Ongoing History Daily: A Bob Hope impersonator? WTF?

January 19, 2023January 19, 2023 Alan Cross 0 Comments

It’s time for another look at the greatest contract riders in history. The rider is the part of the deal that the promoter strikes with a performer over what will be supplied to the artist on the day of the show. It’s supposed to cover everything from the nature of the load-in of the equipment to–and this is the interesting part–what needs to be supplied to the artist backstage in the dressing room.

Here’s what Iggy Pop once requested in an 18-page rider:

A copy of USA Today, seven dwarfs dressed up as the characters in Snow White
Something unmentionable about morbidly obese people
A Bob Hope impersonator to “perform jokes about golf, Hollywood and Bing Crosby.”

Iggy is a big golfer, but I had no idea he liked to warm up for a gig this way. Or so he says.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 38051 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross