OPINION

I Was a Teenage Music Activist: How I Brought Down Leo Sayer

Written by Michele Catalano
Published September 13, 2002
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Leo is escorted on to the wooden plank stage by his manager and two mall security guards. The women swoon. The music cues (this is the 70s - he's going to lip sync) - and we run in four opposite directions. Within thirty seconds we have done it. We have unplugged all of Leo's speakers. The music stops. Leo is just about to "sing" the first words into the mic and everything goes dead. He's mouthing words to dead air. Silence.

The security guard who spoke to us earlier spies me as I am walking swiftly away from the northeast amp. "IT"S THEM!," he shouts, pointing in my direction, and then swinging around to see Kevin running the other way. He points at him, at me, yelling at the other security guards, his face red and sweaty and alarmed. I'm having fits of laughter while I'm running, thinking that the guard is acting as if we just killed the president. I keep thinking about book depositories and grassy knolls and this too fat mall cop running after me because some disco pop boy had his amp unplugged.

The four of us meet outside, at the bus shelter and we decide it's too risky to wait another ten minutes for the bus to come so we start the long walk home, stopping every once in a while to roll around on the sidewalks in fits of laughter.

We get home, tell Kevin's brother about our exploits and he buys us beer and lets us drink it in his room. This is the big time. The older brother's secret sanctuary. He holds up his quart of piss warm Miller and toasts to us. "To good music!" We toast back, drink our beer and it doesn't dawn on me until now, 20 something years later, that Genesis wasn't really good music, and that Leo never had a hit after that day.

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Michele is from Long Island and writes about two of her favorite things - punk rock and fast cars -along with her better half at Faster Than the World.
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I Was a Teenage Music Activist: How I Brought Down Leo Sayer
Published: September 13, 2002
Type: Opinion
Section: Music
Writer: Michele Catalano
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Comments

#1 — September 13, 2002 @ 14:07PM — Prentiss Riddle [URL]

Great story!

Funny thing is, even though I graduated from high school in 1978 the only Leo Sayer fan I've ever known in my life was our small-town Oklahoma school's one adventurous rock&roll listener. He was into Leo Sayer back when he still wore white facepaint (remember the facepaint?). He was also the only kid in our school into Kraftwerk, Slade, Sparks, Suzy Quatro, Iggy Pop, and heaven only knows what other proto-punkers and precursors of this or that. He had no access to imports or real obscurities but still managed to be into bands I'm just finding out about 25 years later. So, was he merely inconsistent or was there something cool about *early* Leo Sayer? :-)

#2 — September 13, 2002 @ 16:03PM — btezra [URL]

I may be wrong, but I think Leo Sayer asked me "would you like fries with that" the other day...

#3 — September 13, 2002 @ 17:30PM — Grumblegut

Having seen Genesis on the "Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" tour, I must agree with you. Genesis was not good music. I still enjoy Leo Sayer's "Long Tall Glasses", however. When I consider his later output, I think you guys did the people at the mall a great service for pulling the plugs.

#4 — September 13, 2002 @ 18:57PM — Eric Olsen

Great tale of teenage derring-do, Michele. I do like a few Leo tunes but that doesn't mean he wasn't as uncool as diptheria. I still like the third ELP (Trilogy?), Lamb Lies Down, and Selling England By the Pound, by the way.

#5 — September 13, 2002 @ 19:15PM — michele [URL]

Shh..don't tell anyone, but I still own Selling England and the ELP trilogy on vinyl.

#6 — September 29, 2002 @ 23:24PM — Scott

Unfortunately, Leo Sayer suffered from What many singers and groups suffered from in the late 70's, the "disco confusion". I remember Alice Cooper talking about not really knowing what to do during that period, so he made some really terrible songs that resembled what could have been disco pop songs. Some songs on the album "From the Inside" come to mind.

I agree with a few people here about Leo Sayer's earlier music. It was good, but he did not know what to do when disco dripped it's way into the the world of music.He decided to jump on board and it ruined his career and pretty much Destroyed Cooper's career too.

I disagree that Genesis was bad music. Much of it sounds dated today, however, it was incredible music for the time, unfortunately, many people did not recognize that until Gabriel left the band. I don't believe there will ever be a more creative time in the history of Rock music than the late 60's and early to mid 70's.

I purchased all the Japanese mini album CD version's of the early Genesis albums and I still love to listen to them. The packaging for the CDs is just like the original vinyl albums which are quite nice!

I believe that some songs still hold up quite well now, but some do not and that is the nature of progressive rock of that era.

I also listen to a great deal of new music too and theere are still some really creative bands out there, you just have to search through the clones to find something! I am a music junky and proud of that!

Scott

#7 — September 29, 2002 @ 23:25PM — Scott

Unfortunately, Leo Sayer suffered from What many singers and groups suffered from in the late 70's, the "disco confusion". I remember Alice Cooper talking about not really knowing what to do during that period, so he made some really terrible songs that resembled what could have been disco pop songs. Some songs on the album "From the Inside" come to mind.

I agree with a few people here about Leo Sayer's earlier music. It was good, but he did not know what to do when disco dripped it's way into the the world of music.He decided to jump on board and it ruined his career and pretty much Destroyed Cooper's career too.

I disagree that Genesis was bad music. Much of it sounds dated today, however, it was incredible music for the time, unfortunately, many people did not recognize that until Gabriel left the band. I don't believe there will ever be a more creative time in the history of Rock music than the late 60's and early to mid 70's.

I purchased all the Japanese mini album CD version's of the early Genesis albums and I still love to listen to them. The packaging for the CDs is just like the original vinyl albums which are quite nice!

I believe that some songs still hold up quite well now, but some do not and that is the nature of progressive rock of that era.

I also listen to a great deal of new music too and theere are still some really creative bands out there, you just have to search through the clones to find something! I am a music junky and proud of that!

Scott

#8 — September 29, 2002 @ 23:26PM — Scott

Unfortunately, Leo Sayer suffered from What many singers and groups suffered from in the late 70's, the "disco confusion". I remember Alice Cooper talking about not really knowing what to do during that period, so he made some really terrible songs that resembled what could have been disco pop songs. Some songs on the album "From the Inside" come to mind.

I agree with a few people here about Leo Sayer's earlier music. It was good, but he did not know what to do when disco dripped it's way into the the world of music.He decided to jump on board and it ruined his career and pretty much Destroyed Cooper's career too.

I disagree that Genesis was bad music. Much of it sounds dated today, however, it was incredible music for the time, unfortunately, many people did not recognize that until Gabriel left the band. I don't believe there will ever be a more creative time in the history of Rock music than the late 60's and early to mid 70's.

I purchased all the Japanese mini album CD version's of the early Genesis albums and I still love to listen to them. The packaging for the CDs is just like the original vinyl albums which are quite nice!

I believe that some songs still hold up quite well now, but some do not and that is the nature of progressive rock of that era.

I also listen to a great deal of new music too and there are still some really creative bands out there, you just have to search through the clones to find something! I am a music junky and proud of that!

Scott

#9 — September 29, 2002 @ 23:27PM — Scott

Unfortunately, Leo Sayer suffered from What many singers and groups suffered from in the late 70's, the "disco confusion". I remember Alice Cooper talking about not really knowing what to do during that period, so he made some really terrible songs that resembled what could have been disco pop songs. Some songs on the album "From the Inside" come to mind.

I agree with a few people here about Leo Sayer's earlier music. It was good, but he did not know what to do when disco dripped it's way into the the world of music.He decided to jump on board and it ruined his career and pretty much Destroyed Cooper's career too.

I disagree that Genesis was bad music. Much of it sounds dated today, however, it was incredible music for the time, unfortunately, many people did not recognize that until Gabriel left the band. I don't believe there will ever be a more creative time in the history of Rock music than the late 60's and early to mid 70's.

I purchased all the Japanese mini album CD version's of the early Genesis albums and I still love to listen to them. The packaging for the CDs is just like the original vinyl albums which are quite nice!

I believe that some songs still hold up quite well now, but some do not and that is the nature of progressive rock of that era.

I also listen to a great deal of new music too and there are still some really creative bands out there, you just have to search through the clones to find something! I am a music junky and proud of that!

Scott

#10 — September 29, 2002 @ 23:27PM — Scott

Unfortunately, Leo Sayer suffered from What many singers and groups suffered from in the late 70's, the "disco confusion". I remember Alice Cooper talking about not really knowing what to do during that period, so he made some really terrible songs that resembled what could have been disco pop songs. Some songs on the album "From the Inside" come to mind.

I agree with a few people here about Leo Sayer's earlier music. It was good, but he did not know what to do when disco dripped it's way into the the world of music.He decided to jump on board and it ruined his career and pretty much Destroyed Cooper's career too.

I disagree that Genesis was bad music. Much of it sounds dated today, however, it was incredible music for the time, unfortunately, many people did not recognize that until Gabriel left the band. I don't believe there will ever be a more creative time in the history of Rock music than the late 60's and early to mid 70's.

I purchased all the Japanese mini album CD version's of the early Genesis albums and I still love to listen to them. The packaging for the CDs is just like the original vinyl albums which are quite nice!

I believe that some songs still hold up quite well now, but some do not and that is the nature of progressive rock of that era.

I also listen to a great deal of new music too and there are still some really creative bands out there, you just have to search through the clones to find something! I am a music junky and proud of that!

Scott

#11 — September 29, 2002 @ 23:28PM — Scott

Unfortunately, Leo Sayer suffered from What many singers and groups suffered from in the late 70's, the "disco confusion". I remember Alice Cooper talking about not really knowing what to do during that period, so he made some really terrible songs that resembled what could have been disco pop songs. Some songs on the album "From the Inside" come to mind.

I agree with a few people here about Leo Sayer's earlier music. It was good, but he did not know what to do when disco dripped it's way into the the world of music.He decided to jump on board and it ruined his career and pretty much Destroyed Cooper's career too.

I disagree that Genesis was bad music. Much of it sounds dated today, however, it was incredible music for the time, unfortunately, many people did not recognize that until Gabriel left the band. I don't believe there will ever be a more creative time in the history of Rock music than the late 60's and early to mid 70's.

I purchased all the Japanese mini album CD version's of the early Genesis albums and I still love to listen to them. The packaging for the CDs is just like the original vinyl albums which are quite nice!

I believe that some songs still hold up quite well now, but some do not and that is the nature of progressive rock of that era.

I also listen to a great deal of new music too and theere are still some really creative bands out there, you just have to search through the clones to find something! I am a music junky and proud of that!

Scott

#12 — September 29, 2002 @ 23:29PM — Scott

Unfortunately, Leo Sayer suffered from What many singers and groups suffered from in the late 70's, the "disco confusion". I remember Alice Cooper talking about not really knowing what to do during that period, so he made some really terrible songs that resembled what could have been disco pop songs. Some songs on the album "From the Inside" come to mind.

I agree with a few people here about Leo Sayer's earlier music. It was good, but he did not know what to do when disco dripped it's way into the the world of music.He decided to jump on board and it ruined his career and pretty much Destroyed Cooper's career too.

I disagree that Genesis was bad music. Much of it sounds dated today, however, it was incredible music for the time, unfortunately, many people did not recognize that until Gabriel left the band. I don't believe there will ever be a more creative time in the history of Rock music than the late 60's and early to mid 70's.

I purchased all the Japanese mini album CD version's of the early Genesis albums and I still love to listen to them. The packaging for the CDs is just like the original vinyl albums which are quite nice!

I believe that some songs still hold up quite well now, but some do not and that is the nature of progressive rock of that era.

I also listen to a great deal of new music too and theere are still some really creative bands out there, you just have to search through the clones to find something! I am a music junky and proud of that!

Scott

#13 — September 29, 2002 @ 23:29PM — Scott

Unfortunately, Leo Sayer suffered from What many singers and groups suffered from in the late 70's, the "disco confusion". I remember Alice Cooper talking about not really knowing what to do during that period, so he made some really terrible songs that resembled what could have been disco pop songs. Some songs on the album "From the Inside" come to mind.

I agree with a few people here about Leo Sayer's earlier music. It was good, but he did not know what to do when disco dripped it's way into the the world of music.He decided to jump on board and it ruined his career and pretty much Destroyed Cooper's career too.

I disagree that Genesis was bad music. Much of it sounds dated today, however, it was incredible music for the time, unfortunately, many people did not recognize that until Gabriel left the band. I don't believe there will ever be a more creative time in the history of Rock music than the late 60's and early to mid 70's.

I purchased all the Japanese mini album CD version's of the early Genesis albums and I still love to listen to them. The packaging for the CDs is just like the original vinyl albums which are quite nice!

I believe that some songs still hold up quite well now, but some do not and that is the nature of progressive rock of that era.

I also listen to a great deal of new music too and theere are still some really creative bands out there, you just have to search through the clones to find something! I am a music junky and proud of that!

Scott

#14 — September 30, 2002 @ 11:03AM — Ian [URL]

Let me declare my credentials - I too think Peter Gabriel is a genius. I also think Genesis, on the whole, made excellent music.

But the point of this post is Leo Sayer. I saw him live a few months ago, singing blues at our local arts centre here in Aberystwyth, Wales. He was great, he really can sing blues.

So yes, he made some horrible, cheesy records. Probably, when you saw him, he deserved for the plugs to be pulled. But if he comes near you to sing the blues - see him!

#15 — January 15, 2007 @ 09:28AM — Leo Sayer [URL]

I remember that day you little shits.

Whose laughing now eh!?

Answer? ME! Thats who! I'm back in the big time.

I've just hasa number 1 smash!

#16 — February 15, 2008 @ 23:15PM — Evan

hi Leo Sayer i just want to say that you a great singer

#17 — February 15, 2008 @ 23:18PM — Evan

even though you did not sell as many records as Elton John Billy Joel Barry Manilow Neil Diamond John Denver Cat Stevens Neil Young Gordon Lightfoot Jim Croce Neil Sedaka Olivia Newton John the Carpenters Captain and Tennille and Jackson Browne

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