My favorite interview subjects
March 27th, 2008, 11:58 am · Post a Comment · posted by Chris Hansen Orf
Hey Gang
My gig as music editor for Get Out magazine here in AZ has afforded me the opportunity to interview and write stories about plenty of musicians over the years. Some interviews have been great, where the subject was engaging and fun to talk to, and some have been a drag, like the artist had done 20 interviews that day and just wasn’t into it.
Here are some of my favorite interviews:
Brian Wilson: Not that the interview was that great, but Brian Wilson is one of rock’s true geniuses and my love and respect for his Beach Boys work had me sitting at my desk thinking to myself “Holy smoke, I’m on the phone with Brian Wilson!” It was cool — Brian was very nice and we talked about his finally finishing “Smile,” and at the end of our conversation he told me to come backstage when he played Phoenix that week. I didn’t. I know my place…
Mike Ness: When I was a kid in the early ’80s I used to go see Social Distortion’s all ages shows when they played Phoenix, and they played here a lot because it’s just a skip over from Orange County. Mike has always been one of my heroes (he was one of the first true cowpunkers) and he turned out to be one of the nicest, most literate people I’ve ever interviewed. The publicist said I could have 15 minutes with him, and after 15 minutes I was trying to end the interview and Mike told me not to worry about it. We talked for 45 minutes about old country records (his idol is Hank Williams), the current state of punk rock (he thinks Good Charlotte and those type of bands suck) his tattoos (which he said he somewhat regretted, but it goes with the image) and his collection of old hot rods.
Jim Messina: I am a big fan of Buffalo Springfield, and before Jim Messina hooked up with Kenny Loggins for Loggins & Messina, Jim produced Buffalo Springfield and played bass with them at the end of their run in the late ’60s. The interview went great (Loggins & Messina were playing a reunion show in Phoenix) and as I was wrapping up Jim casually asked me about Phoenix and said he was going to drop by Fender (located in Scottsdale) when he was in town. All of a sudden we were talking about Telecasters (I own three) and I asked him about the guitars he used on Loggins & Messina records, guessing correctly that “Your Mama Don’t Dance” was done with a Tele. We talked for another 20 minutes, just shooting the breeze. What a cool guy. Conversely, my interview with Kenny Loggins later that day was filled with stock answers and I couldn’t seem to draw him out. Nice guy, though…
Roger Clyne: Roger is a local here in AZ (he played with The Refreshments and now fronts Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers) and I’ve always respected his songwriting and general worldview. I met Roger for a causal talk (not really an interview on work time) at his favorite Mexican restaurant, 3 Margaritas in Tempe, and we ate burros, drank tequila and talked for 3 hours. Roger is very humble, funny, opinionated and intelligent. In other words, all the marks of a great interview subject.
Alice Cooper: One of the first concerts I ever saw was hometown hero Alice Cooper at the Arizona State Fair in 1980. I’ve spoken with Alice a few time, but the first time was great: Alice was playing golf and talking to me on his cell. He’d say “Hang on” and he’d put his phone down to putt. Alice’s image is that of a shock rocker, but he is truly one of the nicest guys I’ve ever interviewed.
Dierks Bentley: I spoke with Dierks (a Phoenix native) before his show opening up for George Strait at US Airways Center, when he had one album of neo-traditional country in stores and was slugging it out trying to make a name for himself. We talked about Nashville and it’s pop bent (which he doesn’t like), his favorite Mexican food joint in Phoenix (Tee Pee Tap Room), his love of the Dukes of Hazzard and Waylon Jennings and one of his idols, George Strait. The second time I interviewed Dierks, after he’d become a major star (in the newsaper biz, you can get an interview with an artist when they are trying to make a name for themselves, but after they hit big they usually deny requests for interviews — they don’t really need the publicity — but Dierks is always willing to talk), he called me 20 minutes late profusely apologizing, saying he respected my time and was sorry to “waste” it. Can you believe that? I’ve had people call me two hours late and not even mention it. Unbelievable. Great songwriter too…
Cris Kirkwood: I just interviewed Cris last week to preview the Meat Puppets’ show at the Tempe Music Festival this weekend (Mar 28-29). As anybody who has spent maybe five minutes with me knows, the Meat Puppets are one of my favorite bands of all time — I used to go see their all ages shows at the Mason Jar in Phoenix after “Meat Puppets II” and “Up on the Sun” had come out, having my mom drop me off and pick me up after the shows (not all that cool, but that’s how badly I’d want to see them, and my friends who were old enough to drive were into Loverboy and Heart) . Back in the ’80s there was a pretty fertile local music scene, but the Puppets were the only ones to really break it from here nationally until the Gin Blossoms in the early ’90s. Anyhoo, Cris was very forthcoming about his personal struggles with drugs (he was on heroin for about a decade), his time in jail and his return to playing bass with his brother Curt (singer/guitarist) in the Meat Puppets in late 2006. I didn’t shy away from the “tough questions” about his dark nights of the soul and Cris answered every one of them candidly and often with a survivor’s gallows humor.
That’s all for now — maybe someday I’ll write up my worst interviews…
