Shep Gordon, legendary talent manager of multiple household names from Alice Cooper to Luther Vandross, isn’t actually passionate about music. Despite having managed Alice since 1968, what drives Shep isn’t money, but of being of service to others. 

In this part two episode of Into The Magic Shop, Shep recalls meeting the Dalai Lama for the first time: 

“We went to see his holiness, I got backstage, and I'll never forget the door opened and he walked in the room and I felt like I had taken the best shower of my life. Like I'd never been that clean ever in my whole life.”

What makes a life is caring for others, says Shep, being of service, being non-judgemental, and forgiving. That’s the source of real happiness. And the happiest people, says Shep, have a mentor. For Shep, his mentor was the pioneering chef of Nouveau Cuisine, Roger Vergé; a man Shep credits for changing his life. 

“I think everyone has something to offer to another person. And that's the message at the end of our conversation; everybody has the capacity to be a mentor. It's something you can do. And while it will take time, the joy you receive from that is extraordinarily profound.”

On today’s podcast:

• Why he doesn’t need a contract with Alice Cooper
• How Roger Vergé changed his life  
• Meeting the Dalai Lama
• The power of mentorship