Andrew McManus Comes Clean

Australian promoter Andrew McManus went public to the media about his past three years in the wilderness, flying high but later hitting bottom to the point of wanting to end his own life.

Photo: Norm Oorloff / News Corp Australia

The 52-year-old rode high touring Fleetwood Mac, Guns N’ Roses, KISS, Kelly Clarkson, Jackson Browne, Motley Crue, Luciano Pavarotti, Lenny Kravitz, Aerosmith and Chris Isaak.

In a frank interview published in the Sunday Herald-Sun July 6, he admitted, “I lost my credibility and I lost my character.”

A series of dud tours in 2011 caused losses of A$4.2 million ($3.93 million). When the Australian Tax Office called in a debt of A$2.4 million ($2.24 million), he had to liquidate Andrew McManus Presents International.

His marriage broke up, and he had to sell his houses. He began drinking a bottle of vodka a day.

His depression twice put him on suicide watch, he said. He’s now paid off the debts, cleaned up, and started on an upswing when Kris Kristofferson insisted he handle his tour.

McManus Entertainment has Yes, Nigel Kennedy and UB40 on its books and he is negotiating with KISS.

A Sydney Morning Herald piece published June 27 revealed McManus was questioned in April 2012 by police over A$702,200 ($657,500) cash found in an unnamed U.S. businessman’s Sydney hotel.

He admitted the money was his, a repayment of a loan to tour ZZ Top.

McManus also claimed he had A$600,000 ($561,810) stashed in his home and knew how to smuggle tour money into Australia.

McManus told the Sunday Herald Sun the interview was at a time when “I was on a lot of morphine, I was drinking, and I was not in a good place.”