Daughter Mandy Stein Remembers Music Veteran Dad – The Hollywood Reporter

Seymour Stein’s footprint in rock ‘n’ roll loomed large, and while it was always clear to his daughter, Mandy Stein, it was perhaps most evident in her own career as a music documentarian, when she realized how intermeshed her father’s legacy was in the history of music.

“When I first started making films, I discovered a whole world about my dad. My first documentary was on these blues musicians from North Hill country, Mississippi, and I started playing him some of the music and he was like, ‘Oh, that’s Mississippi Joe Callicott,’” she recalled Sunday. “And I didn’t even realize that he had a record label called Blue Horizon where he had signed Fleetwood Mac with Peter Green, and just his knowledge and his experience, it was just everlasting.”

Stein shared special moments and memories of Stein with The Hollywood Reporter on Sunday, the day the legend died at 80 — from his waning days spending time with his family to the stories she remembered of his iconic career discovering the likes of Madonna and The Ramones.

Your father had such a rich, amazing career. What would you like people to remember most about him?

His passion for music, and I really feel like he created a soundtrack that is untouchable, from The Ramones to the Talking Heads; I think of “Hocus Pocus” (by Focus) and Renaissance, and obviously Madonna is everything. But his taste is pretty impeccable, and he was relentless with his spirit of making sure that these artists got heard. And he was generous. He never said, “I discovered,” because he really believed that good music would be found, and he was a collaborative person and gave credit to everyone that was a part of his team. But I think of all the music and artists that he signed and jumped on planes and went to obscure (places) … All these amazing stories of going at Yonkers to hear Steven Tyler before he was Steven Tyler, and he would go anywhere to hear great music, and he was so passionate and really would not stop if he believed in an artist.

How proud of him were you to see all that he accomplished?

I don’t really feel like proud is a strong enough word. I just think to me, and obviously I’m biased, he was the ultimate music man and his taste was impeccable. But what was so cool, it was really varied from punk to k.d. lang to Ice-T to Madonna. He really spoke about the song and that was what was most important to him.

What has the last couple years been like for you and your father?

He lived in Los Angeles with my children and I. He almost went in the pool every day and he would listen to the music that he loved so much, singing doo-wop and a lot of music from his childhood; doo-wop and country western, like Hank Williams, and just would be belting it out in the pool.

He was a doting grandfather and was incredibly proud of his grandchildren. My oldest daughter is studying for her bat mitzvah so they would do the blessings together. He was a proud Jew and he enjoyed doing Shabbat with us, and he was incredibly proud of his granddaughter, Dora, who is a freshman at Emory, who was my sister’s daughter who we lost to brain cancer, and he was a more fun grandfather than Dad, I would say.

Do you have a favorite memory?

I don’t have a favorite memory, but when I first started making films, I discovered a whole world about my dad. My first documentary was on these blues musicians from North Hill country, Mississippi, and I started playing him some of the music and he was like, “Oh, that’s Mississippi Joe Callicott.” And I didn’t even realize that he had a record label called Blue Horizon where he had signed Fleetwood Mac with Peter Green, and just his knowledge and his experience, it was just everlasting. He had a long life, but he packed it.

There’s just so much. He was very naughty too. It’s always fun to have a naughty dad who would say inappropriate things at times when you’re not supposed to be inappropriate.

Was there a side of your father that we in the public didn’t get a chance to see that you want people to know about?

One thing that was great about my dad when I was in school was he was such a history buff, so he was sort of like my CliffsNotes. So if I had [a question] on something, I could call him and he would be like an oral CliffsNote. He was a voracious history buff and film buff, and he loved collecting antiques and he was very passionate about collecting antiques and real estate.

Was there anything else that you wanted to add or say?

Obviously very proud of everything he did at Sire. He started that with Richard [Gottehrer]. He and Richard were best friends throughout his whole life, and even though he went off to produce records, they had a very special friendship. And I think that’s kind of amazing to stay friends that long. He had a great partnership, even though they got divorced, with my mom. The day she died, they spoke every day. My mom saw The Ramones before my dad did and said, “You must sign them.” And what he wasn’t great at she was, and vice versa. Even though they got divorced, they were the best partners and loved each other very, very much, and respected each other very, very much. They both would say how brilliant and smart each other were. “Oh, your mother was so smart.” And he missed her a lot, especially after my sister passed away. He missed her dearly.

Seymour Stein’s footprint in rock ‘n’ roll loomed large, and while it was always clear to his daughter, Mandy Stein, it was perhaps most evident in her own career as a music documentarian, when she realized how intermeshed her father’s legacy was in the history of music.

“When I first started making films, I discovered a whole world about my dad. My first documentary was on these blues musicians from North Hill country, Mississippi, and I started playing him some of the music and he was like, ‘Oh, that’s Mississippi Joe Callicott,’” she recalled Sunday. “And I didn’t even realize that he had a record label called Blue Horizon where he had signed Fleetwood Mac with Peter Green, and just his knowledge and his experience, it was just everlasting.”

Stein shared special moments and memories of Stein with The Hollywood Reporter on Sunday, the day the legend died at 80 — from his waning days spending time with his family to the stories she remembered of his iconic career discovering the likes of Madonna and The Ramones.

Your father had such a rich, amazing career. What would you like people to remember most about him?

His passion for music, and I really feel like he created a soundtrack that is untouchable, from The Ramones to the Talking Heads; I think of “Hocus Pocus” (by Focus) and Renaissance, and obviously Madonna is everything. But his taste is pretty impeccable, and he was relentless with his spirit of making sure that these artists got heard. And he was generous. He never said, “I discovered,” because he really believed that good music would be found, and he was a collaborative person and gave credit to everyone that was a part of his team. But I think of all the music and artists that he signed and jumped on planes and went to obscure (places) … All these amazing stories of going at Yonkers to hear Steven Tyler before he was Steven Tyler, and he would go anywhere to hear great music, and he was so passionate and really would not stop if he believed in an artist.

How proud of him were you to see all that he accomplished?

I don’t really feel like proud is a strong enough word. I just think to me, and obviously I’m biased, he was the ultimate music man and his taste was impeccable. But what was so cool, it was really varied from punk to k.d. lang to Ice-T to Madonna. He really spoke about the song and that was what was most important to him.

What has the last couple years been like for you and your father?

He lived in Los Angeles with my children and I. He almost went in the pool every day and he would listen to the music that he loved so much, singing doo-wop and a lot of music from his childhood; doo-wop and country western, like Hank Williams, and just would be belting it out in the pool.

He was a doting grandfather and was incredibly proud of his grandchildren. My oldest daughter is studying for her bat mitzvah so they would do the blessings together. He was a proud Jew and he enjoyed doing Shabbat with us, and he was incredibly proud of his granddaughter, Dora, who is a freshman at Emory, who was my sister’s daughter who we lost to brain cancer, and he was a more fun grandfather than Dad, I would say.

Do you have a favorite memory?

I don’t have a favorite memory, but when I first started making films, I discovered a whole world about my dad. My first documentary was on these blues musicians from North Hill country, Mississippi, and I started playing him some of the music and he was like, “Oh, that’s Mississippi Joe Callicott.” And I didn’t even realize that he had a record label called Blue Horizon where he had signed Fleetwood Mac with Peter Green, and just his knowledge and his experience, it was just everlasting. He had a long life, but he packed it.

There’s just so much. He was very naughty too. It’s always fun to have a naughty dad who would say inappropriate things at times when you’re not supposed to be inappropriate.

Was there a side of your father that we in the public didn’t get a chance to see that you want people to know about?

One thing that was great about my dad when I was in school was he was such a history buff, so he was sort of like my CliffsNotes. So if I had [a question] on something, I could call him and he would be like an oral CliffsNote. He was a voracious history buff and film buff, and he loved collecting antiques and he was very passionate about collecting antiques and real estate.

Was there anything else that you wanted to add or say?

Obviously very proud of everything he did at Sire. He started that with Richard [Gottehrer]. He and Richard were best friends throughout his whole life, and even though he went off to produce records, they had a very special friendship. And I think that’s kind of amazing to stay friends that long. He had a great partnership, even though they got divorced, with my mom. The day she died, they spoke every day. My mom saw The Ramones before my dad did and said, “You must sign them.” And what he wasn’t great at she was, and vice versa. Even though they got divorced, they were the best partners and loved each other very, very much, and respected each other very, very much. They both would say how brilliant and smart each other were. “Oh, your mother was so smart.” And he missed her a lot, especially after my sister passed away. He missed her dearly.