Sony CEO Howard Stringer transcript

MICHAEL EISNER:
So Howard, it's great to have you here. We kind of share a beginning. I was answering phones for Johnny Carson backstage and Jack Parr (PH), and you were answering phones for Ed Sullivan. Is that right?

HOWARD STRINGER:
Amongst others. Yes, I was answering just (UNINTEL) of phone calls. And I happened to be on Monday nights.

MICHAEL EISNER: Anybody who'll complain? Just regular complaining about-- and not like from the show or--

HOWARD STRINGER:
A-- a-- a lotta people were both highly positive and highly negative about Barbra Streisand one time. And-- and then the Beatles-- Beatles-- were wildly popular viewers. And I used to-- I used to pretend to be George Harrison and answer viewers phone calls. That was the most fun I had in that job.

MICHAEL EISNER:
So you were actually responsible for bringing the Beatles to the United States?

HOWARD STRINGER:
Me, personally?

MICHAEL EISNER:
Yes.

HOWARD STRINGER:
No, I would say nothing of the kind. No.

MICHAEL EISNER:
So you came to the United States (COUGHS) well before you ran the Sony Corporation, just as a 23 year old man looking for adventure?

HOWARD STRINGER:
Yes. I-- I-- I think that's exactly right. I mean I-- I had no idea what I wanted to do. I was-- about as fascinated as-- with America as you can possibly be as a young man, because those were the sort of halcyon days of change in the-- in the United States. So I just came over here on a whim and never intended to stay-- and got drafted. And-- and one thing led to another. And here I am.

MICHAEL EISNER:
You were here six weeks and then you get drafted to go to Vietnam?

HOWARD STRINGER:
Well they were smarter than I was. I-- I-- I didn't see it coming. I-- I didn't expect to be drafted.

MICHAEL EISNER:
Well why would they draft a tourist?

HOWARD STRINGER:
I think-- that we were losing the war at the time. (LAUGHTER)

MICHAEL EISNER:
Nobody else would go, and so they went, (LAUGHTER) "Oh, here's a tourist. He's from ales."

HOWARD STRINGER:
Oh it was--

MICHAEL EISNER:
"His father was in the RAF. Send him to Vietnam."

HOWARD STRINGER:
Long tradition of-- mercenaries everywhere (LAUGHTER) I go, I think.

MICHAEL EISNER:
And you just-- you wanted to go?

HOWARD STRINGER:
No, I didn't wanna go. I didn't know I was gonna go to Vietnam for one thing.

MICHAEL EISNER:
Where'd you think you were going?

HOWARD STRINGER:
Just--

MICHAEL EISNER:
Were you reading the papers at this point?

HOWARD STRINGER:
No, no. It-- the-- there was a rule actually that aliens couldn't go to Vietnam when I first oined the-- when I was first-- I didn't join, I was drafted into the American Army. nd-- and it all seemed like a terrible mistake. And actually, I thought I could talk my way out of it.

MICHAEL EISNER:
And? You couldn't.

HOWARD STRINGER:
And the bureaucracy is much bigger than I am. And I was very naive.

MICHAEL EISNER:
So how'd you get all these medals? Did you get wounded or did you just--

HOWARD STRINGER:
No, no. I was in charge of medals. I didn't get many medal (SIC). I--

MICHAEL EISNER:
No, I read you had like five medals.

HOWARD STRINGER:
Yes, I have five. But I think (LAUGHTER) most were for showing up.

MICHAEL EISNER:
You-- five-- okay so you-- how long did you serve?

HOWARD STRINGER:
Two years. Two years. One year in Vietnam-- just under a year in Vietnam.

MICHAEL EISNER:
And then you came back and didn't immediately become the Chairman and CEO of the Sony Corporation. You had a 30 year rise to that position--

HOWARD STRINGER:
Yeah--

MICHAEL EISNER:
--right?

HOWARD STRINGER:
--well I-- I went back to a very lowly job and made my ponderous way up the ladder.

MICHAEL EISNER:
-- you were a producer. You worked your way up to CBS. You became head of CBS. They became number one. Wow, pretty good.

HOWARD STRINGER:
Well there's a lot of-- a lot of trips and falls in between the-- that--

MICHAEL EISNER:
Yeah, but still pretty effective.

HOWARD STRINGER:
Yeah, it was quite fun.

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