A relocation from Los Angeles proved pivotal for singer/songwriter Ryan Downe when he arrived in London during 1993 and caught the ear of Elton John, one of the decade's most prominent pop figures. John's manager, John Reid, had actually discovered Downe earlier while the artist performed an acoustic set at the Roxbury in L.A. Reid facilitated an introduction, though Downe still lacked assurance in his own abilities at that stage. John stepped into a guiding role, offering counsel on lyric craft and the pressures of navigating fame as a rock performer. Downe later joined the roster of John's Rocket imprint, which issued The Hypocrite in 1996. Reviewers responded enthusiastically, yet American radio largely ignored the record. Its darkly comic clip for "Where Am I Gonna Run To," showing Downe enacting assorted suicide attempts, earned rotation on MTV's 120 Minutes without boosting actual sales. Subsequent touring found him sharing stages with the Who and Iggy Pop. Seeking to support Bay Area underground acts, Downe and guitarist Johannes Luley launched Freudenhaus Recording Studio. Engineering duties on Los Amigos Invisibles' Arepa 3000: A Venezuelan Journey Into Space earned him a Grammy nomination in 2000.
