Scovill spoke about TENACIOUS with WOUB’s Ian Saint. A transcript of their conversation, edited for length and clarity, follows.

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WOUB) — Moo TV founder Scott Scovill has worked on countless tours, including large-scale productions by Hall of Famers like Garth Brooks, Whitney Houston, Ozzy Osbourne, David Bowie and Alan Jackson. But his path to that career included an unlikely early revelation in Ohio.

Scovill’s first brush with the concert production business came at 19, when a chance encounter with U2’s crew while waiting tables at a Howard Johnson led him to an unauthorized gig on their 1987 The Joshua Tree Tour.

With two days off before one of the tour’s Cleveland shows, a trip to a record store would stay with him long after the tour ended.

“I absolutely remember Cleveland,” Scovill tells WOUB. “I didn’t have a hotel; I was living in my car. I swung by the mall and went to the record store. I bought Rush’s new album, Hold Your Fire, on cassette.”

The album’s track “Mission” — about the sacrifice required to pursue a dream — hit differently given where he was in life.

“At a time when I was desperate for that, that song started being an anthem for me,” he tells WOUB.

His new book, Tenacious: The Art of Relentlessly Pursuing Your Wildest Dreams, chronicles that unlikely rise. Each chapter is enriched by contributions from figures who embody the same spirit — musicians, athletes, journalists and entrepreneurs, including recent WOUB interviewees Olympian Scott Hamilton and Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain.

Scott Scovill: I had barely graduated high school, then flunked out of college. Every time I tried doing homework, I had a fear of failure so strong that I’d have anxiety attacks. A girl I was seeing was killed in a car accident. The Joshua Tree grabbed me by the heart — I couldn’t believe how good every song was. I was at this rock-bottom moment, clinging to this music like a lifeboat. U2’s technical staff ended up in my restaurant and I was waiting on them. That interaction changed my life. I had so many questions, they said, “Just come to the next show.”

I went to the show, there were 15,000 screaming fans, and I had a paradigm shift: “This is what you’re gonna do with your life. You love music, technology, people, and seeing the world.” Bono stopped the show twice to tell people how they could make the world a better place through [initiatives like] Amnesty International. It became like a religion to me; I wanted to be attached to that. I wanted to help, and to be part of the music — I never dreamed I could be until I met U2’s crew.

It’s incredible that your first proper tour was The Rolling Stones’ massive 1989 Steel Wheels Tour — their last with Bill Wyman. You write about your bold choice to pursue video projection, which was very nascent technology. “I’m brand-new to the industry, and video is brand-new too. If I do lighting, sound, or power, I’ll be the new guy starting at the bottom of a really tall ladder. If I do video, I’ll be surrounded by new people since it’s so new to the industry. I think it’s my best bet for success.”



Scovill: I really was in the right place at the right time to be a pioneer. Nobody knew how to do the projectors, and one of U2’s crew said, “If [concert production] is what you want to do, you need to learn those projectors — that’ll make you invaluable. But it’ll be the worst job ever.” He was right; the projectors died all the time.

It was a nightmare, but I got good enough that two years later, The Rolling Stones wanted me for the biggest tour production in history — because I’m the kid doing the thing no one wants to do.

Another great quote is while you’re working as a Howard Johnson waiter. “Was this my life? Was this all I would be? All that my dysfunction would allow?” As someone who took an unorthodox path to working in show business myself, that gave me whiplash.

Scovill: The book encourages people to discover something they love. This is not the book to get you through that job you hate. What are you not doing, that you think about doing? Why not start doing it today? It doesn’t have to be for a living. I talk about discovering I can sing in my late 40s. Because I love it, I go after it. I know I’m going to fail, embarrass myself, people will laugh at me — all that happens, but I don’t quit. Now I’ve got a real following in Europe. I’m playing Norway in June, including two shows opening for Brad Paisley.

I have this hobby where I go to Europe, put on a cowboy hat, and sing songs I wrote for 10,000 people. But none of that would’ve happened if I didn’t learn that you’ve got to keep moving — don’t let the fear and doubt stop you. All those voices in your head that say you can’t, even if they’re 50% right, they’ll be right 100% of the time if you don’t face them.

One of the scariest things I’ve ever done is release my book. “Here’s seven years of me writing my thoughts. If you don’t like this book, you don’t like me.” But I did it, and I’m so proud. I’m sure eventually someone’s going to tell me “your book stinks.” But there are other people telling me “I love your book.” Ultimately, I’m willing to face the couple of people who don’t like what I’m doing so that I can do what I want to do and feel great about the life I’m living.

You’re on the Board of Directors for the Academy of Country Music. Viewers can catch the replay of the ACM Awards, hosted by Shania Twain, on Amazon Prime starting at 8 p.m. Eastern tonight. What excites you about this show?


Scovill: The ACM Awards may be my favorite day of the year. I’m so glad we still get together to celebrate greatness in music with a night like that. Everybody is so passionate about the music. We all love it — that’s why we’ve all dedicated our lives to it — and it’s so cool to be part of it. I’m very proud to be on the Board of Directors.