Fortune's Fool Recap
NO FOOLING: Fred Goodman’s upcoming Fortune’s Fool, which comes out on Simon & Schuster in July, is essentially the sequel to his well-regarded 1998 book, Mansion on the Hill, which detailed the explosive growth of the music business in the '60s and '70s through the exploits of David Geffen and Jon Landau. This time, Edgar Bronfman Jr. is the central character for an analysis of the last 20 years in the industry, recounting in detail the mid-‘90s Warner Music Group exodus, when post-Steve Ross Time-Warner hatchet man Bob Morgado’s actions led to the ascension of Doug Morris and the exit of old-school WB legend Mo Ostin. When HBO’s Michael Fuchs replaced Morgado, he proceeded to fire Doug, who took up Edgar Bronfman, Jr.’s offer to join his fledgling Universal Records as head of the imprint Rising Tide, Shortly afterward, of course, Bronfman fired Al Teller, and anointed Doug head of UMG, arguably the best decision Junior ever made, urged on by Geffen, Allen Grubman and Irving Azoff. (5/12p)
