Hey, how are you? Good morning. My you look great. That’s a nice top. Not everyone can get away with horizontal stripes but wow you sure can. Hey how about that World Cup? Isn’t that something? I love those shoes. Isn’t it a beautiful day? Oh I know it’s muggy and humid and about to start pouring at any minute, but hey! At least it’s not snowing!

That’s how I have to speak at work. I don’t have to, but it’s preferred. Apparently looking at someone sideways can be misconstrued as menacing. So I look at various people straight on, eyes forward. It’s an act, but an act that pays and it beats having to wear a banana costume handing out flyers on the street. It beats joining the armed forces and killing or being killed.

I do my usual do, just want to get through the day with as little stress as possible. I am more visible now, I say hi to everyone and smile smile smile though the day. The UPS guy, Isaiah is a Rasta and I slip into some patois when I see him. Today Isaiah was doing his rounds dropping off packages and we were chatting briefly when Felicia sidles up. Isaiah leaves and Felicia says, “You know, you should be more like how you are talking to the UPS guy”.

“What do you mean?” I asked. “You know, you just put out this positive energy when you were talking to him, you filled up the room with it.” Felicia replied, “You should do that more often.” I said, “Well I have been like that all day yesterday and today.” Brilliantly Felicia says, “Well now you’re being defensive.” Hmmm. That actually happened.

I was flustered by this and went out for a smoke and tried to call Bill at work. Got his voice mail so I called Juan instead. Juan couldn’t believe the fact that Felicia could say something to me like that, in the guise of constructive criticism and when I respond in kind, being kind it’s seen as defensive. I should never have gone through the looking glass.

I tried to spend the rest of the day under the radar. Smiling and shufflin’ along. I spent some time with a temp who’s been delegated to shredding files in the copy room. I helped her out making up some bankers boxes and told her she should ask to see if it would be alright to wear her headphones for her cd player while she was all alone in the back room.

She was wary, but she went ahead and asked and probably got the look of ‘go ahead. why the hell are you asking me?’ Her name is Shanelle and she fits in even less than I do. She’s black in an all white office. No really, the walls are white, the desks are white, the ceiling is white and the floors are white, and the people are very white. She laughed quietly at my joke when she said she never seen an all white office before. She laughed when I asked her what she meant.

If only Felicia was there. She could’ve told me to be more warm like I was with Shanelle. I admit, I made an extra effort to be warm to her, because she’s a temp and it’s nice to make someone’s experience somewhat pleasant. And I’m warm to her, because no one else would be. She’ll be gone by the end of the week and searching for a new job next week. She’s a good worker and will probably be picked up soon if there are intelligent headhunters out there.

I just remembered my first interview at McMann and Tate. I was of course, a few minutes early and was waiting for my interviewer. The next scheduled applicant after me came in early herself. She was nicely dressed, as I was in my suit and tie. ‘She’s probably a better receptionist than me’ I thought. She was a black woman about the same age as me. No way would she fit in with this crowd. They wouldn’t be able to deal with what I perceive to be a no nonsense attitude. How did I fall into it? Why did they pick me? I’m all nonsense.

I remember the first time I heard ‘I Feel For You’ by Chaka Khan. It was 1984, and I was still living in Lodi, traveling to Hoboken to hang out with the Colgate Crew. I don’t remember what station I was listening to on the radio but the song came on and I was blown away. I heard Chaka Khan’s voice singing a song by Prince with a rap by Melle Mel and a wicked harmonica by Stevie Wonder. I was shook. I had to pull over. That is the only time I ever stopped driving a car to devote my attention to a song.

The next day I went out and bought the single and the twelve inch. I scanned the sleeves and saw a name on it, Arif Mardin. That name had cropped up a few times on various records in my life. I used to drive a lot back then, it was my job to drive back and forth from Saddle Brook, NJ to Manhattan. After 4PM I used to listen to the new wave/punk rock stylings played on the NYU college station, where I heard quite a lot two songs by a band from England called Scritti Politti, singing Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin) and Absolute. Of course I snapped those up when I got the chance, and sure enough there was that name again, Arif Mardin.

Eventually I did a little research and found that I had quite a few records and heard even more that were either produced by or were involved with Arif Mardin. Songs like She’s Gone, Son of a Preacher Man, Jive Talkin’, Nights on Broadway (two of the best Bee Gees songs, ever) among many others. When I was sort of pursuing a career in the music business my first job was at a recording studio called Skyline Studios. One of the sessions that were booked soon after I started working there was the Manhattan Transfer. Skyline was a low key top shelf studio that was soon to hit the skids, but not yet.

Jimmy B, a sweet guy who was managing the studio mentioned to me it might be a good idea to run out and get as many papers as I could. The producer of this session loved to read newspapers from around the world. It just so happened I loved to buy newspapers from around the world. Makes one well traveled when using the papers as packing materials. Anyhow, it was for Arif Mardin who was producing the session. This man was what the term ‘Legendary Producer’ was created for. Ok I know there are bigger, more boldface names, but Arif operated in the background, letting the band or the singer, be the star.

He was very much down to earth, a real gentleman. He was from the old school of record production, working with Aretha Franklin, on so many classics. After Skyline Studios sank I made a lateral move to Right Track Studios, another top of the line studio. An introduction to madness and the back biting that was rumored to be so prevalent in the record business. In the midst of this strode Arif Mardin with his engineer Michael O’Reilly. I remembered to buy a stack of newspapers and set them in the studio for Arif.

He recorded at Right Track frequently, and when he couldn’t get time there, he didn’t have a fit, he just went to another studio and booked time at Right Track when it would be free. He and his assistant, Gloria Gabriel never pulled any star trips though Arif was definitely entitled to have a fit every now and then, I never saw him get upset. Ok, once he got angry but he was upset with a console, not with anyone in particular. I remember asking him about the song ‘A Beautiful Morning’ by the Rascals. A great song that was being used in a Burger King commercial. I thought it was by the Lovin’ Spoonful when he corrected me and told me it was by the first rock and roll band he ever produced.

A while after that, he produced the original Broadway cast of ‘Rent’. That was a fun time for all, the cast were all rather new and were in awe of someone like Arif Mardin. Oh those kids, at least they knew they were in the presence of a legend. In case they didn’t know I’m sure Stevie Wonder who sat in on a session would definitely told them so.

Soon after I was let go from Right Track, Arif liked me enough to hire me to work on his production company. It was ill fated though. Not through any falling out, more through budgetary concerns. I still kept in touch with Arif and his family, becoming friends with his son Joe. I met Arif’s wife Latife, at an art opening that their daughter Julie was presenting. Very nice and welcoming.

After the day that I had at work today, what with me having to tell Felicia that I do really want to continue at McMann and Wanker, err…Tate. (McMann and Tate, that’s it. Freudian?) after that kind of day fraught with smiley faced me, don’t want to be rude after all I get an email from my brother Frank. Arif Mardin died yesterday after a year long battle with pancreatic cancer. Very sad news indeed. My heart went out to his family. I was honored to meet and work for this kind gentleman, this legendary producer, Arif Mardin. Ten years ago I was working for this great artist, now working for a bunch of people who’s lives fall apart if they think you’ve looked at them crosseyed.

Here’s to you Arif, thanks for a lot of great music. I think he measured his life in love.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arif_Mardin

http://tinyurl.com/kt2xu