Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon defended his aspect gigs as a dance-club DJ and revealed his worship of Bruce Springsteen — whilst he copped to “responsible pleasures” relating to music that embrace the Bee Gees and Barry Manilow.
The hard-charging Solomon — who has attracted controversy together with his part-time DJ gigs amid complaints from junior bankers about 100-hour work weeks — defended spinning data in a Thursday interview, saying it helps his “left mind, proper mind” stability.
“I’ve this analytical aspect of my thoughts that helps me with my biz skilled profession,” Solomon instructed the podcast “The Sound of Success with Nic Harcourt” on Thursday. “However I haven’t had a number of alternatives to stimulate the inventive artistic aspect of my mind and it makes me really feel good. Helps me loosen up.”
The 59-year-old monetary titan mentioned his aspect hustle initially raised eyebrows at Goldman, saying he was instructed, “You possibly can’t do this… it’ll damage your profession professionally.” “I thought of it and I mentioned, ‘I get pleasure from this, I’m not doing something fallacious,’” Solomon mentioned. “I’m having enjoyable… it makes me really feel good.”
One supply near Solomon mentioned that, regardless of his hard-driving administration model, many Goldman workers have now accepted and even embraced their boss’s DJ’ing behavior. “Folks respect dedication and he works onerous at it,” the supply mentioned. His gigs set an instance for Goldmanites to find pursuits outside the office, and have made him extra accessible and relatable for youthful workers, the supply added.
“I’ve seen kids talk to him in the office about music,” the source adds. “It makes him happy and we like a happy David Solomon.”
Solomon said his first musical memories included listening to the soundtrack of “Hair” in his parents’ bedroom and buying the soundtrack of “American Graffiti” and “Caribou” by Elton John on vinyl. At 16, he got the OK from his parents to trek from the NYC suburbs to Madison Square Garden on a school night to take in a Led Zeppelin concert.
“I remember the first Bruce Springsteen concert I ever went to,” Solomon said. “This would’ve been 1978 and I said to my dad, ‘I just saw God.’ This is the most unbelievable experience to see him live. And my father said, ‘You’ll know if he’s really extraordinary if your kids are listening to him,’ and that always stuck with me.”
Indeed, Solomon admitted he also inherited from his father an affection for Manilow, who stands among his “guilty pleasures” that likewise include the Bee Gees.
“Occasionally I’ll pop on Barry Manilow and think of my dad, so it’s a great memory for me,” Solomon said.
Asked whether he cranks up the tunes when he’s home alone, he said, “When I want to dance, I listen to dance music.” Solomon characterized his moves as more of a “bop” but conceded, “Sometimes when I get excited, I do a little dance.”
Solomon dodged questions about his favorite New York City haunts, including whether he frequents clubs like the erotic, raucous House of Yes. He said he has visited popular music venues like the Brooklyn Mirage and performed at trendy spots like the Schimanski club in Williamsburg.
