Kamloops, prepare to be starstruck!
Thompson Rivers University announced today that Andrew Loog Oldham, the famed rock-star manager for The Rolling Stones, is set to teach a pop culture course at the school. Oldham will collaborate with TRU's Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Adventure, Culinary Arts and Tourism for an adventure into pop culture from 1954 to 1984.
Oldham was the Stones' first manager at 19-years-old. Since the days with the band, he has moved throughout celebrity circles, working with the likes of Rod Stewart, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and more. Oldham will be a visiting scholar-in-residence with the Faculty of Arts while he gives 10, two-hour interactive talks during the 13-week course, which is being co-taught by Bruce Baugh from philosophy and Billy Collins from tourism management.
“Andrew Loog Oldham was at the epicentre of the most exciting music scene of all time: London in the 1960s," said Baugh. "Not only did he manage the Rolling Stones, but he knew the Beatles, the Who, the Kinks, Rod “the Mod” Stewart, Jimi Hendrix (who was pals with Brian Jones and Mick Jagger of the Stones), the original Small Faces, Jimmy Page (a producer for Andrew’s Immediate label), and on and on."
“It was a scene where everyone of any importance knew everyone else, it was incredibly concentrated in one place and it was amazingly fertile, artistically. The musicians were all under 30, and Oldham was as young as they were. It was a cultural revolution that shook the world. There has been nothing like it before or since.”
Titled "Rock Dreams: A History, 1954-1984 – Up Close and Personal with Andrew Oldham," the course is being offered on Thursdays from 6 to 9 pm starting January 2020. Non-TRU students can also register for the course.
“Having worked in the music industry for over 20 years myself, I can assure you that Andrew is the real deal," said Collins. "He’s going to be dynamite in the classroom. You could try to get in to see the Rolling Stones for a few hours one last time, or you could hang out in person with their original manager, producer and fashion stylist for 20 hours. From a teaching perspective, this is a perfect opportunity to animate the classroom and curriculum with real-life stories – that’s what really resonates with students. We are lucky here at TRU that we have the flexibility, capacity and the institutional will to deliver education differently. This course is a perfect example of that.”
“This is truly an exceptional and unique opportunity — not only to relive the firsthand experiences of a living icon from the music industry but to go beyond that to explore an era and a time with a major influencer who helped to shape it."
Anyone interested in more details can call the Faculty of Arts at (250)828-5200.
