
Howling at the Moon
The Odyssey of a Monstrous Music Mogul in an Age of Excess
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $18.13
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Walter Yetnikoff
About this listen
Show biz memoir at its name-dropping, bridge-burning, profane best: The music industry’s most outspoken, outrageous, and phenomenally successful executive delivers a rollicking memoir of pop music’s heyday.
During the 1970s and '80s, the music business was dominated by a few major labels and artists such as Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Barbra Streisand, and James Taylor. They were all under contract to CBS Records, making it the most successful label of the era. And, as the company's president, Walter Yetnikoff was the ruling monarch. He was also the most flamboyant, volatile, and controversial personality to emerge from an industry and era defined by sex, drugs, and debauchery.
Having risen from working-class Brooklyn and the legal department of CBS, Yetnikoff, who freely admitted to being tone deaf, was an unlikely label head. But he had an uncanny knack for fostering talent and intimidating rivals with his appalling behavior, usually fueled by an explosive combination of cocaine and alcohol. His tantrums, appetite for mind-altering substances, and sexual exploits were legendary. In Japan to meet the Sony executives who acquired CBS during his tenure, Walter was assigned a minder who confined him to a hotel room. True to form, Walter raided the minibar, got blasted, and seeing no other means of escape, opened a hotel window and vented his rage by literally howling at the moon.
In Howling at the Moon, Yetnikoff traces his journey as he climbed the corporate mountain, danced on its summit, and crashed and burned. We see how Walter became the father-confessor to Michael Jackson as the King of Pop reconstructed his face and agonized over his image while constructing Thriller (and how, after it won seven Grammys, Jackson made the preposterous demand that Walter take producer Quincy Jones’ name off the album); we see Walter, in maniacal pursuit of a contract, chase the Rolling Stones around the world and nearly come to blows with Mick Jagger in the process; we get the tale of how Walter and Marvin Gaye - fresh from the success of “Sexual Healing” - share the same woman, and of how Walter bonds with Bob Dylan because of their mutual Jewishness. At the same time we witness Yetnikoff’s clashes with Barry Diller, David Geffen, Tommy Mottola, Allen Grubman and a host of others. Seemingly, the more Yetnikoff feeds his cravings for power, sex, liquor, and cocaine, the more profitable CBS becomes - from $485 million to well over two billion dollars - until he finally succumbs, ironically, not to substances, but to a corporate coup. Reflecting on the sinister cycle that left his career in tatters and CBS flush with cash, Yetnikoff emerges with a hunger for redemption and a new reverence for his working-class Brooklyn roots.
Ruthlessly candid, uproariously hilarious and compulsively enjoyable, Howling at the Moon is a blistering You’ll Never Eat Lunch in this Town Again of the music industry.
©2004 Walter Yetnikoff with David Ritz (P)2004 Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Soundtrack of My Life
- By: Clive Davis
- Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris, Clive Davis
- Length: 22 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this star-studded autobiography, Clive Davis shares a personal, candid look into his remarkable life and the last 50 years of popular music as only a true insider can. In the history of popular music, no one looms as large as Clive Davis. His career has spanned more than 40 years, and he has discovered, signed, or worked with a staggering array of artists: Whitney Houston, Janis Joplin, Simon and Garfunkel, Barry Manilow, Patti Smith, Lou Reed, Dionne Warwick, Carlos Santana, The Grateful Dead, Alicia Keyes, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, and Aretha Franklin, to name a few.
-
-
A Look into...nothing
- By RBK on 06-17-13
By: Clive Davis
-
Beastie Boys Book
- By: Michael Diamond, Adam Horovitz
- Narrated by: Michael Diamond, Adam Horovitz, various
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A panoramic experience that tells the story of Beastie Boys, a book as unique as the band itself - by band members ADROCK and Mike D, with contributions from Amy Poehler, Colson Whitehead, Wes Anderson, Luc Sante, and more.
-
-
License to Listen - The Illest Communication
- By J. Combs on 12-12-18
By: Michael Diamond, and others
-
Power & Beauty
- By: Tip "T.I." Harris, David Ritz
- Narrated by: Prentice Onayemi
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hip-hop artist Tip "T.I." Harris has received every acclaim the music world has to offer. Now, working with bestselling celebrity collaborator David Ritz, T.I. applies all his talent and experience to the world of fiction by creating the epic love story of Power and Beauty. After the death of his mother, Charlotte, Paul “Power” Clay allows himself to be guided by Slim, a local businessman. Slim always has the best of everything, and Power is sure that if he learns Slim's ways, he'll make something of himself - and perhaps be worthy of Tanya “Beauty” Long.
-
-
Suprised by T.I.'s story telling skills
- By Dream on 07-11-12
By: Tip "T.I." Harris, and others
-
Rocks
- My Life in and out of Aerosmith
- By: Joe Perry, David Ritz
- Narrated by: Joe Perry
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Rocks, Joe Perry exposes his unrepentant, unbridled life as the lead guitarist of Aerosmith. He delves deep into his volatile, profound, and enduring relationship with singer Steve Tyler and reveals the real people behind the larger-than-life rock gods onstage. The nearly five-decade saga of Aerosmith is epic, at once a study in brotherhood and solitude that plays out on the killing fields of rock and roll.
-
-
Discover Your Passion and Love With A Full Heart
- By Royce Phillips on 01-31-15
By: Joe Perry, and others
-
My Name Is Barbra
- By: Barbra Streisand
- Narrated by: Barbra Streisand
- Length: 48 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Barbra Streisand is by any account a living legend, a woman who in a career spanning six decades has excelled in every area of entertainment. She is among the handful of EGOT winners (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) and has one of the greatest and most recognizable voices in the history of popular music. She has been nominated for a Grammy 46 times, and with Yentl she became the first woman to write, produce, direct, and star in a major motion picture. In My Name Is Barbra, she tells her own story about her life and extraordinary career.
-
-
BARBRA IS LIKE BUTTAH!
- By JoeGato57 on 11-08-23
By: Barbra Streisand
-
12 Notes
- On Life and Creativity
- By: Quincy Jones
- Narrated by: JD Jackson, Quincy Jones
- Length: 5 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wisdom and musings on creativity and life from one of the world’s most beloved musicians, producers, and mentors, Quincy Jones. 12 Notes is a self-development guide that will affirm that creativity is a calling that can and should be answered, no matter your age or experience.
-
-
I lived these notes with Quincy
- By Thomas Bähler on 04-29-22
By: Quincy Jones
-
The Soundtrack of My Life
- By: Clive Davis
- Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris, Clive Davis
- Length: 22 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this star-studded autobiography, Clive Davis shares a personal, candid look into his remarkable life and the last 50 years of popular music as only a true insider can. In the history of popular music, no one looms as large as Clive Davis. His career has spanned more than 40 years, and he has discovered, signed, or worked with a staggering array of artists: Whitney Houston, Janis Joplin, Simon and Garfunkel, Barry Manilow, Patti Smith, Lou Reed, Dionne Warwick, Carlos Santana, The Grateful Dead, Alicia Keyes, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, and Aretha Franklin, to name a few.
-
-
A Look into...nothing
- By RBK on 06-17-13
By: Clive Davis
-
Beastie Boys Book
- By: Michael Diamond, Adam Horovitz
- Narrated by: Michael Diamond, Adam Horovitz, various
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A panoramic experience that tells the story of Beastie Boys, a book as unique as the band itself - by band members ADROCK and Mike D, with contributions from Amy Poehler, Colson Whitehead, Wes Anderson, Luc Sante, and more.
-
-
License to Listen - The Illest Communication
- By J. Combs on 12-12-18
By: Michael Diamond, and others
-
Power & Beauty
- By: Tip "T.I." Harris, David Ritz
- Narrated by: Prentice Onayemi
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hip-hop artist Tip "T.I." Harris has received every acclaim the music world has to offer. Now, working with bestselling celebrity collaborator David Ritz, T.I. applies all his talent and experience to the world of fiction by creating the epic love story of Power and Beauty. After the death of his mother, Charlotte, Paul “Power” Clay allows himself to be guided by Slim, a local businessman. Slim always has the best of everything, and Power is sure that if he learns Slim's ways, he'll make something of himself - and perhaps be worthy of Tanya “Beauty” Long.
-
-
Suprised by T.I.'s story telling skills
- By Dream on 07-11-12
By: Tip "T.I." Harris, and others
-
Rocks
- My Life in and out of Aerosmith
- By: Joe Perry, David Ritz
- Narrated by: Joe Perry
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Rocks, Joe Perry exposes his unrepentant, unbridled life as the lead guitarist of Aerosmith. He delves deep into his volatile, profound, and enduring relationship with singer Steve Tyler and reveals the real people behind the larger-than-life rock gods onstage. The nearly five-decade saga of Aerosmith is epic, at once a study in brotherhood and solitude that plays out on the killing fields of rock and roll.
-
-
Discover Your Passion and Love With A Full Heart
- By Royce Phillips on 01-31-15
By: Joe Perry, and others
-
My Name Is Barbra
- By: Barbra Streisand
- Narrated by: Barbra Streisand
- Length: 48 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Barbra Streisand is by any account a living legend, a woman who in a career spanning six decades has excelled in every area of entertainment. She is among the handful of EGOT winners (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) and has one of the greatest and most recognizable voices in the history of popular music. She has been nominated for a Grammy 46 times, and with Yentl she became the first woman to write, produce, direct, and star in a major motion picture. In My Name Is Barbra, she tells her own story about her life and extraordinary career.
-
-
BARBRA IS LIKE BUTTAH!
- By JoeGato57 on 11-08-23
By: Barbra Streisand
-
12 Notes
- On Life and Creativity
- By: Quincy Jones
- Narrated by: JD Jackson, Quincy Jones
- Length: 5 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wisdom and musings on creativity and life from one of the world’s most beloved musicians, producers, and mentors, Quincy Jones. 12 Notes is a self-development guide that will affirm that creativity is a calling that can and should be answered, no matter your age or experience.
-
-
I lived these notes with Quincy
- By Thomas Bähler on 04-29-22
By: Quincy Jones
-
My Effin' Life
- By: Geddy Lee
- Narrated by: Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Cliff Burnstein
- Length: 16 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Geddy Lee is one of rock and roll's most respected bassists. For nearly five decades, his playing and work as co-writer, vocalist and keyboardist has been an essential part of the success story of Canadian progressive rock trio Rush. Here for the first time is his account of life inside and outside the band.
-
-
Lee's Narration Will Captivate You.
- By Ms. R on 11-14-23
By: Geddy Lee
-
George Harrison
- The Reluctant Beatle
- By: Philip Norman
- Narrated by: David Holt
- Length: 16 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Despite being hailed as one of the best guitarists of his era, George Harrison, particularly in his early decades, battled feelings of inferiority. He was often the butt of jokes from his bandmates owing to his lower-class background and, typically, was allowed to contribute only one or two songs per Beatles album out of the dozens he wrote.
-
-
Not good
- By PEDRO on 03-12-24
By: Philip Norman
-
Shoe Dog
- A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
- By: Phil Knight
- Narrated by: Norbert Leo Butz, Phil Knight - introduction
- Length: 13 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this candid and riveting memoir, for the first time ever, Nike founder and CEO Phil Knight shares the inside story of the company's early days as an intrepid start-up and its evolution into one of the world's most iconic, game-changing, and profitable brands.
-
-
Just read it. (or listen, whatever)
- By Dan D on 07-07-16
By: Phil Knight
-
Leon Russell
- The Master of Space and Time's Journey Through Rock & Roll History
- By: Bill Janovitz
- Narrated by: Bill Janovitz, Jason Culp
- Length: 24 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Leon Russell is an icon, but somehow is still an underappreciated artist. He is spoken of in tones reserved not just for the most talented musicians, but also for the most complex and fascinating. His career is like a roadmap of music history, often intersecting with rock royalty like Bob Dylan, the Stones, and the Beatles.
-
-
A dream come true for Leon Russell fans!!
- By William Straten on 03-15-23
By: Bill Janovitz
-
Cowboys and Indies
- The Epic History of the Record Industry
- By: Gareth Murphy
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 15 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cowboys and Indies is the definitive record-business bible, chronicling the pioneers who set the stylus on the most important labelsand musical discoveries of the last century. The narrative follows all the musical trends and developments from the phonograph to the Internet age as it delves behind the big business of corporate hit machines and the diligent industry of small, curated labels.
-
-
Epic, yet incomplete.
- By Rob G. on 10-14-14
By: Gareth Murphy
-
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)
- A Memoir
- By: Sly Stone, Ben Greenman - contributor, Questlove - foreword
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the few indisputable geniuses of pop music, Sly Stone is a trailblazer and a legend. He created a new kind of music, mixing Black and white, male and female, funk and rock. As a songwriter, he penned some of the most iconic anthems of the 1960s and ’70s, from “Everyday People” to “Family Affair.” As a performer, he electrified audiences with a persona and stage presence that set a lasting standard for pop-culture performance.
-
-
Thank You!
- By Gina M. McKenzie on 10-20-23
By: Sly Stone, and others
-
The Last Sultan
- The Life and Times of Ahmet Ertegun
- By: Robert Greenfield
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 13 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The definitive biography of the king of the rock 'n' roll business, Ahmet Ertegun, the founder of Atlantic Records.
-
-
A Man More Than Fascinating
- By Steven on 03-08-12
-
Siren Song
- My Life in Music
- By: Seymour Stein, Gareth Murphy - contributor
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Seymour Stein is America's greatest living record man. Not only has he signed and nurtured more important artists than anyone alive, now 60 years in the game, he's still the hippest label head, traveling the globe in search of the next big thing. Since the late '50s, he's been wherever it's happening, and along that winding path, he discovered and broke out a skyline full of stars, including Madonna, The Ramones, Talking Heads, Depeche Mode, Madonna, The Smiths, The Cure, Ice-T, Lou Reed, Seal, and many others.
-
-
If you are interested personal accounts of music history
- By Ezra Schwartz on 04-28-23
By: Seymour Stein, and others
-
Nightfly
- The Life of Steely Dan's Donald Fagen
- By: Peter Jones
- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The smooth veneer of the duo's songs made Steely Dan popular and famous in the 1970s, but the polish glossed over the underlying layers of anger, disappointment, sleaze, and often downright weirdness lurking just beneath the surface. The elliptical lyrics—were—and continue to be-an endless source of fascination. What kind of person was capable of writing such songs? Donald Fagen has always kept his true self hidden behind walls of irony, confounding most journalistic enquiries. Nightfly cracks open the door to reveal the life behind the lyrics.
-
-
Disappointing
- By Mike L on 10-13-22
By: Peter Jones
-
Cinema Speculation
- By: Quentin Tarantino
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Quentin Tarantino
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In addition to being among the most celebrated of contemporary filmmakers, Quentin Tarantino is possibly the most joyously infectious movie lover alive. For years he has touted in interviews his eventual turn to writing books about films. Now, with Cinema Speculation, the time has come, and the results are everything his passionate fans—and all movie lovers—could have hoped for. Organized around key American films from the 1970s, all of which he first saw as a young moviegoer at the time, this book is as intellectually rigorous and insightful as it is rollicking and entertaining.
-
-
A letdown I didn't see coming.
- By polycow on 11-03-22
-
Like a Rolling Stone
- A Memoir
- By: Jann S. Wenner
- Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris, Jann S. Wenner
- Length: 17 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rolling Stone founder, co-editor, and publisher Jann Wenner's deeply personal memoir vividly describes and brings you inside the music, the politics, and the lifestyle of a generation, an epoch of cultural change that swept America and beyond. The age of rock and roll in an era of consequence, what will be considered one of the great watersheds in modern history. Wenner writes with the clarity of a journalist and an essayist. He takes us into the life and work of Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Bono, and Bruce Springsteen, to name a few.
-
-
Name-dropping on steroids
- By Tim on 09-19-22
By: Jann S. Wenner
-
Anything for a Hit
- An A&R Woman's Story of Surviving the Music Industry
- By: Dorothy Carvello
- Narrated by: Traci Odom
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dorothy Carvello knows all about the music biz. She was the first female A&R executive at Atlantic Records and one of the few in the room at RCA and Columbia. Featuring never-before-heard stories about artists like Michael Jackson, Madonna, Steven Tyler, Bon Jovi, INXS, Marc Anthony, Phil Collins, and many more, this audiobook is a must-hear for anyone who has ever wondered what it's really like to be a woman in a male-dominated industry.
-
-
A MUST READ (listen) for all females
- By CallieRoseMadeIt on 07-17-19
By: Dorothy Carvello
Critic reviews
"This memoir by Yetnikoff, the former president of CBS Records, may lead to hipsters changing the phrase 'partying like a rock star' to 'partying like the president of a record label.'" (Publishers Weekly)
What listeners say about Howling at the Moon
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- jack
- 02-23-16
Decent
Good story, good information, a bit boring at times. Overall, a decent read. I think this story would be more appreciated on the big screen.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Phil
- 01-24-13
Wicked story about a Wicked man!
I dont tend to usually go for abridged versions though not sure how much more of this I could take. He has lived this life most people could only dream of. At times seem to dismiss himself as not deserving though he worked tirelessly and it took its toll on marriages, bank accounts and his health. Check it out for sure.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amanda Barber
- 11-05-16
Brilliant
Loved the juicy details and voices done by Walter always Ritz brings the real deal.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Randy Fr.
- 01-05-16
Walter is a legend and its a pleasure to hear him
Wow. Love the book, especially Walters reading. I wish it was longer. Walter, don't be too hard on yourself.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
- Francesco
- 09-23-04
Bring back the age of Excess
They say that internet downloads are killing the music industry! i say boring industry exec's are killing the music industry?I'll give you an example? I recently called an A&R person in a major record company , and said are you going to check out blah blah, "oh no i dont go out anymore, I just stay at home and watch a dvd and go to bed" was the answer?this is what the industry is made of today?boring idiots. bring back the YETNIKOFF style exec. A MUST READ FOR ALL THOSE BORING IDIOTS WHO WORK IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY. you might actually learn something and generate a profit for both your company and artists.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Austin
- 02-07-24
His story
Nothing is like Walter and he is very inspirational and made me proud to work at Columbia Records
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- William Whittaker
- 06-19-23
Glitch audio, abridged.
The audio jumps, and the author is a terrible narrator. If you are interested, read the book elsewhere.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!