Peter Jesperson: Euphoric Recall - A Half Century as A Music Fan, Producer, DJ, Record Executive and Tastemaker

Euphoric Recall: A Half Century as A Music Fan, Producer, DJ, Record Executive and Tastemaker
Peter Jesperson
310 Pages
ISBN: # 978-1681342719
Minnesota Historical Society Press
2023

As indicated in the lengthy subtitle to Euphoric Recall, Peter Jesperson posits himself as something of a musical renaissance man. And while he may not fit the literal definition of creative artist in any of those varied roles (or the summation thereof), it's hardly arguable he brings a versatile creativity to bear over in fulfilling them during the course of his fifty-year career.

In regaling the reader with his proud history, the author nevertheless remains generally humble and unselfish. All manner of stories from the man who co-founded Twin Tone Records and managed the Replacements for the better part of their tumultuous career might well constitute a film treatment: the characters are that vivid and the circumstances (just) credible enough.

Accordingly, the Twin Cities locale crystallizes as a hotbed of indie music activity within this publication. And this book functions as a tacit plus-one for the curious to participate along with Peter Jesperson. Recounting the awakening of and pursuit of an abiding passion for music centered on, but not exclusive to, his Minneapolis home, his prose is as effervescent as any passionate youth convinced of a righteous path.

From his discovery of The Beatles as a gateway to record collecting, his employment at a local theater is simply an early precursor to future jobs in the music industry; there as in tour managing R.E.M. at that band's request, the author follows instincts that invariably prove beneficial in the short and long run.

And when he eventually lands a job at a Minneapolis record store—this after having been turned down for a position in radio even after formal studies to that end—his internal compass continues to prove reliable. Being able to act as a DJ between sets at a most prominent local venue also turns out to be a satisfactory substitute for actually being in a booth and on the air: there's little if anything Peter Jesperson loves more than turning others on to music he deems worth the attention.

Unless of course, it's attending a live music performance. The author devotes page upon page of Euphoric Recall to his observations of his favorites and new discoveries; if at times such summaries of concerts by, for instance, the Only Ones are overly brief, Jesperson's accounts of his personal interactions with the artists, such as Bob Geldof of the Boomtown Rats provide more than enough insight to compensate for a lack of objective analysis (which might well undermine his generally jocular tone here anyway).

The presence of a foreword by esteemed music journalist David Fricke (Rolling Stone Magazine, Sirius XM Radio) clearly delineates the path he preferred from Peter Jesperson's. Yet both are constantly in search of subjects for devotion and, as the latter's story evolves, that perspective clarifies: the cumulative effect of his peripatetic career path develops a readily-discernible, cumulative momentum that becomes a profound means to express adoration of the art form.

While Jesperson's affable tone threatens to sound somewhat strained toward the end of Euphoric Recall, he is still able to continue fulfilling the ambitious undertone of the tome's subtitle. Effective as it is to recount his issues with substance abuse (from which rehab sessions comes this title), a near-death experience might well have rent asunder Jesperson's naivete, but it doesn't. And even as insertion of this particular passage, on an unwieldy topic, relatively late in the book, seems illogical at first, it ultimately precludes the nascent boredom arising from repetitive descriptions of office, road and social activity that has comprised most of the preceding content.

The instinctive pragmatism Jesperson has displayed to this point in the narrative(s) stands him in good stead as he tells of his latter-day move to the fledgling New West label. And it remains intact for the remainder of these three-hundred thirty some pages. In fact, the well-rounded approach he applies to the fundamentals of business help render the denouement to this book palatable rather than obligatory: the insert of photos depicting Jesperson with various personages peppering his story reaffirm the underlying tenets of A Half Century as A Music Fan, Producer, DJ, Record Executive and Tastemaker, not to mention its fundamental attraction(s).

Any music lover who's followed his/her passion beyond merely hearing recordings or attending live performances will identify with Peter Jesperson's life experiences. But even those who didn't take the extra steps will empathize: similar to that sensation arising from the bulk of the tales told here, it's a naturally visceral reaction to share the swoon the author experiences while present at Shea Stadium for R.E.M.'s opening appearance for The Police in 1983. The very thought of the Fab Four's performance in the same venue nearly two decades prior is just one more instance, like the events of this music passionista's ostensible retirement, that completes a circle even as it begins another within Euphoric Recall.

To that end, if the excised portions referenced in the 'Epilogue' ever appear in an abridged softcover edition, those additions will seem like the bonus tracks on an expanded reissue of a vintage recording or, even more fittingly, the components of a multi-song encore to a most memorable concert setlist.

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