogart and this could have been a great, great movie. Sad for sure

Eppy; Robert Miller; and David Salidor

We wondered about Robert Miller’s Project Grand Slam (seen here with Eppy from My Father’s Place and PR-pasha David Salidor) and emailed him? No response so far. We’ll keep you posted … NBC just announced that The Blacklist finale will air -two hours- on Thursday, July 13. Suffice to say, it was a sensational show …

Bob Dylan

Happy BDay to Bob Dylan; Mike Myers; Cillian Murphy; and Frank Oz.

NAMES IN THE NEWS — Tony King; Mark Bego; Michael Leon; Adriana Kaegi; Tom & Lisa Cuddy; Mark Knopfler; Daryl Easlea; Russ Titleman; Donnie Kehr; Cori Gardner; Benny Harrison; Steve Walter; Jeff Smith; Vinnie Zuffante; Marion Curtis; Angela Tarantino; Michael Fuchs; Sasha Prendes; and ZIGGY!