The John Dukakis Interview
By:
Michael D. McClellan | Wednesday, October 12th 2005
In 1989 you began to work with Mr. Woolf, running the
music business management department. You spent most of
your time developing a developing local act that would
go on to achieve international, chart-topping success:
New Kids on the Block. How much autonomy did you have,
and how satisfying was it to see your hard work pay off
in such a big way?
JOHN DUKAKIS
They were a client of Bob’s before I got there. He was
the person that they turned to, and there were a number
of reasons for that. Joey McIntyre’s father, who I grew
up knowing, was the person who initially turned to Bob –
not as someone he knew he could trust with their kid’s
money, because at the time there wasn’t any money there
to speak of, but because he knew Bob would do his very
best to represent them in a fair and ethical manner.
I had a fair amount of autonomy when I worked for Bob.
I wasn’t a true business manger – I didn’t have much of
a financial background. But like Bob, I looked as this
as being someone to run the business and make sure that
careful decisions were made. Bob was definitely
involved, and I reported everything to him. And I can’t
take any credit for developing them as artists. All of
these years later they are doing pretty well financially
– some because they’ve had other careers in
entertainment after New Kids, notably Donnie
Wahlberg, Joey McIntyre and Joey Knight. But I’m very
happy that they didn’t lose all of it, and that they
learned some good financial habits. I would like to
think that I had an impact on this part of their
development. And, in turn, I give credit to Bob for
that. He helped me to understand the importance of
working with our clients and educating them on how to
handle money.
Looking back, what are some of memories that stand out
about the Boston Garden?
JOHN DUKAKIS
That’s easy. We had a family friend who had season
tickets in Section 93, which was the nosebleed of
nosebleeds [laughs]. I know exactly where it was – I
still remember where the seats were located. And I
ended up going to many playoff games during the heyday.
I truly thought that Bill Russell was God, and I still
do [laughs]. Want to know something funny? It used to
bug me when older people would tell me about athletes
who were a little before my time, and how great they
were when they competed. Guys like Lou Gehrig, George
Mikan, Jesse Owens, Joe Louis, and Jackie Robinson. I’d
hear those stories and I’d have no point of reference
because I didn’t get to see them perform. And then
along comes Bill Russell. I still tell people about
him, because there are very few people who have played
team sports as well as Bill Russell. And fewer still
have been as smart as Bill Russell. He’s just a
brilliant, brilliant guy. And in the process of
bragging about him, I’ve become just like the guys who
used to bug me with all of those stories from yesteryear
[laughs].
I spent a fair amount of time at the Garden from 1966 to
1970. I loved the Boston Garden – it was a little hard
to see the action on the court. It was a little hot in
the summertime, and it was a little cool in the winter.
But it was special place to watch basketball. Weston
Adams, who used to own the Boston Bruins and the Boston
Garden, was once asked about the rat population in his
building. And rather than deny that there was a rat
problem, he smiled and said that every building has
rats. I’ll never forget that [laughs]. But the Garden
was an old, creaky building that, not unlike Fenway
Park, had a really warm, lived-in feel to it.
I went to many Celtics games in the Garden, but I only
went to a few Bruins games. I remember going to one in
particular – Michael J. Fox was in town, so we went to a
Bruins game together. Bob happened to be with Alan
Thick, and we ran into them at the game, so you know
what happened…we all got together so that the two
Canadians could watch the game and talk hockey for the
rest of the night [laughs].
As a fan of the Boston Celtics, please tell me about
some of the games, players, and key moments that still
stand out in your mind.
JOHN DUKAKIS
There were a lot of Lakers-Celtics games that stand out,
with Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar going up
against Bill Russell, Dave Cowens and Robert Parish. I
got to see a lot of games in the 1980s, and I was able
to watch the amazing Larry Bird. It was special to see
Bird work with Parish and Kevin McHale. By the way,
Dave Cowens and I had the same orthodontist. Cowens was
an incredible player in his own right. People tend to
overlook him when they discuss the greatest centers of
all-time.
I remember in 1987, my dad and I were on the road, and
we happened to be in Alabama. We were in an airport
lounge, waiting for our chartered plane, and they
delayed the departure of the flight in order to watch
the end of the classic game between the Celtics and
Pistons. I believe it was Game 5 of the Eastern
Conference Finals, when Bird came out of nowhere to
steal the ball and keep the Pistons from going home with
a 3-2 series lead. That was an incredible moment.
I remember being on a movie location in Dallas when I
was an actor, when the Celtics were playing the Rockets
in the ’86 Finals. The Celtics had been a huge part of
my life, and to this day I take a lot of pride in the
number of world championships that we’ve won. I just
remember Bird, McHale, Parish and Ainge beating the
Rockets for the title, and how uplifting that moment was
for me personally – and even though I was in Texas at
the time, it certainly made me feel a strong connection
to the fans back home.
You live and work in California, as part of Will Smith's
team at Overbrook Entertainment. What is it like to be
a fan of the Boston Celtics in the heart of Laker
country?
JOHN DUKAKIS
Well, it’s quite fun. The Celtics play here once a
year. The funny thing is that Will Smith has two floor
seats at the Staples Center, in addition to four other
seats in the fourth row. I’m not even sure if he’s a
Laker fan, but he uses the tickets for entertaining
business associates. Dad was out here recently,
teaching for the winter quarter, and I told him that we
were going out somewhere – but I wouldn’t tell him
where. Well, Will had given me the two tickets for the
floor, and I surprised dad with them that evening. We
went to the game and had a great time. The Celtics
lost, but not by much – it was actually a fun game. The
local TV folks came by to talk to him. He really
enjoyed himself that evening.
Let’s face it, the last few years its been a little
difficult to be a Celtics fan in Southern California.
But I truly believe that they’re on an upward path to
the NBA elite. It’s going to take time, but I believe
that the team has the elements there to make that
happen. Danny Ainge is a smart man, and he seems to be
a very good judge of talent. And Red Auerbach – bar
none, he is the best coach in the history of sports, in
any sport – I just wish that things had been different
for the Celtics the last fifteen years. He’s getting
way up there in years, and it’s hard to tell how much
time he has left. I’d just like to see the Celtics win
another championship while he’s still around to enjoy
it.
Final Question: You’ve achieved great success in
your life. You are universally respected and admired by
many people, both inside and outside of the
entertainment industry. If you could offer one piece of
advice on life to others, what would that be?
JOHN DUKAKIS
I’ve done okay, I’ve worked hard. The trick is trying
to find something that you love to do, and pursuing it
with every part of your being.
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