We lost Norman Pattiz on Dec. 4 at age 79. Norm was the Tony Stark of broadcasting, and he cast a formidable presence on me at a time of my life when I was struggling to find direction. Yet unlike Tony Stark, the dilettante industrialist who morphed into Iron Man whenever Stan Lee beckoned, Norm’s imprimatur on his industry resulted in countless appointments and chairmanships, from USC to the Council of Foreign Relations. Iron Man worked alone – the Norm that I came to know was a team player and entrepreneur who founded Westwood One and changed the landscape of syndicated radio.
I met Norm in 1982 when he came to my rescue. I had created a mural of John Lennon on a wall outside of Norman’s Rare Guitars inside of the sprawling West L.A. Music when it was on Hollywood Blvd. and Orange. Painting the mural as musicians like Jackson Browne watched my then girlfriend Denise airbrush Lennon’s Epiphone Casino was unforgettable. However, of all the Laurel Canyon-era musicians that stopped by, there was nobody who I bonded to more than Pat Kelley, more famously known as Paraquat Kelley from the Might Met – KMET in Los Angeles.
A couple months after the mural was finished, West LA Music announced that its building was going to be razed. Those hallowed walls that saw everyone from Clapton to Slash were scheduled to fall, including my mural. I called Pat Kelley, and he called Norm.
Norm was operating the young Westwood One out of a building in Culver City, in the shadow of MGM Studios, before the Lion was replaced by the logo that simply read “SONY.” Pat called me back, and told me, “Get the mural ready to be dismantled. Its going to its new home at Westwood One.” I had no idea what Westwood One was, but I was relieved that my homage to John Lennon would be saved. Pat told me that Norm Pattiz had made inquiries to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and had found a company who specialized in deconstruction and reconstruction of historical monuments. I was there when the truck came, and the saws came out to cut the mural into large tiles, that were wrapped, numbered and transported to Westwood One.
This is when I met Norm, as he was supervising the placement of the hastily cut tiles. Now a Frankensteinian cacophony of plaster dust, Norm was cautiously advising on how the mural was to be reconstructed. He had a wall ready. I thanked him profusely. “Be here tomorrow with your gear and re-paint it.” Evidently the guys had screwed up the order in which the tiles were supposed to be remounted. So the next morning, bright and early, I entered Westwood One, spread out my acrylics and started work. I was tying in detail on Lennon’s fur coat when I turned around and there was Norm, asking me if he could get me coffee. That happened on many a morning. With that coffee came conversations, and it was during those talks that I got the guidance that helped propel me into business. I was not nearly as successful as Norm, but he advised me to “make a difference,” and ultimately I feel that I did.
It became evident that I liked hanging around Westwood One more than I did painting the mural. Weird Al Yankovic worked in the mailroom. Workers were naturally drawn to the vivid colors and smell of brush cleaner – but it was becoming a distraction, and Norm asked me, “When will you be done?” I was soon out of there — never to hear from Norm for 30 years. Then one day I answered a call from Norm. “The building that your mural is in is being demolished – what do you want me to do with it?” I had pretty much forgotten about it. I told Norm that I did not have the space to take it, but I did want to see it one last time and take my son out to see it. “Do it tomorrow then,” he replied.
I did, and told my son of the story of how a young muralist got in fast company, and was supported by a man who certainly had better things to do. “Bill Clinton was photographed in front of the mural, hell everyone wanted their picture taken with it.” I think Norm took great delight in telling me that, and now I’m taking the same delight in telling you about this great guy.
Thanks, Norm.
