ALTERED STATE

-Vicky Hamilton

 

 

1984-I wondered into Madame Wong’s West and as I was walking up the stairs this beautiful voice that was sweet has honey sailed into my ears andI thought to myself, “Wow! What a refreshing change from all thescreaming metal singers…can’t wait to see what this is about.” When I reach the last step, I see handsome, blonde Gregory Markel in a suit with eyeballs painted all over it pouring his heart and soul through the microphone as he fronted a band called Living Daylights.  Playing next to Gregory, was incredible axe man Rusty Anderson, who later became Paul McCartney’s guitarist. A band ahead of itstime…but disbanded before the magic happened.

 

In that moment, I didn’t realize that I was beginning a life long friendship with one of the most fascinating and talented men I would meet in my lifetime.

 

From that moment on I started following Gregory’s career and the projects he got involved with. By the time I got an A&R job at Geffen Records after my management successes with Guns N Roses and Poison, Greg had put together Altered State. In a pre Radiohead world, Altered State had this beautiful ethereal sound, that got right to the heart of the matter…haunting and beautiful, I was hooked. If you took Bono, Jeff Buckley, and Tom York and mixed them together, you might have some idea of the four-octave range and imagination that Gregory possesses. I went to David Geffen and told him I had to sign this band, but in the end it wasn’t to be, as Warner Brothers had out bid us.

 

I was hurt, since Greg and I were friends that he didn’t sign with meeven though the money wasn’t as big as what Warner’s offered.  Unlike many other rockers, that I had chased and lost, Greg called meand said “Vicky we have been friends for a very long time, I know we will walk through this and continue to be good friends.” After the tears, it was true…we worked it out and still to this day aregreat friends.

 

I loved the two records Altered State made for Warner Brothers and could not believe that when “Ghost Beside My Bed” started breaking at radio, that there was no product in the stores. If that had happened in today’s market, the kids would have just bought it on iTunes but in 1991, that killed careers. One of my favorite Altered State memories was when they played The Roxy and Gregory dumped many colors of paint over his naked body and came out and sang “Reunion.” Sigh… this true rock history moment for me.

 

Altered State should have been a household name…I guess in retrospect, I am glad it was Warner Brothers fuck up, instead of mine…as this was truly one of the truly brilliant bands of our time.