PAT BENATAR with PATSI COX
BETWEEN A HEART AND A ROCK PLACE
JUNE 15, 2010
IF YOUR LOOKING FOR GOSSIP AND INSIDE SCOOPS ABOUT DRUGS, SEX AND EVERYTHING ROCK 'N' ROLL YOU HAVE PICKED UP THE WRONG BOOK. BENATAR DID NOT FOLLOW IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF HER PREDECESSOR JANIS JOPLIN. SHE WAS MORE OF THE FEMALE VERSION OF GENE SIMMONS IN THAT SHE JUST WANTED TO WRITE GOOD MUSIC THAT WOULD ROCK THE CROWD, LEAVE THEM BREATHLESS AND WAS UNWILLING TO LET THE SIDE EFFECTS OF DRUGS AND DRINK CHANGE HER COURSE.
HER OBSTACLES WERE THE MEN IN THE BUSINESS WITH POWER TO TREAT NOT ONLY WOMEN BUT ANY ARTIST AS A PUPPET. THE FACT THAT SHE WAS A WOMAN ONLY ENHANCED THEIR DOMINANCE. CONTRACTS THAT INEVITABLY HURT THE FUTURE POTENTIAL OF EVERY BAND THAT CAN HAVE YEARS TO COMPILE A GREAT ROCK RECORD BUT ONCE IT HITS THE BIG WITH THE FANS THERE WAS BUT MONTHS TO EXTRACT ANOTHER 10 PLUS TRACK DISC. THE SOPHOMORE SLUMP IS A RESULT OF THE CONTRACT THAT DEMANDS RESULTS IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
PAT AND THE BAND WERE ABLE TO PUT TOGETHER THREE CONSECUTIVE TOP SELLING ALBUMS IN A ROW WHICH IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE. SHE TALKS EXTENSIVELY ABOUT THE PROFESSIONAL REQUIREMENTS THAT OFTEN PUT HER IN SITUATIONS THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED MOST WOMEN TO CRUMBLE. THE SEXISM AND DOUBLE STANDARDS WERE AMID EVERY PAGE BETWEEN HER DEALINGS WITH DISC JOCKEYS OR CLUB OWNERS SHE WAS AN OBJECT NOT A ROCK STAR. THE VIXEN IMAGE CHRYSALIS RECORDS NEVER STOOD BEHIND HER ELIMINATING THE SEXUAL HARASSMENT SHE HAD TO ENDURE.
THE RELATIONSHIP SHE HAD WITH NEIL GIRADLO THAT BEGAN SHORTLY AFTER THE TWO BEGAN WRITING TOGETHER. THE BOND WAS STRONG FROM THE BEGINNING WITH THE ADDED PRESSURE OF TOURING AND THE LACK OF PRIVACY SIMPLY WAS TOO MUCH FOR GIRALDO. THERE CAME A POINT WHERE HE WAS MENTALLY INCAPABLE OF HANDLING THE DEMANDS PLACED MORE ON PAT THAN HIMSELF. FOR A PERIOD OF TIME THE TWO WENT THEIR SEPARATE WAYS BUT HIS LOVE FOR HER WAS A DRAW HE COULD NOT DENY. IT TAKES A VERY STRONG MAN TO ACCEPT THE THINGS HE WAS EXPECTED TO BRUSH OFF HIS SHOULDER. THE FACT THAT HIS PRODUCTION SKILLS IN THE STUDIO WERE A NECESSITY GAVE HIM SOME RELIEF. PORING SO MUCH OF HIMSELF INTO THE BEHIND THE SCENES WORK INEVITABLY WAS A PLUS. HE OFTEN KEPT THE FINAL PRODUCT FROM BEING SCRAPED AND SHELVED FOR ETERNITY.
HER MUSIC AND STAGE PERSONA IS ONE OF GRACE AND STRENGTH WITH ROCK APPEAL. SHE NEVER ASKED FOR A HANDOUT, ALWAYS WANTING TO GIVE THE CROWD WHAT THEY PAID TO SEE, ROCK 'N' ROLL FEMALE STYLE. IF ALL THIS WAS NOT ENOUGH IN 1985 SHE GAVE BIRTH TO HER AND GIRALDO'S FIRST CHILD HALEY, BUT NEVER ONE TO JUKE-OUT ON HER CONTRACT COMMITMENTS JUMPED BACK ON THE ROAD WHICH SOON WAS FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER RECORD. WHEN SHE WAS PREGNANT WITH THEIR SECOND CHILD HANA HER PHYSICAL WELL BEING CAME INTO PLAY AND EVENTUALLY WAS FORCED TO LEAVE THE ROAD TO GIVE BIRTH.
MALE ARTIST HAVE AS MANY PROBLEMS AS FEMALE BUT COME FROM A TOTALLY DIFFERENT PLAYING FIELD. THIS WAS NO DIFFERENT FOR PAT & NEIL'S FAMILY AS THEY NOW HAD TO BALANCE WORK AND HOME LIFE. USUALLY IT IS THE MAN WHO GOES OFF TO WORK AND IS IN DEMAND AT THE OFFICE BUT THE DEMAND WAS DIRECTED SOLELY AT PAT. NEIL WAS A CONSTANT FIGURE IN THE STUDIO ALWAYS WORKING ON MAKING THEIR SOUND BETTER THROUGH WRITING. THE RECORD COMPANY HOWEVER TOOK LITTLE NOTICE OF ALL HIS HARD WORK AND THE FACT THAT IF HE WAS NOT AROUND SINCE THE BEGINNING THEY WOULD NOT BE COLLECTING FAT CHECKS FROM THE BENATAR CAMP.
EVENTUALLY, THEY WERE FREE FROM THE CONSTRAINTS OF A LONG AND DRAINER CONTRACT AND BEGAN TO EXPLORE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE THEIR OWN BOSS. GIRALDO IS UNIQUE IN THAT HE IS A FAST LEARNER AND AFTER WORKING CLOSELY WITH A SMALL INDIE LABEL ABSORBED ENOUGH INFORMATION TO MAKE A GO OF IT WITH HIS OWN START UP LABEL. THE WORK LEARNING WAS A LOT EASY THAN DOING ALL THE WORK ALONE. IT WAS A LONG HARD FOUGHT BATTLE TO GET TO MAKE ALL THE DECISION BUT IT IS NOT AN EASY TASK TO UNDERTAKE.
FROM THE POINT OF FREEDOM EVERY DECISION THEY EVERY MADE SEEM TO BE A GROUP EFFORT ALWAYS PUTTING THEIR CHILDREN'S NEEDS FIRST AND FOREMOST. THE TWO POWER-LADY'S THE DROVE THE LATE 70'S INTO THE EARLY 80'S WOULD BE PAT BENATAR AND DEBBIE HARRY. THEIR CAREER LIVES WALKED THE SAME PATH BUT HARRY'S PERSONAL LIFE DID NOT INCLUDE CHILDREN WHICH ALWAYS KEPT HER DOOR OPEN. BENATAR ALWAYS WAS PROTECTIVE OF HER CHILDREN AND THEIR NEED FOR NORMALCY DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR.
HER VOICE WILL CARRY HER THROUGH MORE TOURS BUT WILL SHE ALONG WITH HER HUSBAND PUT OUT ANOTHER CD THAT IS NOT A COMPILATION. TO MAKE IT COMPLETE AND FULL CIRCLE THE FULL BAND NEEDS TO SPEND TIME TOGETHER IN A STUDIO TO SEE IF THE MAGICE CAN LIVE AGAIN. UNTIL THEN THE SUMMER TOURS THAT MAKE STOPS IN AS MANY CITIES AS POSSIBLE WILL NEVER FAIL TO INCITE A RIOT OF ROCKERS TO VENUES NEAR AND FAR.
11/29/11
RUSTY
6/23/11