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Marsha Vlasic wont tolerate bullshit, and shes seen it all.
There wasnt a road that was paved out that I followed, or an imprint or a plan.
I feel like I was at the right time and place.
Were these crazy agents all men?Yes, they were.
At that time, I became one of three women agents in the entire business.
And there werent women in record companies and publishing.
Maybe a few in PR, but as far as agents, there were only three of us.
I was given the choice of did I want to stay and take his place?
It was an unbelievable opportunity.
It was sex, drugs, and rock n roll what else would have I been doing?
That was a big challenge.
You were in this adjoining bar.
Because I was working at the time as an assistant to the playwright Frank Loesser.
But I really wasnthisassistant, I was working in the bookkeeping department or something very unimportant.
I went and met her managers.
I mean, really very nuts.
It was Spinal Tap.
They had the producers, they had the casting couch, they had go-go dancers.
It was really a different world.
I started to work for them.
They didnt even know about taking taxes out.
It was just crazy.
Also, the power to say no, to make choices.
I just cannot.
And he was so upset by it that we resolved it.
But there were times like that that were really hard.
You told him flat-out that you didnt think you could continue representing him if things didnt change?Yes.
I didnt realize it would hurt him that much.
He really was hurt by it, and it moved me.
As tough as everybody may think I am, Im very sensitive and emotional.
How did you gain that confidence?I believed in myself, totally.
I was a risk-taker.
I would name a price that I would cringe myself at and not believe that I would actually say.
I go down fighting pretty hard.
But you basically work for them, and if you believe in them, youll give up the challenge.
And if it doesnt work, I would never say, See I told you so.
Ill always protect my artists as if theyre one of my children.
Ill never let them fail.
How do you tow that delicate line between protecting and coddling?
But the thought process is, agan, I can only lead the horses to water.
I cannot drink it for them.
And the managers dont feel threatened by that.
Youre going to lose money.
We can do it this way.
And give him the options.
And its no go.
So then I say, Okay, Ill take this roller-coaster ride with you and do it your way.
Youve heard my way and feel this strongly.
I believe in you as an artist.
You want me to believe in you.
I dont write the songs.
I dont give them the stage.
So there has to be that kind of respect.
Different children need different things.
Is there a difference working with male clients versus female?No, and I represent many female artists.
With the whole #MeToo movement, theres more of a stress on the sex.
Of being a female versus male, and is that the reason for such and such.
And Im like, Wait a minute, honey.
You dont know what hard is.
You have an open door walk through it, fight through it, power through it.
It wouldnt have bothered me.
I thought what he said was a terrible thing, very inappropriate and just horrible.
I felt very confident about it, and I felt confident about my colleagues being part of it.
Is that something youre willing to talk about?No.
But it wasnt anything that was shattering to me, lets put it that way.
It was intimidation and a certain amount of harassment.
But, again, in those days it was sex, drugs, and rock n roll.
You have this movement now because it involves so many women.
We were a minority then.
The woman wouldve been blamed far more than people opening their eyes to it.
Has being ballsy been a double-edged sword in your career?
Thats what I found hardest.
Yes, I did have to yell louder.
Yes, I did have to make my point harder to be heard.
I had to fight to be heard.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
