Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/93399
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL GOLDBERG AP: Who did you grow up listening to? MG: I'm a child of the '60s, so I love the Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin, Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen. I listened to classical music, too. My mother was a classical violinist. AP: How do you keep up with new bands? MG: My sons know more about electronic music and hip-hop than I ever will, so they help me out in those departments. I also go to festivals every year: Austin City Limits, Coachella, Lollapalooza. I love being exposed to new artists, and it's fun to catch them on their way up. We had the Avett Brothers in here [in 2006 and 2007] back when they were still touring in a van. AP: You're also Belly Up's house photogra- pher—the club is lined with your pictures. How did you take on that role? MG: I've been a photographer since my 20s, when my aviation career took me around the world, and I'd document everything. Shooting at the club lets me chronicle what we're doing, and it's also an excuse not to drink all night. You have to be sober to hold the camera straight. AP: Which has been your favorite band to shoot? MG: They're all fun. Some shows provide great visuals: the Flaming Lips, Jane's Addiction, Thievery Corporation. Others, like John Prine or Leo Kottke, are great because I've listened to those guys forever. But you can't abuse the access. I refuse to carry a camera with me because I'd be shooting all day. AP: How often do you see shows at Belly Up? MG: When I'm in town, almost every night. AP: Is it hard to sustain that pace? MG: I don't have a problem going to bed at 2 AM, waking up four hours later and going to work. Sometimes, after a show, an artist will want to come back to my house and DJ or play guitar until 6 AM. That happens more than I want it to. AP: You were also close with Hunter S. Thompson. MG: Yeah, he was a character. He passed away right after I opened the club. He was mad that I named it Belly Up. He had his own suggestion: The Orifice. AP: What are your future goals for the club? MG: I want to keep bringing in larger acts because it's a rare opportunity to see big acts in such a small venue. More than anything, I want to keep it "real," comfortable, and intimate. I'm sensitive to what locals—especially young ones who work three jobs—can afford, and I do my best to cater to both them and the tourists, whom we rely on for half our ticket sales. AP: Here's hoping the next eight years are as good as the last eight. MG: Absolutely. The best is yet to come. AP 154 ASPENPEAK-MAGAZINE.COM Jimmy Buffett, who owned a home in Old Snowmass, was billed as Freddie and the Fishsticks for his Aspen gigs in December 2005. "I've always been a huge John Prine fan. A few months before opening the club, he was playing in Snowmass. Hunter S. Thompson was a friend and I knew he liked Prine's music so I suggested we meet. W met with Prine after his show. It was a very interesting, very late night e spent mostly listening to the two of them tell stories, interspersed with Hunter having name epiphanies (I had challenged Hunter to name the yet-to-be club) and me tr ying to convince John to play for the club's opening. Hunter never did name the club (Belly Up being the obvious choice since my brother, Steve, bought the original Belly Up in Solana Beach the prior year) and John didn't play opening night (it took him four years to get there, playing in June of '09) but he's been back since. I sure wish Hunter could have been there that night. " –MICHAEL GOLDBERG "Playing at Belly U p is more of a party with oxygen-deprived friends than a musical experience... ha! To hang with its proprietor, Mr . Goldberg, is always a joyous, energy-filled time. He encourages all artists not to scale down, even though the place is quite small. W e always bust the lights out tryin' to fit our space bubble off the stage." —WAYNE COYNE OF THE FLAMING LIPS