Recording My Book at a Legendary Studio
Sep 06, 2025
Twenty exuberant and electric hours. That’s the time I spent at Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco where the beating heart of countless seminal recordings. I immersed myself in the recording of my upcoming memoir, My Life in Business Suits, Hospital Gowns, and High Heels, slated for release in Fall 2025.
This studio isn't just a space…it’s an institution. Its legacy begins in 1969 when recording engineer Wally Heider launched Wally Heider Studios at 245 Hyde Street, offering a home for the Bay Area’s flourishing psychedelic rock movement. Artists like Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, Santana, Crosby, Stills & Nash, and Creedence Clearwater Revival found creative freedom here, helping define the “San Francisco Sound”.
Over the decades, Hyde Street Studios has welcomed a kaleidoscope of genres and artists such as punk, hip-hop, funk, rock, pop, and more. Bands like Dead Kennedys, Green Day, legends like Tupac Shakur, Chris Isaak, Train, Willie Nelson, Joe Satriani, Michael Franti & Spearhead—all have shaped the studio’s storied sonic tapestry.
My Recording Journey in My Voice
Walking through the door at 245 Hyde Street, I felt nerves and excitement entwined. The walls whispered stories. The creak of wooden floors, the hum of that grand Neve console, the echoes of creative energy in Studio A (it still holds the original acoustic tiles and control-room window).
For over 20 hours, I brought my memoir’s emotional arcs…trials in hospital gowns, triumphs in business suits, moments of vulnerability in high heels…to life. The engineers treated my voice with care, honoring the tens of thousands of lines they’d helped record before mine.
I felt connected to the voices that came before me: the Grateful Dead’s harmonies, Tupac’s raw passion, Green Day’s intense energy. And now, mine would join that lineage of storytelling, hope, struggle, and change.
Why This Matters and Why You’ll Care
Recording this book at Hyde Street Studios was more than logistics. It was a bold, creative choice. Doing so tied my personal journey to a continuum of fearless expression. It was about taking risks, standing on the shoulders of legends, and letting your voice echo in a place that has seen so much artistry.
My Life in Business Suits, Hospital Gowns, and High Heels isn’t just my story…it’s a testament to risk, resilience, reinvention, and the audacity to wear all those roles and still stay whole. The studio’s legacy amplifies that message: the freedom to evolve, to tell your story, and to stand proud in every chapter.
What to Watch For
- Coming Fall 2025! This memoir is your front-row seat to my world. Board meetings, hospital rooms, and runways…all tied together with grit, grace, and unflinching honesty.
- A Story with Soul: Recorded in a studio that made history. The voice you’ll hear is not just mine. It’s infused with the spirit of a place that’s seen legends at their peak.
- A Tribute to Resilience: If you've ever felt pulled in conflicting directions by roles or expectations, this book is for you.
If you’ve ever wondered what it means to claim your story, to show up fully even when everyone’s pulling you in different directions, this book is for you. I've recorded it at Hyde Street Studios with reverence, authenticity, and a conviction that every person can walk through fire in their own power and then tell the story on their own terms.
Stay tuned. Fall 2025 can’t come soon enough.
