Shep Gordon Supermensch - The Man Who Made Chefs' Celebrities

Shep Gordon is an American talent manager, Hollywood film agent, and producer, and the star of a 2013 documentary, Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon, directed by Mike Myers.  Born in Jackson Heights, Queens, he has spent the last 47 years living in Maui and has just become the proud father of his first child (he also has 4 adopted children).

This man truly is an all round great human being, adored by celebrities across the world and one of the most humble, appreciative, wise and spiritual person I have ever met, and I am honored to be able to call him a friend,  

During today’s show we cover so many topics - we learn how hospitality is his passion, cooking is his mediation & hosting culinary jam sessions at his home in Maui are a regular occurrence.   

He talks about his humbling experience working with the Dalai Lama for over 12 years, and how if being Alice Cooper’s manager (along with many other famous artists) wasn’t enough, he is the man single handedly responsible for creating celebrity chefs.

Why did he do this?  Well, having been a close friend and then manager for the iconic French chef Roger Verge, he became angered by the differences he saw first hand in the way chefs vs rock stars were being treated, and after a conversation with Wolfgang Puck, he was called to go down to Spago for lunch, where he was met by 100 of the world’s greatest chefs holding a sign, asking for help.  From that point on, he made it his mission to stop chefs being seen as just staff, but to bring them/us out of the kitchen and give them/us not only a platform to show off their/our creativity & be recognized for their/our skills, but receive the status (and financial reward) they/we deserve.

We go on to discuss the evolution of the culinary arts, the role of TV in the rise to stardom for chefs, and way that has changed over the years, for good and bad; 

We discuss the impact of the #metoo movement on the industry and with the current situation we’re all facing, he shares his thoughts on where he sees opportunity for chefs and restaurateurs moving forward in order to be successful in their business, be happy with who they are and deliver delight to customers.

It really is a fascinating, wide ranging discussion, so sit back and enjoy….

BIO

After obtaining his B.A. in 1968 from the State University of New York at Buffalo in sociology, he attended The New School for Social Research for post-graduation work.  On moving to Los Angeles, California, he first got a job as a probation officer before becoming a legendary talent agent and friend of celebrities the world over.

Music career

After being introduced to the band Alice Cooper by drummer Neal Smith’s sister Cindy Smith, he and his partner Joe Greenberg began to manage the group in 1968. Gordon went on to represent Anne Murray, Blondie, Teddy Pendergrass, Luther Vandross, Ben Vereen, Burton Cummings, The Calloways, Squeeze, Frankie Valli, Gary Wright, George Clinton, Gipsy Kings, Groucho Marx, Jean-Luc Ponty, Johnny Clegg, Kenny Loggins, King Sunny Ade, Lisa Fischer, Majek Fashek, Maurice White, Michelle Shocked, Mtume, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Pink Floyd, Pointer Sisters, Raquel Welch, Rick James, Sarah Miles, Stephanie Mills and Yvonne Elliman. He continues to manage Alice Cooper to this day without a contract.

Gordon was a partner with Sammy Hagar (of Van Halen) on Cabo Wabo Tequila. He also partnered with Willie Nelson to create Old Whiskey River Bourbon.

Culinary career

In 1993 Gordon created Alive Culinary Resources, the first talent agency to represent chefs. In the words of Emeril Lagasse, “He single-handedly created celebrity chefs. His client list has included Celestino Drago, Charlie Trotter, Daniel Boulud, Dean Fearing, Emeril Lagasse, Jimmy Schmidt, Jonathan Waxman, Larry Forgione, Lydia Shire, Mark Miller, Mark Tarbell, Nobu Matsuhisa, Peter Merriman, Piero Selvaggio, Pino Luongo, Rovert Del Grande, Roger Vergé, Roy Yamaguchi, Sam Choy, Wolfgang Puck, and Alan Wong.

Film career

Gordon’s first film as a producer, The Duellists, won the Cannes Film Festival in 1977. He went on to create one of the first independent film production companies in the U.S., Alive Films, who made Roadie (1980) starring Meat Loaf. In 1983, Alive formed a partnership with Island Records to create Island Alive who made and distributed films including Koyaanisqatsi, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Stop Making Sense and Choose Me. The partnerhship was dissolved in 1985. Whales of August was produced after the split.

Gordon also was Executive Producer on Wes Craven's Shocker and The People Under The Stairs, as well as John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness and Village of the Damned

Mike Myers directed Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon, a documentary on Shep’s life, distributed theatrically by The Weinstein Company in 2013. It featured Michael Douglas, Sylvester Stallone, Alice Cooper, Steven Tyler, Willie Nelson and Sammy Hagar.

Gordon's memoir is titled, They Call Me Supermensch: A Backstage Pass to the Amazing Worlds of Film, Food, and Rock 'n' Roll. It was released on September 20, 2016, published through Anthony Bourdain's Harper Collins imprint, and debuted on the New York Times Best Seller List.

Speaking engagements

Gordon has spoken at various events; SXSW, Summit at Sea, and 92Y. He delivered the 2015 baccalaureate address at the Culinary Institute of America.

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