1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,160 Speaker 1: Bruce Hornsby has a style on the piano you can 2 00:00:02,200 --> 00:00:04,560 Speaker 1: recognize anywhere, anytime. The way it is was the start, 3 00:00:04,559 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: of course, but surely Scenes from the south Side is 4 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:11,879 Speaker 1: as good as any album anywhere ever. He's collaborated with everyone, 5 00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:13,880 Speaker 1: hung out for years with the Grateful Dead, co written 6 00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:15,840 Speaker 1: with the best, and still tours. It's a crime we've 7 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:17,560 Speaker 1: never really had him on the program before, but we 8 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:20,720 Speaker 1: can fix that now. Bruce Hornsby is with us. Good 9 00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:21,760 Speaker 1: morning and to. 10 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:25,120 Speaker 2: You, Mike, I love it. 11 00:00:25,239 --> 00:00:27,360 Speaker 1: Just just for reference, we've been talking about my name 12 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:30,720 Speaker 1: off here I have you. I don't even know where 13 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:32,080 Speaker 1: to start up, and trying to talk to you for 14 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:36,680 Speaker 1: forty something years. I'm a massive fan see see Scenes 15 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 1: from that. Let me tell you the story. So scenes 16 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:42,760 Speaker 1: CD's came into my life in the eighties. Right first 17 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:47,440 Speaker 1: CD I ever bought was Graceland Paul Simon second album, 18 00:00:47,479 --> 00:00:51,080 Speaker 1: Scenes from the south Side, still as good as it gets. 19 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:53,880 Speaker 1: Did you not when Scenes from the south Side came out? 20 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:55,440 Speaker 1: Did you know you had something? Mega? 21 00:00:57,360 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 2: I wouldn't say I knew that. I never know any 22 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 2: I'm too close to it. It's hard to keep perspective 23 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:05,640 Speaker 2: on something that people ask me what it's like to 24 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:08,400 Speaker 2: make a record. I say, and take your all time 25 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:11,399 Speaker 2: favorite song that you love more than any song, and 26 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:15,039 Speaker 2: imagine somebody straps you into a chair and forces you 27 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 2: to listen to that song a thousand times. Several things 28 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:22,839 Speaker 2: would happen. One, you'd never want to hear it again. 29 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:28,959 Speaker 2: You'd be totally burnt with it. Two, you would be 30 00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:31,840 Speaker 2: becoming numb to it. And so in the face of 31 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:37,000 Speaker 2: that massive repetition that is making records, uh, you have 32 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:40,880 Speaker 2: to retain some sort of objectivity about it. And that's 33 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:45,319 Speaker 2: incredibly difficult because of what I just said. So people go, wow, 34 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:50,840 Speaker 2: I hope I never make a record again after that description. So, yeah, no, 35 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:54,040 Speaker 2: I did not know. That's my long winded askwer to say, No, 36 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:57,760 Speaker 2: I didn't know. My second record, Scenes from the South Side, 37 00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:02,880 Speaker 2: was was my attempt to cement the idea that this 38 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 2: is my sound for what it's worth a lend drum 39 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:11,480 Speaker 2: machine and a piano, and so that's what I did deliver. 40 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:14,840 Speaker 1: So, having followed you, what you seem to do more 41 00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:18,400 Speaker 1: these days is experiment your musically. Experimentally you're doing you 42 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:21,200 Speaker 1: know this why music that you're doing in the collaborations, 43 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:26,639 Speaker 1: how has commercial or how did commercial success sit with 44 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 1: you juxtapose with your desire just to do what you 45 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:31,520 Speaker 1: want to do musically. 46 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:34,360 Speaker 2: Well, I was always pretty bad at it. That was 47 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:39,880 Speaker 2: a pretty bad quote unquote pop star. I used to 48 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:43,919 Speaker 2: just say, as the rits would say, maybe you use 49 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:46,680 Speaker 2: this phrase too, we used to just take the piss 50 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 2: out of it and not take it too seriously, maybe 51 00:02:51,919 --> 00:02:55,600 Speaker 2: to our detriment. People would go, well, why are you 52 00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:57,840 Speaker 2: guys doing this in your videos? Why are you just 53 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:01,600 Speaker 2: having your friends dancing around? I said, well, because it's 54 00:03:01,639 --> 00:03:04,359 Speaker 2: just excuse to get my friends on MTV. We don't 55 00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:07,720 Speaker 2: care about the rest of it. So again, I was 56 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:12,560 Speaker 2: not a great personality in that way. I didn't care 57 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:17,000 Speaker 2: about it, but the success. Look, I was going to 58 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:19,320 Speaker 2: do what I was going to do, whether it's successful 59 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:22,320 Speaker 2: or not. I mean, I've just always been a musician first, 60 00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:25,480 Speaker 2: and I was a bit of a creatively restless soul. 61 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:29,880 Speaker 2: And it's just gradually moved you mentioned recently, and certainly 62 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:33,000 Speaker 2: recently my records have been more adventurous, much to the 63 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:36,840 Speaker 2: chagrin of a lot of my longtime fans who would 64 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:39,040 Speaker 2: prefer I do like a whole lot of other people 65 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:42,480 Speaker 2: who came out in the eighties or the seventies who 66 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:46,560 Speaker 2: make the same records stylistically every time. Now, that's basically 67 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 2: what their longtime fans want. That's a total prison creatively 68 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:53,080 Speaker 2: for me. So I could never do it. I'm just 69 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:55,800 Speaker 2: interested in evolving and pushing. 70 00:03:56,280 --> 00:04:01,760 Speaker 3: So when I lose, hopefully, when I lose a certain 71 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:08,240 Speaker 3: old time fan that he just hates it, hopefully. 72 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:13,920 Speaker 2: I garner some newer and maybe most likely younger fan 73 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:16,480 Speaker 2: who goes, Wow, this is not this is not who 74 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:19,280 Speaker 2: who we thought this guy was, and we like this 75 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:20,120 Speaker 2: new guy better. 76 00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:23,160 Speaker 1: Do you have that ongoing issue with your audience because 77 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 1: I was watching a thing you did last year in 78 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:27,800 Speaker 1: the BBC. You know, when you record with an Augustra 79 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:31,039 Speaker 1: and you've done this for years each it's the same song, 80 00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:33,200 Speaker 1: it's the hit song, but the intro will be different, 81 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:37,240 Speaker 1: the way you sing it'll be different. Is that this 82 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 1: is what you do and that's that, and the audience 83 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 1: can love it or height it. That's life. 84 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:45,839 Speaker 2: Well, I feel like that's that's very that's a fairly 85 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:49,560 Speaker 2: conservative move relative on my part. The way I play, 86 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:52,000 Speaker 2: the way it is what you're referring to, I'm sure 87 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:58,800 Speaker 2: related to other things I do, so I don't know 88 00:04:58,800 --> 00:05:02,640 Speaker 2: what to say about that if someone thinks that my 89 00:05:03,120 --> 00:05:04,960 Speaker 2: version of the way it is that I played with 90 00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:09,160 Speaker 2: the BBC Radio Orchestra last year live across the UK, 91 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:14,359 Speaker 2: along with two other songs mine Yes, Yeah. One of 92 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:16,280 Speaker 2: them was a big hit in America. Song I wrote 93 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:18,200 Speaker 2: with Don Henley was a hit for him, The End 94 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:21,400 Speaker 2: of the Innocence. The other one is also notable in 95 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:24,760 Speaker 2: a different way, but in more of an indie underground way. 96 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:29,480 Speaker 2: Several years ago I was reached out by the great 97 00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:32,640 Speaker 2: justin Vernon of the great indie band Boney Vere, who 98 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:35,560 Speaker 2: comes over there and plays at least Australia. They probably 99 00:05:35,560 --> 00:05:38,840 Speaker 2: come to New Zealand as well. They do very well there. 100 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:41,000 Speaker 2: They played this in the Opera House, et cetera, et cetera, 101 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:44,919 Speaker 2: and I started working with him. It was just like 102 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:47,760 Speaker 2: when I was coming up, I've got reached out. I 103 00:05:47,880 --> 00:05:50,920 Speaker 2: was reached out to by a lot of my heroes. 104 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:52,720 Speaker 2: I ended up working with a lot of my heroes. 105 00:05:52,839 --> 00:05:55,400 Speaker 2: And that was sort of painting yourself into the mural 106 00:05:55,480 --> 00:05:57,919 Speaker 2: that you'd been looking at as a young man, and 107 00:05:57,920 --> 00:05:59,760 Speaker 2: all of a sudden you're in it. And that was 108 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:02,800 Speaker 2: I get chill was thinking about that, but then it 109 00:06:02,839 --> 00:06:06,760 Speaker 2: reversed for me in a beautiful way. Younger musicians spearheaded 110 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:08,880 Speaker 2: by this one guy who was a big deal in 111 00:06:08,920 --> 00:06:14,360 Speaker 2: the indie world. I started working with all these younger 112 00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:18,839 Speaker 2: musicians that for whom I had been an inspiration to 113 00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:22,040 Speaker 2: them when they were coming up. So again it flipped around, 114 00:06:22,680 --> 00:06:25,160 Speaker 2: and so I played a song I wrote, I wrote 115 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:27,560 Speaker 2: with justin Vernon and we did a duet, had a 116 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:29,680 Speaker 2: duet on this song called Castuff, and that was the 117 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:30,240 Speaker 2: third song. 118 00:06:30,440 --> 00:06:32,920 Speaker 1: It wasn't it. I'd recommend anyone go see it. Just 119 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:35,040 Speaker 1: just look it up as really available to the BBC Radio 120 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:37,919 Speaker 1: Orchestra from last year Live in Front just broadcast right 121 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:40,320 Speaker 1: around the country. By the way, Bruce hero I, obviously 122 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:42,960 Speaker 1: you're at the University of Miami this week here performing 123 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:45,080 Speaker 1: your alumni, so you're going to be doing and this 124 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:47,479 Speaker 1: goes to favorite songs the way it is, right, So 125 00:06:48,279 --> 00:06:50,839 Speaker 1: that's the song that people want. We had Billy Joel 126 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:52,560 Speaker 1: on the program last year and I talked to him 127 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:54,919 Speaker 1: about piano Man, and he doesn't like piano Man, he 128 00:06:54,960 --> 00:06:58,560 Speaker 1: doesn't like performing it. What's your relationship with a song 129 00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:01,560 Speaker 1: like that that you must have played like a million times. 130 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:04,880 Speaker 2: Well as you you you refer to this before because 131 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:09,480 Speaker 2: you heard my version U uh we I have three 132 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:11,840 Speaker 2: or four or five different ways of playing the songs, 133 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:17,360 Speaker 2: and so that that's my way to guard against burnout, 134 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:21,400 Speaker 2: to guard against when mister Joel there was talking about 135 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:25,680 Speaker 2: uh but anyone can relate to that. It's it's so obvious. 136 00:07:25,760 --> 00:07:29,080 Speaker 2: It's such an old story. He old, oh, well, you've 137 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:33,040 Speaker 2: got to do the hit hit thing. But for many 138 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:36,480 Speaker 2: years I was pretty mean about it, in the teens 139 00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:40,840 Speaker 2: of this century. Uh maybe even the oughts, when I 140 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:44,880 Speaker 2: would not play any of those songs. Now you have 141 00:07:44,920 --> 00:07:48,440 Speaker 2: to understand my my career is again using the word 142 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:52,480 Speaker 2: disparate it stylistically all over the map. And one of 143 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:59,000 Speaker 2: my main sort of top five resume items in the 144 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:01,080 Speaker 2: world is that I play with the Grateful Dead for 145 00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:06,640 Speaker 2: eighteen twenty months. And so I was always an improviser. 146 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:09,640 Speaker 2: I'm improvising on the way it is on the radio 147 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:13,160 Speaker 2: that doesn't happen. I was. It was a wonderful accident 148 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:17,880 Speaker 2: that happened. So, but that's who I am. So so 149 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:22,520 Speaker 2: I am not I'm not a great vehicle for your 150 00:08:22,560 --> 00:08:25,560 Speaker 2: stroll down memory lane. But I'm not bad. I've gotten 151 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:28,120 Speaker 2: nicer about it. I've gotten kinder about it. 152 00:08:28,560 --> 00:08:31,360 Speaker 1: In my dulgage, I love it when you go back 153 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:33,560 Speaker 1: to the University of Miami and a weekles so the 154 00:08:33,559 --> 00:08:37,520 Speaker 1: Frost School of Music is they is there something. 155 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:39,640 Speaker 2: That let me let me say one thing about that 156 00:08:39,760 --> 00:08:44,640 Speaker 2: before you ask the question. Sorry to budd uh you said, 157 00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:47,400 Speaker 2: and you're playing the last That was my choice. I 158 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:50,400 Speaker 2: just I said, hey, I'll just do that with this 159 00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:55,720 Speaker 2: beautiful string orchestra arrangement that I played with the BBC 160 00:08:56,440 --> 00:09:00,520 Speaker 2: or with the orchestra there. So that that was them 161 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:03,880 Speaker 2: saying requiring or that, because if they required that, and 162 00:09:03,880 --> 00:09:05,920 Speaker 2: I would have just said, hey, well no, I'm sorry, 163 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:09,120 Speaker 2: I'm not doing it. I don't care that much about 164 00:09:09,160 --> 00:09:12,720 Speaker 2: any of this, but I did it just just to 165 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:17,080 Speaker 2: make it easy good for everybody. So that's that's the reason, sorry, 166 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:18,240 Speaker 2: go ahead. 167 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:21,040 Speaker 1: Not at all. Is that you giving back this the 168 00:09:21,040 --> 00:09:23,600 Speaker 1: the alumni returns. I mean, what a thrill it must 169 00:09:23,640 --> 00:09:25,480 Speaker 1: be for them to know when you went there and 170 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:27,920 Speaker 1: be you're back giving to this this this Frost School 171 00:09:27,920 --> 00:09:28,360 Speaker 1: of Music. 172 00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:30,920 Speaker 2: Well, I don't know how much of a thrill that 173 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:34,600 Speaker 2: is for anybody there, but they asked that. Okay, the 174 00:09:34,679 --> 00:09:37,439 Speaker 2: reason I the reason I said yes, it's because I've 175 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:40,920 Speaker 2: been saying no to them for several years. I started 176 00:09:40,920 --> 00:09:44,760 Speaker 2: a program. I endowed a program at my old school, 177 00:09:44,920 --> 00:09:47,760 Speaker 2: son tan you is what we used to call it 178 00:09:47,840 --> 00:09:53,600 Speaker 2: in Florida there and this is this is a program 179 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:57,760 Speaker 2: called the Creative American Music Program can't the CAM program. 180 00:09:57,960 --> 00:10:02,240 Speaker 2: And it's a songletters program where where you're taught to 181 00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:06,720 Speaker 2: if you're taught the basic traditions of old time American 182 00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:12,080 Speaker 2: music that had been formed, the rock and R and B, soul, world, 183 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:16,560 Speaker 2: uh pop, whatever, anything coming out of America or most 184 00:10:16,679 --> 00:10:21,120 Speaker 2: anything has been influenced or come from that deep well 185 00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:25,360 Speaker 2: of old time gut bucket, nasty old American folk and 186 00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:32,320 Speaker 2: blues and bluegrass, country, Cajun, on and on. So uh 187 00:10:33,120 --> 00:10:37,199 Speaker 2: So I started this program, funded it down there and 188 00:10:37,720 --> 00:10:41,360 Speaker 2: uh and so that's that's that's really My giving back 189 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:49,160 Speaker 2: is fantastic. That's a very deep, uh contribution. I feel 190 00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:51,680 Speaker 2: I'm not trying to pat myself from the back, but 191 00:10:51,800 --> 00:10:55,599 Speaker 2: that compared to just doing a gig for their centennial 192 00:10:55,640 --> 00:10:59,400 Speaker 2: celebration as fine as fine, but no, what I did 193 00:10:59,559 --> 00:11:03,280 Speaker 2: about the teen years ago is my giving back moment 194 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:03,840 Speaker 2: to you in. 195 00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:06,839 Speaker 1: It's brilliant what you haven't done. Bruce Hornsby is two 196 00:11:06,840 --> 00:11:08,760 Speaker 1: in New Zealand. I don't know that we can ever 197 00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:11,200 Speaker 1: fix that, but I'll tell you what a joy to 198 00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:13,000 Speaker 1: meet and talk with you. And if you ever come 199 00:11:13,080 --> 00:11:14,040 Speaker 1: here you more than welcome. 200 00:11:14,880 --> 00:11:16,920 Speaker 2: Well, I'd love to do it. My son. I have 201 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:20,160 Speaker 2: a son who played who just retired from playing pro basketball. 202 00:11:20,320 --> 00:11:23,240 Speaker 2: Is a very good player at the Great LSU Louisiana 203 00:11:23,240 --> 00:11:27,960 Speaker 2: State University. In college, he spent five years in Europe 204 00:11:28,360 --> 00:11:32,080 Speaker 2: and he had a couple of opportunities, potential opportunities to 205 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:36,560 Speaker 2: come there. One was to play for a team into 206 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:41,559 Speaker 2: that area, never New Zealand. But the Tasmanian jump jack Yes, asked, 207 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:46,480 Speaker 2: we're recruiting him. His main thing was in Melbourne. United 208 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:49,079 Speaker 2: made him an offer about a year ago. Year and 209 00:11:49,120 --> 00:11:52,439 Speaker 2: a half ago. It was alow offers about half what 210 00:11:52,600 --> 00:11:55,160 Speaker 2: he was making in Europe, so he didn't take it. 211 00:11:55,360 --> 00:11:57,439 Speaker 2: But a few days after turning it down, he thought 212 00:11:57,559 --> 00:11:59,920 Speaker 2: the better of him. Said man, I've always wanted to 213 00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:02,880 Speaker 2: come to play in Australia, And I said, yeah, I've 214 00:12:02,880 --> 00:12:06,160 Speaker 2: always wanted to play. I would if you go, I 215 00:12:06,160 --> 00:12:09,559 Speaker 2: will definitely book a tour. But he he what he 216 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:12,840 Speaker 2: so he called him back and said, hey, sorry, I 217 00:12:12,960 --> 00:12:16,640 Speaker 2: reconsider it. They said they've already moved. Oh no, no, 218 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:21,600 Speaker 2: that would have been my moment to come. 219 00:12:21,880 --> 00:12:26,720 Speaker 1: Fantastic listen, real thrill, Bruce, terrific to talk with you, 220 00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:29,520 Speaker 1: meet you and and maybe we can do it again sometime. 221 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:32,600 Speaker 2: Sounds good. Okay, Mike, thanks and Nicole. 222 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:34,480 Speaker 1: That was worth forty years worth of white I reckon 223 00:12:34,640 --> 00:12:38,200 Speaker 1: Bruce Hornsby For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast. 224 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:41,679 Speaker 2: Listen live to news talks. It'd be from six am weekdays, 225 00:12:41,920 --> 00:12:43,960 Speaker 2: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio