Cliff Burnstein (co-manager of Def Leppard, Metallica,...

Cliff Burnstein (co-manager of Def Leppard, Metallica, Dokken and Steve Earle): “If you do a good job, you can’t worry about how the artist feels. Worrying isn’t productive. Bands talk to each other. They hang out together--and they hear the dirt on everyone. If you’re doing a good job, word gets around very fast. And if you’re sneaking something, they’ll eventually find out--and you’ll pay for it. The real problem is that superstars tend to get out of touch with reality--and managers find themselves under a lot of pressure to tell them what they want to hear. You just have to shoot straight and hope you’re surrounded with artists who’ll appreciate that. Because if the artist’s career isn’t happening, it’s never their fault. It’s the manager’s fault.”