Medium Rare Interviews

Not since "Aqualung" over half a century ago had Ian Anderson addressed the historic  characters and iconography of the Old and New Testament Bible this head on, mixed with twentieth century and even current events, as on "The Zealot Gene" by Jethro Tull. Ian Anderson is my guest here In the Studio.

In January 1967 when John Densmore's snare drum cracked like a rifle shot before Ray Manzarek's nimble fingers made their intricate run of baroque-sounding notes on that reedy Farfisa organ, all on the introduction to jazz/flamenco guitarist Robbie Krieger's composition "Light My Fire", it clearly and boldly announced a unique approach to rock and roll that really has no peer. And all of that before Jim Morrison stepped up to the microphone to introduce one of the greatest voices and hedonistic personalities in rock history. Not unlike Creedence Clearwater Revival from the same period, no other American bands put out more albums in less time which were more influential in the last 50+ years. And like CCR, no one ever sounded like The Doors ever since. Here is Doors co-founder the late Ray Manzarek with me In the Studio to mark The Doors anniversary. -Redbeard

Ted Nugent's "Free for All" changed the national  radio reception and overamped its way to #24 on the Billboard album chart in Fall 1976, becoming his second consecutive multi-platinum seller. Tyrannosaurus Ted is my guest In the Studio.

The Cars' "Shake It Up" was their first album to contain a Top Ten Billboard  hit in the title song, so 1981's "Shake It Up", with its peak at #9 on Billboard  album sales chart as well as #34 for the entire year, was seen by many  as a return to high performance by the Boston band. Keyboard player Greg Hawkes joins me In the Studio with archival interview by Cars bandleader the late Ric Ocasek on "Shake It Up" fortieth anniversary.

Judging by the sheer outsized volume of well-deserved attention heaped on Pink Floyd's 1973 game changer "Dark Side of the Moon", one could easily assume it was the Cambridge, England quartet's first of any consequence. "Meddle", containing the embryonic epic "Echoes", my guests Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and co-founder with Syd Barrett, Roger Waters unanimously maintain that "Meddle"  was their Apollo 8 musical mission which soon after allowed  Pink Floyd's lunar landing on the far side of rock history.