My buddy John Reitan hipped me to Wolfgang's Vault, an archive of concerts and interviews recorded by the people involved with famed music promoter Bill Graham. This website has an insane archive of concerts you can stream for free. Well worth a gander.
Just as cool is its collection of interviews with famous musicians and entertainers. Yesterday I listened to interviews with Sting, Andy Summers, Stewart Copeland (see a pattern here?), Woody Allen and David Lee Roth. All excellent moments in time: Woody Allen talking about his career just before the release of "Annie Hall." Stewart, Sting and Andy all separately talking about the Police around the time of the release of Synchronicity. David Lee Roth talking about himself and Van Halen before and after the release of 1984. These are intimate interviews, too. You can tell the interviewer is at least familiar with each performer.
But the coolest one I checked out was Frank Zappa. A hero of mine since around his death (and that was 17 years ago, folks), I've long admired Frank's orchestrations, sense of humor, and his intense opinions about the industry, the government, and society in general. Dude had strong opinions and a keen, foreboding warning for all us fools being played by authority. Man, I love listening to Frank talk.
This interview happens around the release of the concert album "Bongo Fury," which was a tour with Captain Beefheart and features such Zappa classics as "Carolina Hardcore Ecstasy" and "Muffin Man." So this is a prime time for Zappa as a rock composer. Please to enjoy the goodness, it is a pleasure to hear him talk....
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