Azoff's version of the truth

NYT Sunday profile of Beverly Hills-based Live Nation covers mostly familiar ground, but in a lengthy interview with company Chairman Irving Azoff we're reminded why nothing that's said in the entertainment industry should be taken all that seriously:

Mr. Azoff is also known for bending the truth when it suits his purposes or those of his clients, a propensity that long ago earned him the nickname Swerving Irving. He has been surprisingly honest about his penchant for dissembling -- even saying so under oath, in a deposition in a lawsuit over the band Boston. After calling two music executives liars, he said, "Come to think of it, you can't believe much of what I say, either." "That's Irving," says Don Engel, a lawyer who has worked both for and against Mr. Azoff. "His game is, 'I say whatever I want, and if I change my mind, that's the new truth.' " It's all part of the game, Mr. Azoff says: "Various jobs that I've had require me to stand behind the curtain and -- what's the word? -- create an illusion. This is a business that requires different tactics at different times."

His favorite toy these days is a $110,000 black Tesla electric sports car.

He offers a demonstration and we inch down his driveway, past his koi pond, through a set of slowly opening gates. When Mr. Azoff reaches the street, he punches the accelerator, and the car lunges to about 70 m.p.h. in under four seconds. "Need I say more?" he cackles, barely braking in time for a stop sign. "It's insane!"