“You don’t need a weather man

to know which way the wind blows.”

—Bob Dylan said that.

“I don’t consider myself to be a member

of any generation, young or old.”

—Guy Stevens said that.

So who was Guy Stevens?

That’s why this newsletter is called The Guy Stevens Weather Report. Because you don’t need it unless you want to know which way the cultural wind blows.

The who, what, where, and why

No, not The Who (although they figure into the story later, around 1963 when they went from calling themselves The High Numbers to The Who—stick around as we’ll get into that) but the who—the author of this Substack and his inspiration.

Bios

Guy Stevens was born in 1943 and died in 1981. He began his music career as a club DJ, then promoter and A&R man for Island Records, band manager, and finally record producer. He launched bands such as Spooky Tooth and Mott the Hoople, and produced The Clash’s London Calling album.

Michael Maupin was born in 1959. [Switches to less-stodgy first person] I’m a former trade book editor, national magazine managing editor, screenwriter and screenwriting instructor, blogger and essay writer, artist and music appreciator. Currently living in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Last I checked I haven’t died yet.

What is this?

To get you up to speed on the man and his influence, here’s a comprehensive video primer produced by the marvelous peeps behind “Yesterday’s Papers”:

Where are you writing from?

I live in Minneapolis. In October I was in London and hope to get back there in 2024. And fly out to L.A. if the trip is necessary to promote the series project.

And why?

I’m a diehard story hound. When I met record producer Joe Boyd while he was on tour in 2006 with his memoir White Bicycles, we got talking about his Island Records days and that’s where I discovered Guy Stevens’ connection to one of my favorite bands growing up, Procol Harum.

In the fall of 2022 the Guy Stevens TV series idea resurfaced and throughout 2023 I’ve been researching, writing, and meeting subjects connected with the project.

This Substack is a way to share what I’ve learned about music history, screenwriting and writing for TV, storytelling vs. facts and historical research, and just having fun with the music subjects I adore. Hoping to launch a related podcast called B(e)Sides in 2024 and include interviews with people connected to the project.

“Glad you’re a part of it.”

—I said that.