- JAMES REXROAD
- Red Fang: Chris Coyle, waving, is keeping them in line and on time.
The role of the road manager is something of an anachronism in the world of rock ‘n’ roll. Janis Joplin’s road manager called it the “25-hour-a-day job,” and Richard Cole, perhaps the most notorious road manager in rock history, who toured with Led Zeppelin for 12 years during the band’s heyday, started in the profession because “there was no pussy” in construction work. His brashness revolutionized the job, but he was finally sacked in 1980 amid growing concerns with his worsening drug and alcohol intake*. A road manager has got to be sharp, punctual, and vigilant—that, and never sleep. They have to get the band there on time, make sure they get paid, and then make sure everyone gets to the next gig. Promoters try to screw them out of money, and groupies and fans can gum up the works—hell, sometimes the band’s own members can gum up the works. If Shane MacGowan arrives at the venue incapacitated, it’s his manager who has to find the local Rock Doctor to inject the singer with whatever will inveigle him onstage.
Portland’s metal-tinted rockers Red Fang have a reputation as wild men. Their music videos feature them, among other things, blowing up their road manager Chris Coyle with a Molotov cocktail…
