Music Business Executive Michael Alago On His New Book “I Am Michael Alago” & Future Plans

The quintessential New Yorker with an “only in New York” career, Michael Alago is a legendary music executive and published photographer. He is also known for his extraordinary work with Metallica, White Zombie, The Sex Pistols’ John Lydon, Cyndi Lauper and Nina Simone. In his new book I Am Michael Alago, Alago shares his successes in the music industry — like signing Metallica to their first major label recording contract, while battling stereotypes, addiction and life-threatening illness.

Beyond being the focal point of I Am Michael Alago: Breathing Music. Signing Metallica. Beating Death., Alago was also the subject of a 2017 documentary titled Who The F*** Is That Guy? The Fabulous Journey Of Michael Alago. Directed by Drew Stone and produced by Michael Alex, the film focused on Alago’s wildly successful career in music and was initially released to both Netflix and traditional movie theaters. Who The F*** Is That Guy? is also now available for viewing via Amazon Prime Video.

Michael Alago is currently doing press in support of the I Am Michael Alago book, and I had the pleasure of speaking with him by phone on March 24, 2020, right in the midst of the current Coronavirus pandemic. The A&R legend also opened up about his career as a photographer and future plans. Beyond listening to the full interview via the embedded audio shown below, more on Alago can be found online by visiting www.instagram.com/michaelanthonyalago.

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Tags: A&R, Chris Jericho, Coronavirus, Elektra Records, Metallica, Michael Alago, Netflix, White Zombie

About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."