90 - Selling the Drama: How Live Crash and Burned

Prisoners of Rock and Roll

Live was one of the most popular bands of the post grunge era. After entering the alternative music scene in 1991 with a spiritual album called Mental Jewelry, they became one of the biggest bands of the mid 90s on the backs of Throwing Copper and Secret Samahdi.

They had made it! Four friends from high school who became wealthy rock stars who sold millions of albums and landed on the cover of Rolling Stone. And then they crashed and burned in one of the biggest dumpster fires I have ever read about.

Their relevancy faded quickly as the music industry changed. After breaking up in 2009, three members of the band invested in a series of businesses that turned out to be ponzi schemes. They lost $10 million, their instruments, and even the painting that appears on the cover of Throwing Copper.

The four original members of the band have sued each other so many times that it is hard to keep track of. How did this band of four guys from the working class town of York Pennsylvania have such a meteoric crash and burn?

Tune into this episode of Prisoners of Rock and Roll to find out.

Episode Playlist & Other Stuff

Check out our episode playlist here. If you want to hear Live's early Public Affection tape, it's on YouTube. You also have to go on YouTube to hear Live's only album with Chris Shinn.

Rolling Stone published a great article on the lawsuits and bad business deals that helped ruin Live.

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