Review
Kaufman brings new resonance to the phrase "seen it all, done it all." When Gram Parsons died after a drug and alcohol binge in 1973, Parsons' family planned to bury the singer in New Orleans, but Kaufman decided to carry out what he claims was Parsons' true desire, to be cremated at Joshua Tree National Monument. Kaufman stole the coffin containing Parsons' body from Los Angeles International Airport, drove to Joshua Tree, doused the corpse with gasoline, and struck a match. -- Entertainment Weekly, Ken Tucker, December 1993
In "Road Mangler Deluxe," the cheery-faced Kaufman tells tales on himself, some so tall as to defy belief and almost all inspired by his long career in the "Executive Nanny Service" as road manager to such stars at the Rolling Stones, Etta James, Joe Cocker, actress Elizabeth Ashley and Emmylou Harris...And plenty of Kaufman's client-pals have contributed testimony, including Rosanne Cash, Vince Gill and Frank Zappa: Kaufman was an emergency replacement for a Zappa road manager who had killed himself mid-tour.
Kaufman describes his work as "moving people, not equipment," and his responsibilities as everything from "housing and transportation to personal baby-sitting."
In the late '80s, Kaufman moved to Europe for four years, working as an assistant director for a production company doing films and TV, doing occasional character parts and modeling. He moved back to Nashville in 1992 and reunited with Emmylou Harris; he still serves as her road manager. -- The Washington Post, Richard Harrington, March 20, 1994
Tales From a Rocky Roadie OK, he only stole and cremated ONE body, and that was actually a noble, if thoroughly drunken, act of friendship toward his departed friend, country/rock pioneer Gram Parsons. Kaufman's recounting of that tale is moving and hilariously irreverent. But that's not the only event that makes "Road Mangler Deluxe" a rambunctious page-turner.
Kaufman also happened to produce the now-infamous "LIE" album by his onetime prison-mate Charles Manson...and has worked for Frank Zappa, Joe Cocker, Emmylou Harris and others, becoming an industry legend in the process.
When Parsons first asked him to become a road manager, Kaufman's response was, "What's that?" He learned it was simply a mobile version of what he'd already been doing for the Rolling Stones while they were in Los Angeles finishing up their "Beggar's Banquet" album. His greatest credibility comes, he says, from working for Emmylou Harris. Their friendship stretches back over two decades. -- Los Angeles Times, Jim Washburn, February 19, 1994
