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| MSJ: This interview is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2008 Volume 4 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Where are you from? |
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Atlanta, Georgia (since 1994)
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| MSJ: How does living there affect your songwriting? |
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It doesn’t affect it. My songwriting is something I create within my mind regardless of my geographic location. I’ve written songs in New York, Paris, London, Rome, Munich and Hollywood, and the subjects were all unrelated to where I lived at the time.
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| MSJ: How long have you been playing and what was your first instrument? |
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I’ve been playing since 1969. My first instrument was guitar.
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| MSJ: Who is in your ultimate super group? |
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John Bonham on drums, Duane Allman and Jeff Beck on guitars, Jim Fielder (Blood Sweat and Tears – who is playing on my CD) on bass, Bobby Whitlock on keyboards. I’m singing, of course!
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| MSJ: What's the greatest thing that's ever been said about your music? |
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Numbers of people have commented that they understood precisely what I was describing in my songs and related to it as if it was part of their own life. This told me that I had achieved what I was striving to achieve in painting a picture with words of what I had felt emotionally.
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| MSJ: What are your main musical influences? |
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The lineage from jazz to blues, to blues-based rock and roll.
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| MSJ: What's the song you're most proud of writing? |
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I don’t think that word applies. I would say that I feel more grateful that I was able to express myself, after writing a song, than proud.
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| MSJ: What's the last album you bought that you're enjoying? |
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Boz Scaggs’s first album.
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| MSJ: Have you seen any great live shows lately? |
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Yes, The Eagles in Atlanta in May, 2008.
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| MSJ: What is your guilty pleasure band? |
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Fleetwood Mac
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| MSJ: What was the first album you ever bought? |
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The Rolling Stones 12 X 5
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| MSJ: What was the first concert you ever attended? |
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Blood Sweat and Tears, 1971 in Gainesville, Florida
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| MSJ: If you could create your own fantasy music festival, who would the top 6 headliners be? |
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Bing Crosby
Robert Johnson
Nat King Cole
The Rolling Stones
Led Zepplin
Jeff Beck
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| MSJ: What is your favorite movie? |
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Here Comes Mr. Jordan
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| MSJ: Have you read any great books lately? |
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Dashiell Hammett compilation of novels
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| MSJ: Do you write books, short stories, poems or a blog? |
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I write poems, I wrote a screen play, short stories, and I’m writing a book that I may finish some day.
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| MSJ: If you were a superhero what famous musician would be your arch-nemesis and why? |
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My musical arch nemesis would be a generic rapper (all rap artists rolled into one character)
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| MSJ: Have you ever illegally downloaded music? |
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No
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| MSJ: The major labels have said that illegal downloading is at the heart of the problems they have with lower sales, would you agree? |
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I don’t have enough statistical information to make a comment on that. I would take a guess that the quality of the music being put out by the major labels is not what it used to be.
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| MSJ: In a related question, how do you feel about fans recording and trading live shows? |
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I don’t like it.
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| MSJ: What has been your biggest Spinal Tap moment? |
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Recently we were shooting a music video for the Lost and Found album and we invited a lot of people to create a crowd atmosphere. Unfortunately only 5 came, so we had to make 5 people look like a crowd! Thank God I lived in Hollywood for a few years…
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