chicEstates
school of rock
For Corcoran’s Arlene Reckson, a career in real estate was preceded by serious stints in the fashion and music industries. How does one transition from working for John Lennon and Yoko Ono to specializing in high-end homes on the East End? Read on! BY KRISTEN HEINZINGER photography by tawni bannister
ROCK STAR REALTOR (From top) Arlene Reckson, Corcoran’s realtor extraordinaire; Before her real estate days, Reckson worked for major music labels, where she bumped shoulders with John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Jon Bon Jovi, and other celebrated artists.
FA S H I O N W E E K D A I L Y. C O M
Is it true that you got your start in shoes? When I graduated from FIT, I hated sewing and could barely make a pattern. I only enjoyed the creative part of being a designer. Designing shoes didn’t require that. I worked for a company called La Piuma. The owner used to work at Pappagallo, which means “the parrot,” and when he left he started La Piuma, which means “the feather.” We had our own label. It was a junior kind of look. I also did a private label for Neiman Marcus and Macy’s with them. For years, I did freelance designing for different companies. I liked the creative part of it, but when things got too much business, I would look for a more creative outlet. I was young and stupid enough to think that I could keep switching careers, and I was always able to. How did you initially become involved in the music industry? I thought it would be more fun than working in a shoe factory. It was a different time. Everything was on a more personal level, and was easier to reach. You could drop off your résumé and it would actually get somewhere. And if they liked the way you looked, you were scooted in. It wasn’t the way it is now, where you can’t get past the lobby and everything is done on the Internet. I had gone to an employment agency, and I wanted to change careers and do something in the entertainment business. I was offered two jobs in the same day. One was for William Morris Agency and the other was for Record Plant. I figured William Morris was the better move, career-wise, but Record Plant would be more fun. So I took the one that was more fun. How did you end up as a personal assistant to John Lennon and Yoko Ono? It was a great experience. I think my neighbors thought I worked for an undertaker because a limo would often pick me up and drop me off! I met them because they were clients of Record Plant Recording Studios. The best for me is the Imagine album—my photo is on the inner sleeve. At that time I had just started, so I was the evening receptionist. I eventually grew into the studio manager. What other roles did you play in that field? I was the first female A&R Director for a major U.K. label, ATV/Pye Records. I was studio manager for Power Station. At Record Plant we had a remote truck, which is basically a studio control room in a truck. We got to tour with bands and do live recording. We recorded the second inauguration of Nixon. I would sometimes join them on the road, and I would do a little bit of helping on the truck, but mostly was there to order lunch. [Laughs] Our clients included Alice Cooper, B.B. King, Don McLean, the Raspberries, George Harrison’s Bangladesh concert. When I started, they were working on the Woodstock concert recordings. I also managed Power Station Studios, and there we had Bruce Springsteen, Dire Straits, and Jon Bon Jovi. He was an assistant when I started. That was how he earned studio time for his band. His uncle owned the studio. I worked for record companies, mostly Polydor and ATV, the American operating arm of a large British company. When I was at ATV, I had produced a series of History of British Rock albums. I did the compilations. My biggest claim to fame was that I brought the song “Kung Fu Fighting” to the United States. My boss was in London, and he played it for me on the telephone. He said, “What