Eric Alper started his own PR firm, Eric Alper Public Relations, after being the Director of Media Relations and Label Relations for eOne Music Canada
for the past 18 years. He's a regular music industry contributor to Bell Media, Rogers, Shaw Media, among others. Eric is the host of
@ThatEricAlper show on SiriusXM, a one-hour talk show about music. With over a million followers on social media, he's been named to Billboard
Magazine, Paste Magazine and The National Post's best on social media. Eric also goes to schools as a music industry expert to talk about how to find your spark- the thing that you love to do - opening eyes to the possibility of building outside the blocks.
Eric has loved the music industry since he was little. “I know that I’m very very lucky to be able to do what I do for so long. I knew what I wanted to do in the music industry since the time I was nine or ten years old.” Eric had a subscription to Billboard magazine from the age of twelve. He was compelled by the stories of the people behind the music, and the stories of the songs really excited him. “I was learning about the world around me through music.” He learned about geography, politics, current events and more. “Music is really about the connection that the artist makes to the fan, and the fan has the ability to emotionally attach themselves to their songs.”
Eric speaks at universities and schools across the country about following your dreams with a hint of reality. “Not everybody can be Mick Jagger from the Rolling Stones...What I try to tell them is about all the different opportunities and options out there…” From different forms of entertainment, to nonprofits and associations, to working at a record label as a producer or engineer, you can have career in music beyond being a rockstar. While Eric says he can’t play an instrument or carry a tune, noting that he has no musical talent whatsoever, he does have a knack for working as a publicist and speaking in the “language of an artist” to help arm them with the knowledge and tools to make informed choices in their careers. He helps people discover what they want and then helps to make that happen. “It’s a matter of figuring out what their goal is and kinda of working backwards, taking those small steps.”
Eric has a million and a half songs in his collection, so preparing for his P3 came from a moment. Since we actually had to reschedule, his playlist changed for our second attempt at recording. “A lot of the times, it’s how I’m feeling and what I’m personally going through.” The one song that didn’t change was his pick me up, but we’ll get to that later.
Eric’s nostalgic song was the first single he ever bought with his own money. “This was a record that I heard on the radio as a six year old.” This artist was the first one to really blow his mind and lead him to ask What is this? In a catalytic way. This artist had notable hair and was a “hell raising sex god,” according to my guest. “It was something I had never seen before.” Eric had the pleasure of working with Jerry Lee Lewis, though he was more terrified to meet him in person than any other artist in his long career. When he first saw him on stage, Jerry Lee had bodyguards lined up in front of the stage. Eric reflected, “I didn’t quite know if it was to protect the audience from Jerry or Jerry from the audience.” It turned out it was a little bit of both. “He was everything I thought he was...He’s still the last one standing out of all of them,” naming Elvis, Roy Orbison and John Lennon among others. Here’s Jerry Lee Lewis’s Great Balls of Fire:
Eric and I spoke a little bit about his grandfather's famous bar Grossman’s Tavern. It was Toronto’s first licensed blues bar and opened in 1943. It’s been referred to as the city’s longest-running live music venue, and it’s still going 7 nights a week under different owners. For people who are unfamiliar with this iconic place, Eric shared that, “It’s situated in the heart of Kensington Market in downtown Toronto...It was part of a community here you had a lot of Jewish families, you had a lot of immigrants moving to Kensington Market... You lived upstairs...and you worked downstairs..”His cousins and parents worked there, and the people at the tavern loved music as much as they loved the community and sense of belonging they shared. Beyond a bonding experience, Eric said that being in venues like Grossman's Tavern really taught him a lot about community and giving back.
Eric’s identity song is the one he wants played at his funeral. While he is in no way making plans for that to happen anytime soon, he feels that this song really says so much about him. We spoke about the British Invasion and its influence on Eric’s teenage years. While he referred to this band as a “poor man’s Duran Duran,” this song came from an anti-commercial album that the band insisted upon, regardless of the financial implications. “To [lead singer, Mark Hollis], music was art, and no one could tell him what to do with his art.” Here is Talk Talks Life’s What You Make It:
Eric’s pick-me-up song will always be his pick-me-up song. He described the duo as, “Two British young guys who looked a little bit rough and tough on the album…” When this song came out, Eric referred to it as “sunshiny” and shared his first response after hearing it as: “What, what, what????…” Eric thought the lead singer, who was adored by the ladies, looked so cool, so he, too, got earrings in both ears which he has to this day. “This album is chock filled with hit after hit after hit. If you’re in a bad mood and you play this song [and you don’t feel better, you need help]”. This is Eric’s selection of what he calls an upbeat perfect pop song by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. Here’s WHAM's Wake Me Up Before You Go Go:
Eric has had an incredible career. Past and current PR clients include Bob Geldof, Judy Collins, Randy Bachman, The Cult, Merle Haggard, John Prince, Ringo Starr, Slash, The Wiggles, Bush, Steve Earle, Snoop Dogg, The Smashing Pumpkins, Ray Charles, Little Steven, Sinead O'Connor, Sesame Street among hundreds of others over his 25 years in the music industry. Eric has stayed a fan the entire time and never jaded. “ I love doing it...because I’m a fan first and foremost.” He loves asking questions and finding out the inside and background of the music. He’s fascinated by the details, and that the stuff that propels his perpetual curiosity that he shares with his guests on That Eric Alper on Sirius XM. You can also find Eric @thatericalper on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook or through his website: https://www.thatericalper.com.
Eric Alper is the father of Hannah Alper, a Canadian activist, changemaker, blogger, and motivational speaker who addresses issues such as the environment, anti-bullying, and social justice. She is also the author of MomentUS (which I have been using in my classroom since it first came out in 2017).
