March 18, 1997

The Panther Prints

By KAREN RAWLINES __

Beyond the glitz and glamour surrounding bands that frequent your favourite venue, there is often an enig- matic presence sheltered by a mere table boasting cotton t- shirts and vinyl records.

This is a world generally overlooked by your average show-goer, but one that is quite prominent in rock and roll to- day. Mike “Fastbuck” Nelson is a merchandising technician, or “the merch guy.” Currently employed by such prominent acts as Sloan and Thrush Her- mit, Fastbuck revels in his new found glory.

“One man’s rise to the top. Uphill battle all the way. Night after night on the road, trying to keep track of money and numbers....”

Fastbuck has apparently lucked into a piece of the rock and roll pie that is so coveted by this society. He is realistic, however, about the stability surrounding any aspect of the music industry.

“T wouldn’t call it [mer- chandising] a career, but it’s

definitely a fun thing to do for .

a little while when you’re out of school. I’ve been really lucky by having friends who happen to be in bands. I guess I’ve got a good job. It’s a great job to have.” A great job indeed, Fastbuck.

When on tour with a given band, Fastbuck is heavy- laden with responsibilities. It may seem as though is job entails solely the commercial exchange of product for cash, but it is above and beyond this.

“Not stealing the money is a part of it. There’s also making sure you know exactly how many shirts you have, where the money is. Some-

times it gets pretty confusing, but it’s pretty straightforward. There’s a lot of boring driving, late nights, early mornings on the road, bad food.” Fastbuck is quick to ac- knowledge that he has not al-

Selling the sizzle: the life & times of Fastbuck Nelson

ways been a part of the lucra- tive tour merchandising. There were also less advantageous times, times when he was an independent merchandiser. “Back in my indie merch days... my free lance days.... Those were the days when I was just making merch for myself, you know? For the love of the sale. But, eventu- ally, I think everybody needs to make money to survive, so I have signed to a major band. I’m playing it one day at a time. You still get the huge thrill of the sale, though.”

It’s this dedication and pure love of his job that has made him a success story for those behind the scenes. He

has a concrete understanding ™@

of his place in the grand scheme of the tour, but also a

positive attitudesurrounding his —

job. Rock and roll relies on him as much as the music.

“T think it’s always been, to a certain degree, about the merch. Rock and roll is about entertaining people and the music is about entertainment, but also, when you come out to a show, people want some- thing to take home with them to remember the show or the

band by. Almost a badge to

say that they were there. A t- shirt is the classic rock and roll way of getting that across. I think a lot of people, when they goto arock show, they want to go home with a shirt.”

The shirt may be impor- tant to the souvenir-seeking fan, but the merchandiser is obviously not the focal point of the evening’s entertainment. Fastbuck acknowledges this fact.

“T think as a merch per- son, though, you have to be ready to accept the facts that you’re going to be in the shad- ows.”

True to most commer- cialtrades, certainurban myths surround even the seemingly innocent. The age old ques- tion of whether a cotton shirt will shrink or stretch is one such myth.

“Tl let everybody in on a little secret,” confides Fastbuck. “It'll shrink or it’Il stretch, depending on what I think they want. I don’t think it’s just about rock and roll t- shirt sellers. I think at the

shopping mall you'll get that sort of thing, too. It’s cotton. If you throw it in the dryer, it will shrink. The mechanics of it are so profound.” Being privy to such pro-

Although Mike "Fastbuck" Nelson was not on his knows what to do if he gets jumped: "I'd just hang on to the money and run."

found knowledge, Fastbuck of- fers advice to those trying to make a go at the merchandis- ing life.

“First off, ithelpstomain- tain some self-confidence. You’re not second fiddle: you’reimportant. You’rethere doing your own job. Although they’re the stars, you’ ve got to be proud of what you do and just stick with it, and you'll have a lot of fun.”

Despite our harsh eco-

nomic climate, Fastbuck has maintained a sunny attitude. This hard work and determi- nation has earned him a place as Thrush Hermit’s tour man- ager for dates in the United States of America.

Things may not always be, as Mike “Fastbuck” Nel- sonputs it, “selling like prover- bial hot cakes” but, like Huey Lewis, his heart of rock and rollis still beating.

uard when this photo was taken, he

photo D.A.

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