An EXCLUSIVE Interview with SETH SWIRSKY

THINGS WE SAID TODAY:

An EXCLUSIVE Interviewwith SETH SWIRSKY

By Stephen SPAZ Schnee

     The Beatleschanged the course of music history. There is no doubt about that.  From their humble beginnings in Liverpool to their massive success between 1963 and 1970, The Beatles became the most influential quartet of musicians in the world.  Though some may disagree, The Beatles have even eclipsed Elvis in terms of popularity over the years.  Elvis may have kick started Rock ‘n’ Roll, but he managed to lose the plot when he churned out loads of b-movies in the ‘60s.  The Beatles never had the opportunity to overstay their welcome.  They came, wrote some of the most amazing tunes ever, changed the world and then broke up. 

     The Beatles’ story is known by anyone with a passing interest in music.  There are hundreds (if not thousands) of books written about the Fab Four.  Their songs are played 24 hours a day somewhere in the world.  Beatles fans have taken it upon themselves to set up websites totally devoted to John, Paul George and Ringo, either together or apart.  It seems, at times, that you can’t escape their influence, whether it’s musically or in pop culture.  The Beatles are everywhere.  But have we really heard all we need to know about The Beatles?  Judging by the new documentary, Beatles Stories, there is plenty more to tell.

     Singer, songwriter and artist Seth Swirsky began piecing Beatles Stories together, almost by accident, in 2004.  Beginning with an emotional off the cuff story by a Liverpudlian tour guide, Swirsky slowly put together this rather compelling and enormously entertaining documentary, which features interviews with fellow musicians and unlikely celebrities who have had encounters with at least one of the four members of The Beatles.  With stories from a wide variety of artists, this is an extremely enjoyable documentary that delivers great story after great story. 

     From producer Jack Douglas’ hilarious tale of recording Double Fantasy with John Lennon to Henry ‘The Fonz’ Winkler’s encounter with Paul McCartney on the streets of New York, Beatles Stories is a truly unforgettable experience that will leave viewers wanting more (thankfully, there’s extra interviews included in the DVD’s bonus features).  Throw in great stories from Brian Wilson, Sir Ben Kingsley, Art Garfunkel, Susanna Hoffs, Davy Jones, Jackie De Shannon, Bob Eubanks (yes, Bob Eubanks!), Graham Nash, Peter Noone, Justin Hayward, Denny Laine and many others and you’ve got yourself a documentary that shows the human side of The Beatles that tends to be overlooked elsewhere.

     Stephen SPAZ Schnee was able to catch up with Seth Swirsky, who can now add ‘successful film maker’ to his resume, and they chatted about all things Beatles Stories…

SPAZ:  Beatles Stories is just about ready to drop.  How are you feeling about the release and the reaction you’ve received so far?

SETH SWIRSKY:  I am so pleased.  I do projects that really tap into my passion: I give them all I have and I pay for them myself.  I had no profit/loss statement on this if you know what I mean (laughs).  My biggest goal is…. I just love The Beatles so much and I wanted to share these stories. For me, it was, “How do I express that feeling?”  Well, I’m a songwriter and I’ve written many hit songs. I’ve written albums myself. I’ve won many awards… all those different kinds of things. That expresses what I learned about songwriting being a very young child in the ‘60s and the ‘70s.  But that didn’t quite express my love of The Beatles, which is very, very deep. So, I started filming these things and putting it together and it was such a joy to do.  I would show little bits to friends and I thought that I’ve got to put it together in a way where it’s not 4 hours long and you’re not looking at your watch. You’ve got to edit it in a certain way.  It was the editing that really took a lot of the time. You want it to have a certain flow. The whole first half of the movie is The Beatles of the ‘60s. I had to do a slow progression all the way up.  It’s not literally year by year.  It’s era by era.

SPAZ:  Hearing people tell Beatles-related stories throughout the years obviously inspired the film, but can you pinpoint the exact conversation and moment when you decided that this movie had to be made?

SETH:  That’s a great question.  Usually, what I do with any of my work, it’s like having a big slab of clay that you put down and you know you want your hands on that clay but you don’t know where it’s going.  Then, all of a sudden, it starts appearing. You want to do a clay figure of a woman and you don’t know exactly what it’s going to look like but then it starts to appear…and that’s when you know the moment.  I was asked to play at the Cavern Club in Liverpool for my first solo album.  And I was like, “Oh my God, are you kidding me?  Play the Cavern Club?  The Beatles? Unbelievable!”  I flew over there. I had my guitar and I had a handheld camera. I wasn’t planning on making a movie. I had a break before I went on and I took that Magical Mystery Tour Bus where they show you John Lennon’s house growing up, George Harrison’s house, the Strawberry Fields gate and all that stuff.  The tour guide, Eddie Porter, he showed us the Strawberry Fields gate and I just said, “Hey, Eddie, can I just film you over here. Can you just tell me a side story?” And I’m filming just for myself and he tells that story of Sean and Yoko with the picture and he said, “I almost cried my eyes out,” and I thought that was so poignant.  So, I go back to L.A. and I get online and I somehow stumbled upon May Pang’s website and I wrote her through the contact page.  I didn’t think I’d hear back from her. She writes me back and says that she’ll be in L.A. and I asked if I could bring my video camera.  She says sure and then she shows me around the apartment where she and John lived when they landed in L.A.  So, now, I’m thinking I’ve got two of these things. And then a friend mentioned to me that he knew Peter Noone.  You’re actually inviting people to a party.  You’re not inviting Sir Ben Kingsley and Brian Wilson first because they’ll never come to your party.  Graham Nash is not going to be the first at your party. So, you’re building a mountain.  I had these three people and when I had those three, I asked Denny Laine and he said yes.  And then Justin Hayward said yes. So then it dawned on me: these stories, if I can cut them down to a minute and a half each, telling the stories with the photographs and try to reconstruct the story, then what is it really?  It’s Beatles Stories. And I thought that’s nice and simple and tidy and it tells the story of what I’m doing. Done!

SPAZ:  You’ve got a wide variety of celebrities involved, from actors and comedians to athletes and musicians.  Was it difficult to get them involved with the project?

SETH: My whole philosophy when I’m doing something artistic is: yes.  Just the word ‘yes’.  Why not?  They are people, too? Let’s talk about Art Garfunkel for instance.  I really wanted Art Garfunkel because I had heard about his story, I had read about it.  You don’t hear it very often.  I started thinking, “How am I going to get to Art Garfunkel?”  I already know that to go through his PR people, they’re never going to get it to him because it’s not money-making.  And I’m not saying anything about Art Garfunkel.  I’m just saying that he is presented projects over the years, so many of them.  So, I always try to go a different route and I try to be creative about it.  I’ve produced records, so I went to the back of the album covers that I’ve made and I thought to myself, “These guys are very good musicians.  I wonder if any of them have played with Art?” And wouldn’t you know there was one overlap: a guy who played guitar on records I produced and he had also played with Art.  So, I wrote him a long e-mail: “Hey, I haven’t seen you in a long time. What’s going on?” Then I made sure I described the project.  In three paragraphs, I described the exact project and what I had done before. I made sure that I described the project as if I was speaking to Art.  I said, “If you like this idea and can get it to Art, fantastic.”  He loved it. He e-mailed me back and said, “Yeah, I know Art.  I’ve played on his records. Can I just forward it to him?” I’m telling you, that night, I go to my answering machine.  I clicked it on and he goes, “Hey, Seth. Art Garfunkel here. Yeah, I’m in.  I love the project. That sounds amazing.  Next time you’re in New York, look me up,” and then he gives me his address. Then, I called him immediately, and he says “I read what you wrote and I’m totally in.  Next time you’re in New York….”  And I said, “Hey, I’m going to be in New York tomorrow!” Do you think I was really going to be in New York ‘tomorrow’? No.  But when somebody says ‘yes’ to you, get on a plane!  Find a way because they aren’t going to remember this conversation in 6 months.  You’ve got to lock it down. That’s how they happened.

SPAZ:  How long, from beginning to end, did it take to put the project together?

SETH: It started with Eddie Porter, the Magical Mystery Tour guide.  I filmed him in October, 2004. I didn’t know I had a movie until the next year as I continued with Justin Hayward, May Pang and Denny Laine... I knew I had a movie around the middle of 2005.  I stopped shooting around 2009, 2010.  2010 was really about finishing the editing and then getting it into film festivals. There were a lot of film festivals in 2011: it played in Paris, it played in London…  And it’s coming out now in 2012.  So, it’s been eight years from since I filmed the first person until now. 

SPAZ: Was there a lot of research involved with the project?  I don’t think anyone would link Sir Ben Kingsley with the Beatles, but there’s a very logical connection there…

SETH: You know, the word ‘research’ sounds like you’re going to the library and you’re writing a 15 page paper.  Those are days I think most of us want to forget, right? (laughs) But for me, I do like doing research when it’s something that is so totally enjoyable. I go to look up certain Beatles stores to get different ideas.  I think, “I wonder, when The Beatles first came to the United States, if there was a 16 year old girl that screamed her head off and loved The Beatles so much… one that would really stand out.”  That started me thinking about somebody who ended up being Lucy Baines Johnson, the daughter of the President Of The United States! They lived in the White House, she’s 16 years old and The Beatles come over and wouldn’t you know, she tells me this story about wanting to invite The Beatles to the White House!

SPAZ: Jim Irsay, the owner of the Indianapolis Colts owns one of George Harrison’s guitars.  Wasn’t this the same one George gave to Badfinger member Pete Ham?

SETH: Yes. It was originally given to Pete Ham.  George was always giving guitars away.  He kept a lot himself, but he was always giving things away to people.

SPAZ: Do you have any personal Beatles stories yourself?

SETH:  I was at my gym in late 2009.  I’m on the treadmill and guess who is right next to me? Paul McCartney!  And Paul gives me a look as if to say, “OK, you’ve got a Beatle haircut.  I can see you’re a Beatle person.  I am going go give you 1/10^thof a second to ask a question. Go ahead, I’m waiting.” So, I turn around and said, “Sir Paul, I’m doing this movie, Beatles Stories, and I interviewed Norman Smith (Beatles engineer up to 1965),” and I hit the jackpot.  He goes, “Norman Smith? You interviewed Norman Smith?” I said, “Yes, I did.” And he said, “Ah, we loved him. When we all were young lads…,” and I’m thinking he keeps saying ‘we’… he’s talking about The Beatles. Paul McCartney is talking about The Beatles to Seth Swirsky! I mean, come on! We’re talking and a crowd is starting to gather around us and he’s telling Beatles stories and talking about Norman.  Then he takes my hand and says, “You gave me a great gift today. By reminding me about Norman, you’ve given me a great gift.” I just got an e-mail from Nancy Shevell (Paul’s wife) telling me that she and Paul watched the film. She said, “My husband and I loved the movie”. The fact that he loved it is amazing to me.

SPAZ: What’s next for Seth Swirsky?

SETH: Well, I’ve been painting a lot.  I’d like to maybe do a show of my paintings.  That’s going to be in the near future.  I’m also getting my masters in clinical psychotherapy. And I’m making a brand new record that’s coming out next year.

SPAZ: What’s currently spinning on your CD, DVD or record players?

SETH: I have a mix of things.  On my current playlist in my car, I’ve got “Pumped Up Kicks” (Foster The People), “You Never Give Me Your Money” (The Beatles), “Black Or White” (Michael Jackson), “Empire State Of Mind” (Alicia Keys), “Sowing The Seeds Of Love” (Tears For Fears), “No One’s Gonna Love You” (Band Of Horses), “The Game Of Love” (Santana with Michelle Branch), “True Faith” (New Order), “Dreams Of Leaving” (The Clientele), “Marlena” by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, “I Saw Her Again” (The Mamas & The Papas) and then a new song that I’m writing for my next record so I can hear it in a mix.

Thanks to Seth Swirsky

Special thanks to Mike Schnee and Rick Reiger

BEATLES STORIES

10.2.12

An EXCLUSIVE Interview with DRAGONETTE!

Our Work Is Done:

An EXCLUSIVE interview with DRAGONETTE’s Martina Sorbara

     While Electro Pop may have dominated the U.S. charts in the early to mid ‘80s, it has been decades since a new band has come along and made an impact on American radio…or any other music platform for that matter. Sure, there have been plenty of Electronic artists who have left their mark in the states including Moby, Skrillex, David Guetta and deadmau5, but nothing Pop-oriented enough to appeal to the greater masses. That may change with the September 25th arrival of Bodyparts, the third album from Canadian trio Dragonette.

     Bodyparts is an album so strong that practically every track could be a hit single. The band has released two bona-fide hits from the album already (“Let It Go” and “Live In This City”), but, to be honest, this is a full-length packed with virtual wall-to-wall smashes… and when was the last time that happened? With infectious melodies, playful arrangements and driving beats, this is an album that will be adored by fans of ‘80s Synthpop as well as those who prefer a more modern take on Electronica.

     Dragonette was formed in Canada by vocalist/songwriter Martina Sorbara, producer Dan Kurtz and drummer Joel Stouffer. From the very beginning, Dragonette mixed soaring Pop melodies with an assortment of real and Electronic sounds and topped it with Martina’s confident vocals, creating a unique sound that was commercial yet filled with attitude and undeniable charm. With two hit albums behind them (2007’s Galore and Fixin’ To Thrill from ’09), the trio went from strength to strength.

     Aside from their own releases, they found themselves collaborating with an assortment of DJs from all over the world. Luckily, Dragonette hit paydirt with French DJ Martin Solveig when they finally broke through American airwaves in 2010 with their collaborative track “Hello”. While Bodyparts may be a tad bit less Techno-heavy than “Hello”, it still manages to be as joyfully dancefloor friendly as that hit. From the opening track, ‘Run Run Run” to the mid-tempo closer “Ghost”, Bodyparts is a feast for the ears and a call to arms for the feet.
     Stephen SPAZ Schnee was able to catch up with Martina Sorbara and discuss the album and all things Dragonette…

SPAZ: The album Bodyparts is just about to drop. How are you feeling about the album and the reaction you’ve been receiving so far?

MARTINA SORBARA: We love this record…. in fact, Dan thinks it's the best one we've made so far. Our neighbors (who have listened to it a fair amount through our common wall) also really like it.

SPAZ: The album sounds like it’s filled with wall to wall hits. Was this collection of tracks conceived as an album or did you approach each song individually and then create an album from there?

MARTINA: Ha… IF ONLY we could conceive of a whole album in advance! It would probably save us a year of messing around; trying to figure out what kind of songs we're going to end up writing. Every time we've started writing "our next album," we've always felt like we're clutching at straws, clinging to any tiny idea that might turn into a song. We do that about 6 or 7 times in a row until we realize that we have some kind of sound starting to form, and then we relax a little bit into that sound and take some chances. This album ended up feeling like more of a daytime-sounding record vs. a darker, more clubby vibe.

SPAZ: Bodyparts was recorded in three different parts of the world. Did you manage to find different types of inspiration while you spent time in London, Rio De Janeiro and Ontario? Do you find that different environments stimulate your creativity?

MARTINA: The main reason for us writing in all these places is because of where we were touring or living at the time. The one exception is Rio, where Dan's dad lives, and where we wanted to go for longer than just a couple of days. Going there to write was a great excuse to spend some time there. We wrote two songs in an apartment looking out over the water, neither of which sound anything like what you'd expect to come out of being exposed to Rio's sunshine and people.

SPAZ: Some may refer to the band as ‘80s revivalists, but I hear so many more influences including Glam, Rock ‘n’ Roll, Power Pop and modern Electro-Dance. Does it frustrate you to be lumped into one category when you clearly have a lot of other influences?

MARTINA: We never fault people for trying to come up with the most reductive way of defining our music… it happens all the time, and it happens to every band. Probably every band feels that their music is broader than just one genre, but then again, probably every band is happy to spend 5 minutes describing their sound to anyone who will listen. In an effort to keep it short and simple, I'll just say that I agree with all the influences you hear in our music!

SPAZ: How did the recording of Bodyparts compare to your work on the previous two albums? Do you still find yourselves pushing the envelope a little more each time when you are in the studio?

MARTINA: We did very little "in studio" recording for this record…..to begin with, we recorded no live drums, which was a new thing for us. We also kept a lot of the original, poorly-recorded demo vocals because we thought the vibe was better than in any subsequent re-record. We didn't consciously try to push any envelopes, but when we listen to this album vs. our previous records, we can hear that we're still getting better at making records.

SPAZ: What is the normal songwriting process for Dragonette? Do the songs end up going in different directions than you initially envisioned?

MARTINA: They almost always end up sounding different that how they first start out. The process is almost always a "just make it as good as we can" approach, which generally means over-polishing it and then stepping back to the stage just before the vibes started giving way to "perfection".

SPAZ: The album already has spawned two ‘singles’ with “Let It Go” and “Live In This City” and you haven’t even touched what could be the most obvious choice for a single, “Run Run Run”. How do you go about choosing singles from the album? Or do you leave that in other people’s hands?

MARTINA: Luckily we get to have a hand in these decisions, since WE are still the record company in most countries. Our manager/svengali Neil sees all these sorts of things in a Big Picture kind of way, so we generally let him lead the way, and we willingly follow. We thought to keep "Run Run Run" back a bit since it will be a nice change of pace after the more banging "Let it Go" and "Live in this City."

SPAZ: Did you have a lot of material recorded for this album that ended up NOT being used, or did you just focus on this set of songs while you were creating the album?

MARTINA: For the first time ever we have not only a couple of B-sides, but even a couple of songs that are written but not yet fully produced. We're hoping to keep writing through all of the touring we expect to be doing, if only just so when we start on album #4 we won't be starting from Zero.

SPAZ: For being in close proximity to the U.S., Canada sure seems to have a vibrant music scene that unfortunately doesn’t always get caught by our radars. Do you think you had an advantage to musically grow on your own terms and on your own turf before taking Dragonette global?

MARTINA: We actually left Canada for the UK a few years ago, in part because we felt at the time we were making music that had little to no relevance to the Canadian music scene. That has now changed, but for the first few years, it would have been hard to grow just within Canada's borders. We were really lucky to get a really global experience over these past few years, while at the same time beginning to grow our band in Canada as radio moved towards playing pop and dance.

SPAZ: How did you hook up with DJ Martin Solveig? Your collaboration, “Hello”, has become a pretty big deal all round the world? Did you imagine that it would be as popular as it has become?

MARTINA: We met on an airport shuttle bus in Australia, and Martin took our email address. He wrote a little while later to ask about collaborating on the first track we did together ("Boys and Girls"), and it worked out well enough that we did it again with "Hello", and a couple of other songs for Martin's album "Smash". None of us had any idea how big that song was going to become.

SPAZ: What’s next for Dragonette?

MARTINA: Touring. Touring. Touring.

SPAZ: What do you currently have spinning on your CD, DVD and/or record player?

MARTINA: Santigold. Lucinda Williams.

Thanks to Martina Sorbara

Special thanks to Mike Logan and John Allen

     

 

DRAGONETTE

 

BODYPARTS

 

9.25.12

An EXCLUSIVE Interview with RODRIGUEZ!

Only Good For Conversation:

An EXCLUSIVE Interview with

RODGRIGUEZ!

By Stephen SPAZ Schnee

     If patience is a virtue, then Sixto Diaz Rodriguez should be applying for sainthood right about now. Over four decades since the release of his 1970 debut album, Cold Fact, Rodriguez (professionally known by his last name only) is more popular than he has been at any point in his career. Not only has Cold Fact and it’s 1971 follow-up, Coming From Reality, been lovingly reissued by Light In The Attic Records, there’s even an award-winning documentary, Searching For Sugar Man, that is currently making the rounds and bringing audiences to their feet. But it wasn’t always that way…

     Rodriguez was discovered in the late ‘60s while playing a gig in Detroit. A 1967 single appeared on the Impact label, but it would take another three years for an album to appear. Cold Fact was an album that mixed social awareness, politics, Folk Music and Psychedelia, sounding not unlike a mixture of Donovan and Dylan during their heyday. Unfortunately, the album didn’t fare well in the states commercially. He went back into the studio and recorded his second album, which met the same fate as his debut. After the failure of both albums, Rodriguez’s musical career seemed to be over. Or was it…

     Cold Fact was released in South Africa in 1971 and was a huge hit. The album ended up going platinum. In Australia, the album met with even bigger success, selling 5X platinum! Oddly enough, Rodriguez was completely unaware of his enormous popularity in those countries. It wasn’t until decades later that he realized that his music had a profound effect on so many people in these countries.

     But in South Africa, even though Rodriguez was one of the most popular cult artists around, his fans knew nothing about him. Rumors began circulating that he had committed suicide on stage during one of his performances. From a self-inflicted gunshot wound to lighting himself on fire, the rumors grew more elaborate as time moved on. They myth and the mystery that surrounded Rodriguez fueled his popularity even more.

     In the ‘90s, a South African fan, Stephen ‘Sugar’ Segerman, began a search for any information on Rodriguez. Journalist Craig Bartholomew-Strydom became involved, as did Alec McCrindle, who helped Segerman set up a website in 1997. Budding Swedish filmmaker Malik Bendjelloul became intrigued and decided to document the search for the enigmatic singer/songwriter. What they all discovered changed the lives of everyone involved…

     The award-winning documentary Searching For Sugar Man details the Malik’s search for the truth in regards to the artist and his supposed suicide. Thankfully, Rodriguez was alive and well and was about to finally receive the accolades he so richly deserved. With rave reviews, awards galore and a buzz across the internet louder than feedback at a Motorhead concert, Searching For Sugar Man is not only an artistic triumph, it is also a successful one.

     Stephen SPAZ Schnee was able to catch up with Rodriguez, and discuss the film, his musical career and his belated (and well-deserved) success…

SPAZ: It’s been over 40 years since the release of your debut album. Light In The Attic has reissued your two albums to great acclaim and now, there’s a well received documentary that focuses on your career. How are you feeling about the film right now?

RODRIGUEZ: Malik Bendjelloul, the film-maker, it’s his first film. It was chosen out of like 4000 entries at the Sundance festival. It’s a masterpiece. He does narration, he does animation in this film and, in regards to South Africa, he brings up issues of Apartheid… It’s certainly a creative thing he’s done. He’s been working on it for five years now. At Sundance, he got the Audience Award for Documentary and the Special Jury Prize. It got standing ovations at six screenings! Like I said, it was his first film. Malik and Camilla (Skagerstrom, cinematographer) were the ones that did it. They had worked on it awhile before I even got involved. He did great. He is deserving of all the accolades.

SPAZ: Is it kind of surreal for you to be the subject of this critically adored film?

RODRIGUEZ: The climax of the film takes place in ’98. We’ve been touring since then and I’ve had a lot of experiences since that time. But this film thing… it’s a different medium. It’s the meeting of film and music. The film is distributed by Sony Pictures Classics and they are really behind it. We got picked up, which is another thing: Malik didn’t know that was going to happen, which is quite something for him. And since I’m the subject of it (laughs), I’m a lucky guy. I’m really fortunate that it’s happened at this pace. I really appreciate it.

SPAZ: Both Cold Facts and Coming From Reality are highly unique albums that have remained timeless, both musically and lyrically. What were your influences when making the albums, both musically and otherwise?

RODRIGUEZ: The guitar is essential in music ensemble. The guitar itself has changed. You can do more with it now. I follow that instrument. So, whoever is doing anything on guitar… the Blues guys. And I mean I listen to the ‘40s, the ‘50s, the ‘60s, the ‘70s, the ‘80s, the ‘90s, the ‘00s, the ‘10s (laughs). I take in any kind of musical influence. We all have that capacity, we all listen a lot. And in Detroit, we hear a lot of stations. It’s like urban influences as opposed to rural influences. Classical and Jazz are kind of the same because there’s more instrumentation. But I follow more vocal and guitar, songwriters…. That vein of popular music. I listen to a lot of stuff… just like everyone. Just following the guitar, the chord changes of The Beatles, the different vocal expressions of Dylan… Each decade has had its own showpieces.

SPAZ: Your lyrics are most often personal and political, addressing issues that are still relevant. Are you pleased that your songs still resonate with listeners today? That’s quite an accomplishment…

RODRIGUEZ: The issues of the late ‘60s and ‘70s, if you look at those placards at demonstrations, they are pretty much the same kind of stuff. They are saying ‘Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!’, you know, they want work… the same kind of social issues. Now, we’ve become more aware through the internet and through (smart) phones. These issues haven’t gone away. I think that tazers are another word for cattle prods. It’s kind of punishment before the crime, you know? I think that they could use better judgment and that it can be fixed. I describe myself as a ‘politico musico’. I do the music and I love that, but, really, there are other issues that haunt us as well. In the same way, through technology, I have become a better known musician, and who would have thought, you know? Another part of it is that it opens up another area of music. I think most commercials have music in the background. Music is everywhere now.

SPAZ: Musically, you have been called Folk, Psychedelic, World Music, pop and Rock. Listening back, how do you feel about your two albums today?

RODRIGUEZ: I had great production. Steve Rowland (producer of Coming From Reality), he used full violin section, cellos, violas… He used a lot of different approaches to the material. The quality has had longevity and it has proven itself.

SPAZ: “Sugar Man” is your most well-known song. Can you tell us a little about the song’s origins?

RODRIGUEZ: “Sugar Man” is almost like a prayer, you know? That’s all that that is. It’s a tune with words. I describe ‘Sugar Man” as a descriptive song, not a prescriptive song. When I play to an audience, I can explain things. It makes it much easier if someone has a question. I’m accessible to my audience when I’m out on stage. When they call out and talk to me, I talk back to them. (laughs) It’s a great time because it’s live performance. Any questions, I try to clear up.

SPAZ: While your albums are musically focused, there’s also an adventurous feel to the recordings. Did the sessions end up the way you envisioned it, or did you have to make compromises along the way?

RODRIGUEZ: I think that’s down to the producer. I’m the musician and vocalist. They say we should add this or that. When we play up there live, it changes.

SPAZ: How do you feel about the internet and the effect it has had on you and your music?

RODRIGUEZ: It’s a global thing now. You don’t have to worry about the domestic market as much. I’ve been down to Australia four times, South Africa four times, Wales, London… To be a successful Rock ‘n’ Roll musician, you need to be able to handle disappointment, rejection, criticism…. If you get that break, you better ride it out. I’m lucky. I’ve had resurgence through Light In The Attic and now through this film.

SPAZ: Apart from your two initial albums, there was a live release as well. Before Light In The Attic’s official reissues, there were other titles by you on the market…

RODRIGUEZ: There are other things, but some of them I wasn’t conscience of. I really don’t know much about those.

SPAZ: So, there’s no unreleased third album? There have been rumors…

RODRIGUEZ: No, and I think that should be clarified. I think people should know that. I am currently working on new stuff, but there’s no third album.

SPAZ: What’s next for Rodriguez?

RODRIGUEZ: We’re going to have movie more screenings and we’ll be tagging along with the film.

SPAZ: What are you listening to these days?

RODRIGUEZ: I listen to NPR a lot. And we’ve got some great stations in Detroit.

Thanks to Sixto Diaz Rodriguez

Special thanks to Josh at Light In The Attic

COLD FACT

COMING FROM REALITY