Keith Cooper shares his experiences running the Cathouse in Hollywood before becoming a lawyer from his love of video games. We wrap up our conversation with his thoughts on technology and the future of licensing.
Keith Cooper recounts his journey from being a high school social butterfly to a successful entertainment lawyer. He and his partner, Riki Rachtman, ventured into club promotion, organizing events at various venues. Their breakthrough came with the establishment of the world-famous Cathouse, a rock and roll dance club that became a hub for the 80s rock scene in Los Angeles. The club attracted renowned bands like Guns N' Roses and Motley Crue, and Keith played a crucial role in managing its operations.
While enjoying the vibrant club scene, Keith realized the need for a stable career and, inspired by his father's legal profession, decided to pursue law. He attended law school in Pennsylvania, where he distanced himself from the party lifestyle and immersed himself in his studies. After passing the bar exam, Keith focused on entertainment law, leveraging his experience in the music industry. A chance encounter with Ryan Morrison led him to join Morrison Rothman, where he found his passion for representing video game clients. With the firm rebranding as Morrison Cooper, Keith looks forward to continuing his successful legal career in the entertainment and gaming sectors.
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:00:53) Rock Bands and Mustangs, Keith on the Come Up.
(00:06:23) Cathouse and Club Promotion
(00:11:13) Guns N Roses were regulars
(00:17:52) Everyone wanted to come to the Cathouse: Pure Debauchery
(00:21:44) Was the movie Dirt an Embellishment?
(00:23:09) A time before social media.
(00:25:04) Many different successful professionals came out of the rock scene.
(00:28:59) From Rock and Roll to Legal Counsel
(00:35:20) Sobriety and Law School
(00:41:19) Learning new ways to expand your knowledge
(00:45:17) From Music and Clubs to Video games.
(00:50:26) Favorite Video Games
(00:51:44) The Last of Us the show.
(00:59:09) Stigma of being a Lawyer
(01:01:07) Avoiding the overuse of legalese.
(01:04:46) Being in the service of others.
(01:07:07) Keith's Father
(01:12:22) Keeping your cool when dealing with contrarians.
(01:18:11) Cathouse Stories
(01:25:45) More Cathouse Stories, Camp Hollyhood shirts
(01:32:10) What are some of Keith's Favorite Songs?
(01:34:36) What Podcasts does Keith enjoy?
(01:35:41) Favorite songs during the hair metal days.
(01:37:51) Future Forward
(01:39:43) Litigation around AI
(01:47:57) Tech used for infringement purposes
(01:52:05) The Conversation on Crypto
(01:57:17) Trademarks vs Copyrights
(02:01:54) The Metaverse and Virtual Reality applications.
(02:06:31) What about the videogame space gets you excited?
(02:18:30) Outro
🎵 Music Produced by Chris "Big Duke" Malloy during "Secret Sauce Session" with Neil Alonzo.
🎥 Produced by @vocalvisualcoBrandon Don Heath and Neil Alonzo
