Adding Insult to Injury
Geffen nearly left the entertainment industry in late 1976. At that point, he was Vice-Chairman of Warner’s movie division, but he despised the job. And so, he quit, understanding just how fickle his friendships in Hollywood really were. He also regretfully came to see just how unpopular his arrogance had made him.
Michelle Phillips, Warren Beatty, and David Geffen leaving the Cock n’ Bull restaurant on Sunset Boulevard November 1976. Photo by Frank Edwards / Fotos International / Archive Photos / Getty Images
Clive Davis hosted a post-Grammys breakfast at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where a music business lawyer by the name of Brian Rohan physically attacked Geffen. To add insult to injury, Rohan was widely applauded for it. The next year, Geffen was diagnosed with bladder cancer, only to learn that it had been a misdiagnosis.