"The first time I went to New York, I met Alan Freed"

Johnny Rivers' quote about his very first time in New York and conference Alan Freed speaks to the power of the city and the effect it can have on a person. It recommends that New York is a place of chance and that it can be a place to fulfill influential individuals. Rivers' experience of meeting Freed, a pioneering radio disc jockey who is credited with promoting rock-and-roll, implies that New York is a place where one can make connections and have significant experiences. It also recommends that Rivers was influenced by Freed's work and that it had a long lasting effect on him. The quote speaks with the power of New York City and the prospective it has to form an individual's life.