1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:01,280 Speaker 1: Taking a Walk. 2 00:00:01,400 --> 00:00:04,160 Speaker 2: I'm buzznight and welcome to this classic replay of the 3 00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:05,479 Speaker 2: Taking a Walk podcast. 4 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:05,960 Speaker 1: Now. 5 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:07,880 Speaker 2: If you want to get in touch with us about 6 00:00:07,880 --> 00:00:11,920 Speaker 2: suggestions for guests or other classic replays, please go to 7 00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:15,960 Speaker 2: takin Awalk dot com and send us a note. We're 8 00:00:16,040 --> 00:00:19,239 Speaker 2: proud to have select episodes of Taking a Walk in 9 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:22,599 Speaker 2: the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Library and Archives 10 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:25,760 Speaker 2: in Cleveland, Ohio, and this is one that's in there. 11 00:00:26,079 --> 00:00:28,680 Speaker 2: Let's check out this classic replay with one of the 12 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:32,760 Speaker 2: most interesting people in music, a storied career as a 13 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:36,280 Speaker 2: founding member of Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers, and 14 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:40,040 Speaker 2: also as a great session guitars for so many other folks, 15 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:43,960 Speaker 2: and also in his spare time he advises our government, 16 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:49,280 Speaker 2: Jeff Skunk Baxter on this classic replay of Taking a Walk. 17 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:52,760 Speaker 3: Hi, welcome Jeff Skunk Baxter. 18 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:56,720 Speaker 1: Thank you for the card words, I appreciate it. Thank you. 19 00:00:56,800 --> 00:00:59,560 Speaker 2: So you have quite a history in the Boston area. 20 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:04,240 Speaker 2: What was the music scene like when you were roaming 21 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:08,319 Speaker 2: around the mean streets of Boylston Street and the back 22 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:09,560 Speaker 2: bay of Boston. 23 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:15,119 Speaker 4: It was alive and well and it was very eclectic Boston, 24 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:17,760 Speaker 4: believe it or not in the whole New England area 25 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:23,000 Speaker 4: had a very large country Western presence. I think part 26 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 4: of it came because the trucks that would come up 27 00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:29,759 Speaker 4: ninety five, you know, they'd be listening to WWVA coming 28 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:32,720 Speaker 4: out of West Virginia and they'd be coming up Route 29 00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 4: ninety five, and when they get to Boston, they were 30 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:38,120 Speaker 4: looking for, you know, music, and there was a huge 31 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:45,399 Speaker 4: country presence. And then again I actually did some interesting gigs. 32 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:48,280 Speaker 4: I played at a place called Paul's Mall, a jazz workshop. 33 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:52,840 Speaker 4: I was asked to do something called who is this 34 00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:58,400 Speaker 4: Guy Gershwin Anyway, which was someone had put together a 35 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:01,360 Speaker 4: wonderful I think it was Jeff Ass who had put 36 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:06,720 Speaker 4: together a wonderful evening of Gershwin songs sung by different 37 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:09,720 Speaker 4: actors and actresses, and the four of us, we had 38 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:14,360 Speaker 4: a four piece band, would play arrangements of the Gershwin stuff. 39 00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:16,959 Speaker 4: And we were doing this every night, like five, six 40 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:20,760 Speaker 4: nights a week. So besides the rock and roll scene 41 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:24,680 Speaker 4: and the blues scene, which was huge in Boston, there 42 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:29,080 Speaker 4: was a psychedelic supermarket that was again Paul's Malagazz Workshop. 43 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:34,919 Speaker 4: There was so many clubs and places to play in Boston. 44 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:37,440 Speaker 4: There was something for everybody. 45 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:41,880 Speaker 2: And that's when you got into really the mechanics of 46 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:46,160 Speaker 2: guitars and the work that you did in the shop 47 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:47,760 Speaker 2: there and everything is that correct. 48 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:50,560 Speaker 4: Well, actually, I grew up in Mexico City, so there 49 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:57,600 Speaker 4: was nobody to repair anything, so pretty much, I guess 50 00:02:58,639 --> 00:03:00,880 Speaker 4: if you want to figure out which way the electrons go, 51 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:02,440 Speaker 4: you stick a knife into the toaster. 52 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 1: You figure that out pretty quick. 53 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 4: And I was an older gentleman who was a TV 54 00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:13,080 Speaker 4: radio repairman that I met a Mexican gentleman who had 55 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:15,320 Speaker 4: let me spend some time in his shop, taught me 56 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:17,720 Speaker 4: a few things, and the rest of it was just 57 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 4: hunt and peck until I figured it out. And then 58 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 4: I had a little bit of knowledge at the time 59 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:29,680 Speaker 4: because while I was in Mexico, I was going to 60 00:03:29,720 --> 00:03:34,200 Speaker 4: boarding school in Connecticut and my parents. Sometimes I wouldn't 61 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:37,840 Speaker 4: fly home all the way to Mexico City simply for 62 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:40,440 Speaker 4: a short vacation, so I would spend it in New 63 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 4: York City, either working at Jimmy's Music shop or eventually 64 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:49,400 Speaker 4: working for Dan Armstrong, who was the guru of guitar customizing, 65 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:56,720 Speaker 4: and learned pretty much the bulk of my knowledge about 66 00:03:56,760 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 4: guitars and especially about guitar electronics, and so taking that 67 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:06,120 Speaker 4: to Boston, working with folks at the U Worldzer and 68 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:10,720 Speaker 4: Dave Scheckter and I had our own guitar shop day 69 00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:17,320 Speaker 4: went on to found Scheckter Guitars, and yeah, just getting 70 00:04:17,400 --> 00:04:20,440 Speaker 4: into your right, getting into the the ins and outs 71 00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:21,800 Speaker 4: of which way the electrons go. 72 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:27,359 Speaker 2: But you've always really had this sort of change agent 73 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:32,119 Speaker 2: approach to whether it be music or other things in life. 74 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:35,480 Speaker 3: When did you discover that you're a change agent? 75 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:36,640 Speaker 1: Wow? 76 00:04:36,839 --> 00:04:40,719 Speaker 4: I probably didn't understand the term until my dad explained 77 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:43,479 Speaker 4: it to me when I was very young, and I 78 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:48,360 Speaker 4: didn't really see myself as a change agent. Many times 79 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:53,800 Speaker 4: I saw myself as getting into trouble because of I guess, 80 00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:56,599 Speaker 4: the idea when I want to do something else, or 81 00:04:56,640 --> 00:05:01,400 Speaker 4: this is not right. Pardon me for saying something here, 82 00:05:03,120 --> 00:05:08,000 Speaker 4: I guess probably in the Boston area when I started 83 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:14,480 Speaker 4: to customize guitars and try to get guitar players, help 84 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:19,120 Speaker 4: them customize their sound and give them the help them, 85 00:05:19,200 --> 00:05:22,120 Speaker 4: give them the tools, and some of the things we did, 86 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:24,960 Speaker 4: I mean, were really nuts. I had a good friend 87 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:30,560 Speaker 4: of mine who kept putting cigarettes up on the headstock 88 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:33,359 Speaker 4: of his guitar, you know, while I was smoking, and 89 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:36,560 Speaker 4: they would burn down and they would you know, burn. 90 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:40,000 Speaker 1: The finish on the guitar. So I thought, that's that's 91 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 1: not good. 92 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:43,760 Speaker 4: So I hunted around, found one of those circular astrays 93 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:46,640 Speaker 4: from a thirty nine Buick and installed it in his 94 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:49,280 Speaker 4: telecaster so he could just have it out there and 95 00:05:49,279 --> 00:05:52,080 Speaker 4: put his cigarette their ways playing, you know, just I 96 00:05:52,120 --> 00:05:53,200 Speaker 4: guess things like that. 97 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:58,640 Speaker 2: When you were in high school, you worked in New 98 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:03,200 Speaker 2: York at was it? Man, He's guitar shot, Jimmy's Jimmy's okay, 99 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:09,520 Speaker 2: and you ran into this other Jimmy there named Jimmy Hendrix. 100 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:10,239 Speaker 3: Is that correct? 101 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:15,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, he was calling himself Jimmy James at the time. Yeah. 102 00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:18,120 Speaker 3: And did you what was your take on him when 103 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:18,880 Speaker 3: you first met him? 104 00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:29,120 Speaker 4: Quiet, reserved, thoughtful, introspective, And when I finally got a 105 00:06:29,160 --> 00:06:34,200 Speaker 4: chance to hear him play, I was absolutely stunned. But 106 00:06:34,279 --> 00:06:38,240 Speaker 4: a very nice guy, really, a nice guy is the 107 00:06:38,279 --> 00:06:46,800 Speaker 4: wrong word. A very very deep, intense and open and 108 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:48,719 Speaker 4: thoughtful person. 109 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:50,160 Speaker 1: Yeah. 110 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:54,520 Speaker 2: I heard him describe this sweet by Felix Cavaliery from 111 00:06:54,720 --> 00:06:55,760 Speaker 2: the Rascals. 112 00:06:55,480 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 3: He said, sweet was the way he described him. 113 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:01,920 Speaker 4: Yeah, Yeah, he had All he wanted to do was 114 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:07,120 Speaker 4: play music, and he also served in the military. So 115 00:07:07,160 --> 00:07:12,800 Speaker 4: it was interesting at the time the rift that was 116 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:18,600 Speaker 4: opening in American society because of the Vietnam War. Certainly many, 117 00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:23,120 Speaker 4: I would say the bulk of the musicians were somewhat 118 00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:31,280 Speaker 4: anti war for good reasons. But Jimmy kept quiet about it. 119 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:34,760 Speaker 4: I didn't discuss it. And I think when he played 120 00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:39,760 Speaker 4: his version of the Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock, he 121 00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:43,680 Speaker 4: did it because deep down inside he cared about his country. 122 00:07:43,680 --> 00:07:44,360 Speaker 1: He was a patriot. 123 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:47,280 Speaker 3: Did you ever get to sit in in him, with 124 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:48,920 Speaker 3: him with I did. 125 00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:50,840 Speaker 4: For a couple of songs, and of course that blew 126 00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:53,560 Speaker 4: up into you know, I played with Jimmy Hendry, but 127 00:07:54,680 --> 00:07:56,360 Speaker 4: very very very very. 128 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:00,320 Speaker 1: And when I say open. 129 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:08,040 Speaker 4: And there's something amongst musicians that I call musicians etiquette, 130 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:12,320 Speaker 4: where when you play together, you listen to the other musician. 131 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:16,320 Speaker 4: You don't just jump in, you know, you listen, You 132 00:08:16,320 --> 00:08:18,240 Speaker 4: get a feel for what's going on, and you try 133 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:25,440 Speaker 4: to add to the overall experience, not to be a 134 00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:28,280 Speaker 4: pun ful here, but to the overall experience. 135 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:30,240 Speaker 1: And he was like that. 136 00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:34,120 Speaker 4: Certainly he could have held his own and he could 137 00:08:34,120 --> 00:08:37,920 Speaker 4: have dominated anything but for the most part he was 138 00:08:38,080 --> 00:08:40,160 Speaker 4: very He had a great amount of. 139 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:43,600 Speaker 1: Etiquette, music etiquette. I guess I would say. 140 00:08:44,559 --> 00:08:49,199 Speaker 2: Has that departed these days? Music etiquette or etiquette in general. 141 00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:52,160 Speaker 1: I don't think it's changed all that much. 142 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:56,280 Speaker 4: There is always a group of musicians who feel it 143 00:08:56,720 --> 00:09:03,400 Speaker 4: necessary to dominate whatever situation that they're in for whatever reason. 144 00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:06,480 Speaker 1: That won't get you very well as far as a 145 00:09:06,520 --> 00:09:07,360 Speaker 1: studio musician. 146 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:10,240 Speaker 4: We know, we had a saying back in the seventies 147 00:09:10,280 --> 00:09:13,040 Speaker 4: when you know, some guy would come in and brand 148 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:15,880 Speaker 4: new and he was just, you know, wouldn't shut up, 149 00:09:16,280 --> 00:09:19,240 Speaker 4: and you go, hey, man, I really did what you're 150 00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:22,880 Speaker 4: trying to do, which was sort of a backhanded you know, 151 00:09:23,559 --> 00:09:25,040 Speaker 4: you know, knock it off. 152 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:28,400 Speaker 3: Kind of the equivalent to bless your heart. 153 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:31,920 Speaker 1: Right there you go, that's it, all right, that's it. 154 00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:37,920 Speaker 2: So tell me the story how you fell into this 155 00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:44,120 Speaker 2: work with these guys Becker and Fagan otherwise known as 156 00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:48,559 Speaker 2: the Foundation, with you and others of Steely dan Well. 157 00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:53,520 Speaker 4: I was working in Boston, I suspending a playing in 158 00:09:53,559 --> 00:09:57,200 Speaker 4: a bunch of different bands. I was playing bass for 159 00:09:57,280 --> 00:10:00,400 Speaker 4: Tim Buckley. I was in the Holy Modal Round, which 160 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:05,040 Speaker 4: was the craziest band ever more fun than anybody should 161 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:06,920 Speaker 4: ever be allowed legally to have. 162 00:10:07,720 --> 00:10:08,320 Speaker 1: And I was. 163 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:11,800 Speaker 4: Doing a lot of work in a place called Intermedia 164 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:13,600 Speaker 4: Sound on Newberry Street. 165 00:10:14,600 --> 00:10:16,800 Speaker 1: And I wasn't the house guitar player. 166 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:18,720 Speaker 4: By any means, but because I was spending so much 167 00:10:18,760 --> 00:10:23,800 Speaker 4: time there, people would say, Oh, we need a guitar part. 168 00:10:24,040 --> 00:10:28,360 Speaker 4: Oh yeah, Skunk's over, Okay, let's you know, he'll come 169 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:31,160 Speaker 4: in and do it. And I was doing something and 170 00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:34,000 Speaker 4: I'm trying to remember whether it might have been for 171 00:10:34,080 --> 00:10:34,880 Speaker 4: Jonathan Edwards. 172 00:10:34,960 --> 00:10:36,760 Speaker 1: I wasn't. I don't, I can't quite remember. 173 00:10:36,760 --> 00:10:40,400 Speaker 4: But there was a band called The b Game, which 174 00:10:40,480 --> 00:10:46,320 Speaker 4: was a Boston based band, wonderful band, great guitar player, 175 00:10:46,400 --> 00:10:53,360 Speaker 4: John Sheldon, just one of those musical bands. And a 176 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:57,840 Speaker 4: gentleman named Gary Katz was producing that band, and I 177 00:10:57,840 --> 00:10:59,960 Speaker 4: guess he stuck his head in when I was doing 178 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:03,520 Speaker 4: in a session with somebody. And later on that day, 179 00:11:03,640 --> 00:11:06,320 Speaker 4: so I'm doing a project in New York. Would you'd 180 00:11:06,360 --> 00:11:08,760 Speaker 4: be willing to come down and work on the project. 181 00:11:09,080 --> 00:11:11,640 Speaker 4: And I was doing session work both in Boston and 182 00:11:11,679 --> 00:11:14,000 Speaker 4: New York. I was commuting, living in Boston, but I 183 00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:18,400 Speaker 4: was commuting back and forth, and I said sure, so 184 00:11:18,480 --> 00:11:20,760 Speaker 4: I went down there. He introduced me to a wonderful 185 00:11:20,840 --> 00:11:26,200 Speaker 4: lady named Linda Hoover who was doing a record in 186 00:11:26,280 --> 00:11:30,920 Speaker 4: New York, and a good chunk of the material was 187 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:35,040 Speaker 4: by a pair of songwriters named Walter Becker and Donald Fagan. 188 00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:40,080 Speaker 4: And as we started working on the record, I got 189 00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:43,520 Speaker 4: to know Walter O'donald a little bit. And afterwards they said, 190 00:11:43,559 --> 00:11:47,680 Speaker 4: you know, we've never heard anybody play guitar quite like that. 191 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:51,760 Speaker 4: I said, well, gentlemen, I've never heard music like this, 192 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:55,520 Speaker 4: And so there was this sort of Okay, whoever gets 193 00:11:55,559 --> 00:12:00,440 Speaker 4: their nose under the tent calls everybody else will form 194 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:04,120 Speaker 4: a band. So Becker and Fagan managed to get a 195 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:09,679 Speaker 4: publishing deal through Gary Katz with ABC Records in Los Angeles, 196 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:13,640 Speaker 4: and I was already moving out there to play with 197 00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:16,960 Speaker 4: other bands. Anyway. I was playing Pedal Steel. Actually was 198 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:21,040 Speaker 4: working at the Palamedo Club and doing session work and 199 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:27,800 Speaker 4: guitar repair out in Los Angeles. And somehow or other, 200 00:12:28,360 --> 00:12:31,240 Speaker 4: after they got the publishing deal, we thought about putting 201 00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:35,280 Speaker 4: together a band, and that's that's how it happened. They said, 202 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:38,080 Speaker 4: do you know any drummers, said, yeah, the drummer for 203 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:43,120 Speaker 4: the Bead Game Jimmy Harter. Do you know any leads singers? Yeah, 204 00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:47,920 Speaker 4: Dave Palmer and of course Danny Diaz was a friend 205 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:51,000 Speaker 4: of theirs as well, So there you go. 206 00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:53,280 Speaker 1: Wow. 207 00:12:54,400 --> 00:13:00,160 Speaker 2: You know, they've recently been unearthing and re releasing a 208 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:08,360 Speaker 2: lot of those midnight specials from Birch Sugar and the 209 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:16,800 Speaker 2: Steely Dan episodes are absolute knockouts. What was your recollection 210 00:13:16,920 --> 00:13:20,240 Speaker 2: of how the audience felt about what they were seeing? 211 00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:25,600 Speaker 2: Because the performance is spectacular. You had the two ladies 212 00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:30,320 Speaker 2: with the flapper hats singing and skunk, you know, just 213 00:13:30,400 --> 00:13:33,480 Speaker 2: wailing away. And I mean what I. 214 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:35,800 Speaker 3: Was struck with For a band that for so long 215 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:38,520 Speaker 3: didn't look like it was always having fun when they 216 00:13:38,559 --> 00:13:41,160 Speaker 3: were in front of people, it looked like a lot 217 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:41,600 Speaker 3: of fun. 218 00:13:42,559 --> 00:13:44,439 Speaker 1: Yeah. 219 00:13:44,840 --> 00:13:47,160 Speaker 4: First of all, we had a great time, and the 220 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:52,360 Speaker 4: background singers were David Cassidy's background singers and they were phenomenal, 221 00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:57,920 Speaker 4: phenomenal singers. Plus Russ Jones who was playing percussion and 222 00:13:58,040 --> 00:13:59,360 Speaker 4: also singing backgrounds. 223 00:14:00,520 --> 00:14:03,600 Speaker 1: Rice would step up to sing any. 224 00:14:03,400 --> 00:14:10,360 Speaker 4: Major dude, and wherever we were immediately turned into a club. 225 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:17,800 Speaker 4: His delivery and his vocal style was so inviting. This 226 00:14:17,840 --> 00:14:20,880 Speaker 4: guy was an incredible singer. Everybody was an amazing musician, 227 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:27,560 Speaker 4: and I think there's a bit of mythology that perhaps 228 00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:35,000 Speaker 4: was promoted by Walter and Donald that they didn't like 229 00:14:35,120 --> 00:14:38,320 Speaker 4: to play live and that there was something about that 230 00:14:38,320 --> 00:14:43,680 Speaker 4: that was less than I can't find the word to 231 00:14:43,720 --> 00:14:48,880 Speaker 4: describe it, but just wasn't worthy as being in the studio, 232 00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:53,400 Speaker 4: And that's really not true. We had a great time 233 00:14:53,480 --> 00:14:57,160 Speaker 4: and we were a band, and there's something about the 234 00:14:57,240 --> 00:15:03,320 Speaker 4: chemistry between musicians who worked together. Certainly Steely Dan's later 235 00:15:03,760 --> 00:15:10,080 Speaker 4: works with just Walter o'donald. Hiring studio musicians, of which 236 00:15:10,080 --> 00:15:14,400 Speaker 4: we were all anyway was excellent, but there was something 237 00:15:15,160 --> 00:15:19,840 Speaker 4: special about the chemistry and you could see it, you 238 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:22,720 Speaker 4: could feel it. I don't know, we were having a ball. 239 00:15:23,760 --> 00:15:26,360 Speaker 4: I'm not quite sure what the problem was. 240 00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:33,040 Speaker 2: You know, it's the performances are spectacular. Oh my god, 241 00:15:33,160 --> 00:15:37,600 Speaker 2: it just knocked me out. And I've watched it half 242 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:40,200 Speaker 2: a dozen times and shown it to people, and. 243 00:15:41,680 --> 00:15:44,080 Speaker 3: You're just blazing on that one, for sure. 244 00:15:44,640 --> 00:15:47,000 Speaker 1: Oh thank you, sir. I was having a good time. 245 00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:51,160 Speaker 3: So then the Doobie Brothers kind of was flowing. 246 00:15:51,240 --> 00:15:54,600 Speaker 2: You were doing session work right with them, and you 247 00:15:54,640 --> 00:15:58,040 Speaker 2: were still part of Steely Dan, but it looked like 248 00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:00,760 Speaker 2: things were going to kind of go in a direction 249 00:16:00,920 --> 00:16:05,320 Speaker 2: where Steely Dan would get off of touring. So was 250 00:16:05,320 --> 00:16:08,400 Speaker 2: that how you ended up making the decision to go 251 00:16:08,480 --> 00:16:12,000 Speaker 2: from session player to full time Doobie brother. 252 00:16:12,960 --> 00:16:15,040 Speaker 4: Well, we had the band Steely Dan. I was also 253 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:19,720 Speaker 4: playing in Linda Ronstadt's band, playing Steel That'll Steel and 254 00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:24,120 Speaker 4: out touring which Iy Rodriguez, and then you know a 255 00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:26,720 Speaker 4: bunch of just all I wanted to do was play, 256 00:16:27,440 --> 00:16:29,320 Speaker 4: spend all my time playing, whether it was in the 257 00:16:29,360 --> 00:16:35,440 Speaker 4: studio or with other bands. And Steely Dan was opening 258 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:40,600 Speaker 4: for the Doobie Brothers on a number of CONCERCT tours. 259 00:16:41,720 --> 00:16:43,160 Speaker 1: And very nice guys. 260 00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:47,120 Speaker 4: They said, Hey, would you like to sit in for 261 00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:48,280 Speaker 4: a couple of songs? 262 00:16:49,120 --> 00:16:49,360 Speaker 1: Sure? 263 00:16:50,160 --> 00:16:52,280 Speaker 4: And then it was four songs, and then it was 264 00:16:52,360 --> 00:16:55,520 Speaker 4: six songs, and then it was half the show, and 265 00:16:55,560 --> 00:16:58,080 Speaker 4: then finally would you like to. 266 00:16:58,040 --> 00:16:59,200 Speaker 1: Go out on tour with us? 267 00:17:00,080 --> 00:17:03,960 Speaker 4: I said sure, And so I was touring with them, 268 00:17:04,040 --> 00:17:08,840 Speaker 4: touring with Steely Dan, touring with Linda Ronstadt again, I'll 269 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:13,679 Speaker 4: playing with Honey Rodriguez, and I was on tour with 270 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:17,360 Speaker 4: the Doobies in England and we were playing at Networth, 271 00:17:17,720 --> 00:17:22,520 Speaker 4: the Big Networth Festival, and I talked to the guys 272 00:17:22,560 --> 00:17:25,560 Speaker 4: in Steely Down. I talked to Walter and Donald and 273 00:17:25,600 --> 00:17:27,600 Speaker 4: they had said, hey, that we're just don't want to 274 00:17:27,600 --> 00:17:33,879 Speaker 4: tour anymore. I said, well, okay, I enjoyed touring. I 275 00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:36,879 Speaker 4: thought that was fun, and I I again it was 276 00:17:36,960 --> 00:17:39,800 Speaker 4: the mythology of well, what's the problem here. 277 00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:42,520 Speaker 1: So when I hung up the phone, I said, well, 278 00:17:42,520 --> 00:17:43,080 Speaker 1: that's kind. 279 00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:45,520 Speaker 4: Of it for me and Steely Dan and one of 280 00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:47,560 Speaker 4: the members of the DeBie brother said, well, now you're 281 00:17:47,560 --> 00:17:49,280 Speaker 4: in the Doobie Brothers. 282 00:17:49,560 --> 00:17:53,760 Speaker 1: Okay, great, thank you, and away we go. 283 00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:58,640 Speaker 2: And what's some of your favorite memories from the work 284 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:01,080 Speaker 2: with the Doobie Brothers And how did you bring Michael 285 00:18:01,119 --> 00:18:02,280 Speaker 2: McDonald into the band? 286 00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:03,560 Speaker 1: Well? 287 00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:08,520 Speaker 4: I had great memories simply because there was great interaction. 288 00:18:09,400 --> 00:18:12,879 Speaker 4: At the time when Tommy was still in the band, 289 00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:17,399 Speaker 4: Tommy Johnston, all of us had a pre election for 290 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:22,480 Speaker 4: three guitar players because one of the bands that all 291 00:18:22,520 --> 00:18:25,960 Speaker 4: of us admired was Moby Grape. I think they were 292 00:18:25,960 --> 00:18:29,520 Speaker 4: probably the best American rock and roll band ever, and 293 00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:33,360 Speaker 4: they had three guitar players and they figured out how 294 00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:37,680 Speaker 4: to do that without creating a traffic jam. I always 295 00:18:37,720 --> 00:18:39,920 Speaker 4: said it's like a three masted schooner. And everything was 296 00:18:39,960 --> 00:18:44,280 Speaker 4: working just fine, and the three of us playing together 297 00:18:44,359 --> 00:18:50,480 Speaker 4: with very different styles I think, created almost like a 298 00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:56,520 Speaker 4: guitar orchestra. So that was tremendous fun. And one day 299 00:18:56,640 --> 00:19:02,560 Speaker 4: we were about to perform at Louisana State University when 300 00:19:03,520 --> 00:19:07,879 Speaker 4: Tom got extremely ill. He had an ulcer attack or 301 00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:13,239 Speaker 4: something and couldn't go on stage. So, I don't know, 302 00:19:13,359 --> 00:19:17,199 Speaker 4: sometimes you gotta make a command decision, right, So I 303 00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:18,680 Speaker 4: walked out on stage and said. 304 00:19:18,600 --> 00:19:19,960 Speaker 1: Everybody gonna have their money back. 305 00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:23,119 Speaker 4: They're probably I don't know, forty thousand people there or something, 306 00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:26,200 Speaker 4: or you can wait ten days and we'll. 307 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:26,720 Speaker 1: Put on a show. 308 00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:30,040 Speaker 4: So I got off stage and said, well, well, okay, 309 00:19:30,119 --> 00:19:32,520 Speaker 4: so now that I pull that trigger. So I got 310 00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:36,040 Speaker 4: on the phone called Michael McDonald, who had been touring 311 00:19:36,040 --> 00:19:41,280 Speaker 4: with us in Seelie Dan and playing keyboards and singing background, 312 00:19:41,480 --> 00:19:45,280 Speaker 4: and said, Michael, you really need to do this. This 313 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:48,240 Speaker 4: would be great, and he said, okay, there's a one 314 00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:51,639 Speaker 4: way ticket. Wait before you at the airport, get on playing, 315 00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:56,440 Speaker 4: come out to New Orleans. So we rehearsed for eight 316 00:19:56,480 --> 00:20:00,480 Speaker 4: to ten hours a day for eight days and went 317 00:20:00,520 --> 00:20:04,800 Speaker 4: out and played the show, got five encores, and I thought, Okay, 318 00:20:05,400 --> 00:20:07,000 Speaker 4: maybe I made the right decision here. 319 00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:09,199 Speaker 1: I love it. 320 00:20:10,720 --> 00:20:15,800 Speaker 2: Talk about your time with Linda Ronstat What a magical 321 00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:19,520 Speaker 2: moments that must have been in your life. 322 00:20:19,680 --> 00:20:21,080 Speaker 1: Well, first of all, it's hard. 323 00:20:21,800 --> 00:20:26,160 Speaker 4: It's hard to describe Linda as anything but the consummate 324 00:20:26,680 --> 00:20:29,960 Speaker 4: female vocalist. She didn't try to be a man. 325 00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:31,040 Speaker 1: She was. 326 00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:37,760 Speaker 4: I think her idol not idle, but her heroine would 327 00:20:37,800 --> 00:20:41,159 Speaker 4: have been Passi Kline. She loved Patsy Kline and we 328 00:20:41,200 --> 00:20:44,200 Speaker 4: did a lot of Patsy Klein songs in the set. 329 00:20:45,280 --> 00:20:47,439 Speaker 1: She was very sweet. 330 00:20:47,760 --> 00:20:51,040 Speaker 4: She wasn't a wallflower. She knew what she wanted. But 331 00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:55,520 Speaker 4: she also relied on the talent and the capability of 332 00:20:55,520 --> 00:20:59,399 Speaker 4: the musicians in the band. You know John Boylin playing keyboards, 333 00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:03,520 Speaker 4: Richie Heywood on drums, you know Andrew Gold playing guitar, 334 00:21:04,359 --> 00:21:10,080 Speaker 4: Bobby Wharford playing a guitar and polstring guitar. 335 00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:14,240 Speaker 1: I mean, what a band. Actually, I think. 336 00:21:14,119 --> 00:21:18,000 Speaker 4: We ended up sort of leaving Linda's employ because the 337 00:21:18,119 --> 00:21:22,920 Speaker 4: band was so powerful, kind of steamroller over once in 338 00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:27,320 Speaker 4: a while. But we had a ball because we were 339 00:21:27,520 --> 00:21:30,679 Speaker 4: again a unified group of guys. Everybody was pretty much 340 00:21:30,720 --> 00:21:34,919 Speaker 4: a studio guy. I mean everybody had worked in the 341 00:21:34,960 --> 00:21:38,560 Speaker 4: studios as well as their own bands. And Richie Heywood, God, 342 00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:45,000 Speaker 4: what a drummer little feet please you know. So everywhere 343 00:21:45,040 --> 00:21:51,680 Speaker 4: we played, everyone loved her. It was like I had 344 00:21:51,800 --> 00:21:55,640 Speaker 4: never seen anyone walk out or be unhappy at all 345 00:21:55,640 --> 00:22:02,879 Speaker 4: with her music, and she was enthralling. Her spirit and 346 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:07,919 Speaker 4: her voice really got inside your DNA and it was beautiful. 347 00:22:08,720 --> 00:22:11,000 Speaker 4: I mean there are times when I thought maybe I 348 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:13,399 Speaker 4: should just not play and sit back and enjoy this, 349 00:22:14,040 --> 00:22:16,560 Speaker 4: but you know, you got Yeah, I gotta play. 350 00:22:16,600 --> 00:22:18,080 Speaker 1: I was playing pedal steel in the band. 351 00:22:19,359 --> 00:22:21,080 Speaker 3: Did you teach yourself pedal steel? 352 00:22:21,359 --> 00:22:25,000 Speaker 1: Yeah? Yes, I didn't. 353 00:22:25,080 --> 00:22:28,320 Speaker 4: I couldn't find any books, and I figured, like guitar, 354 00:22:29,520 --> 00:22:34,479 Speaker 4: you just shed spend the time, listen to everything that 355 00:22:34,560 --> 00:22:39,520 Speaker 4: you possibly can learn from it. And because I was 356 00:22:39,560 --> 00:22:43,359 Speaker 4: repairing guitars, and I was also repairing steel guitars, so 357 00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:46,600 Speaker 4: I understand the mechanics of it, so it helped me. 358 00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:52,240 Speaker 4: I practiced a lot even when I wasn't playing the instrument. 359 00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:54,280 Speaker 4: That's what I do when I played the guitar too. 360 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:57,800 Speaker 4: I'll look at the music and I'll be flying on 361 00:22:57,880 --> 00:23:01,040 Speaker 4: a plane somewhere, and I'll have learned song by the 362 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:04,919 Speaker 4: time I get there, because I just practiced virtually, and 363 00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:07,800 Speaker 4: so I spent every waking minute that I had the 364 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:11,720 Speaker 4: time practicing, whether it was actually on the instrument or 365 00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:12,760 Speaker 4: in my mind. 366 00:23:13,880 --> 00:23:16,359 Speaker 3: I see some guitars in the background. Do you just 367 00:23:16,480 --> 00:23:18,560 Speaker 3: pick up guitars all throughout the day. 368 00:23:19,560 --> 00:23:22,520 Speaker 4: When I have the time, When I have the time, 369 00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:28,560 Speaker 4: and then yeah, there's back there, there she is. You know, 370 00:23:29,119 --> 00:23:34,200 Speaker 4: there's my baby right there, My pedal steel. Much love 371 00:23:34,600 --> 00:23:38,879 Speaker 4: for that instrument. I think the pedal steel is the 372 00:23:38,920 --> 00:23:42,600 Speaker 4: most beautiful instrument in the world. It seems like it 373 00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:49,080 Speaker 4: has an uncanny ability to get inside people's DNA. I 374 00:23:49,119 --> 00:23:52,840 Speaker 4: did something the other day for MAUI for some to 375 00:23:52,920 --> 00:23:56,320 Speaker 4: raise some money, and I did a pedal steel part 376 00:23:56,440 --> 00:24:01,120 Speaker 4: on Amazing Grace. I turned around and there were two 377 00:24:01,200 --> 00:24:04,720 Speaker 4: ladies in the room and they were like sobbing. I went, 378 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:09,359 Speaker 4: did I screw something up? And they were no, It's 379 00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:16,600 Speaker 4: just so beautiful. The instrument has a special magic to 380 00:24:16,680 --> 00:24:18,360 Speaker 4: it what it's played right. 381 00:24:19,920 --> 00:24:24,240 Speaker 2: I would imagine you saw Garcia play pedal steel at 382 00:24:24,240 --> 00:24:28,720 Speaker 2: one point, uh and Sneaky Peete played pedal steel. 383 00:24:28,800 --> 00:24:30,800 Speaker 1: Oh what a great steel player, sak one. 384 00:24:30,960 --> 00:24:33,800 Speaker 4: There was a guy was right right out of the 385 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:36,719 Speaker 4: out of the What can I say, though, no holds 386 00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:37,920 Speaker 4: barred for sneaky. 387 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:42,639 Speaker 2: Absolutely, you're talking about, you know how beautiful the pedal 388 00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:46,960 Speaker 2: steel is. And you know we produced this other podcast 389 00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:52,320 Speaker 2: it's called Music Save Me. It's about music and sort 390 00:24:52,359 --> 00:24:57,880 Speaker 2: of the healing forces. Do you believe music is has 391 00:24:57,960 --> 00:25:01,840 Speaker 2: healing supernatural powers? 392 00:25:02,040 --> 00:25:05,520 Speaker 4: I would have to we would have to have a 393 00:25:05,560 --> 00:25:08,000 Speaker 4: separate discussion about the use of the word supernatural. 394 00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:12,600 Speaker 1: But other than that, absolutely. 395 00:25:13,960 --> 00:25:19,080 Speaker 4: What many people don't understand is why music has such 396 00:25:19,080 --> 00:25:25,320 Speaker 4: an effect. From a purely physiological point of view, brain 397 00:25:25,560 --> 00:25:36,800 Speaker 4: operates on a cocktail of neurotransmitters oxytocin, adrenaline, that's oppressing serotonin. 398 00:25:37,560 --> 00:25:43,919 Speaker 4: All of these neurotransmitters each trigger a specific or a 399 00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:49,440 Speaker 4: set of specific emotions. So when you mix them in 400 00:25:49,480 --> 00:25:56,280 Speaker 4: a cocktail, you then have the opportunity, if you can 401 00:25:56,320 --> 00:26:02,480 Speaker 4: stimulate that secretion of those neurotransmitters, the opportunity to actually 402 00:26:02,560 --> 00:26:07,960 Speaker 4: map out and produce the emotions in people. So when 403 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:12,080 Speaker 4: you fall in love, mostly you fall in love, or 404 00:26:12,119 --> 00:26:17,199 Speaker 4: at least physiologically and biologically you fall in love because 405 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:22,800 Speaker 4: both of you are manufacturing hefty amounts of oxytocin. They 406 00:26:22,840 --> 00:26:27,600 Speaker 4: call it the love drug that bonds you to that 407 00:26:27,720 --> 00:26:33,080 Speaker 4: other person or binds you, depending on where you're coming from. 408 00:26:33,520 --> 00:26:37,200 Speaker 4: So there's no doubt in my mind. And I've had situations. 409 00:26:37,240 --> 00:26:39,879 Speaker 4: It's been kind of fun. I've had crusty guys, you know, 410 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:41,080 Speaker 4: marine corps generals. 411 00:26:41,119 --> 00:26:43,240 Speaker 1: You, Ah, yeah, whatever. 412 00:26:43,760 --> 00:26:46,600 Speaker 4: I said, Okay, man, sit down here. I'm going to 413 00:26:46,640 --> 00:26:49,480 Speaker 4: pick up this guitar and I'm going to run you 414 00:26:49,560 --> 00:26:54,240 Speaker 4: through a whole spectrum of emotions. And they go, ah, 415 00:26:54,400 --> 00:26:58,480 Speaker 4: all right, and by the end of it they're going WHOA. 416 00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:02,680 Speaker 4: I said, well, this is how this works. The different 417 00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:07,920 Speaker 4: combination of frequencies coherent oscillations that emanate from the instrument 418 00:27:08,920 --> 00:27:14,280 Speaker 4: are what stimulate the neurotransmitters in your brain and what 419 00:27:14,440 --> 00:27:17,040 Speaker 4: people A lot of people, it's not that they don't 420 00:27:17,119 --> 00:27:19,320 Speaker 4: understand it. They just never nobody's ever sat down and 421 00:27:19,359 --> 00:27:24,080 Speaker 4: explained it to the linearity of frequency from zero to 422 00:27:25,600 --> 00:27:31,359 Speaker 4: pure energy somewhat embodied an Einstein's equation and equals mc square. 423 00:27:31,920 --> 00:27:35,639 Speaker 4: Energy equals mass times the speed of the square of 424 00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:38,159 Speaker 4: the speed of light, so that they're one. 425 00:27:38,040 --> 00:27:38,600 Speaker 1: And the same. 426 00:27:40,359 --> 00:27:44,959 Speaker 4: Music is just a portion of the spectrum that stimulates 427 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:49,640 Speaker 4: human beings. Why does art stimulate human beings? Why are 428 00:27:49,640 --> 00:27:56,639 Speaker 4: the colors in certain combinations so effective. Well, if you 429 00:27:57,600 --> 00:28:01,360 Speaker 4: strike the A string on its it vibrates at four 430 00:28:01,440 --> 00:28:06,280 Speaker 4: hundred and forty times a second, In other words, it 431 00:28:06,359 --> 00:28:10,640 Speaker 4: goes through four hundred and forty full cycles, and that 432 00:28:10,720 --> 00:28:16,360 Speaker 4: we recognize as the note A below middle C. If 433 00:28:16,400 --> 00:28:21,840 Speaker 4: you multiply that times two, the harmonic of that is 434 00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:25,960 Speaker 4: eight hundred and eighty cycles per second, So you hear 435 00:28:26,520 --> 00:28:32,080 Speaker 4: A an octave above that note. Multiply it again. Every 436 00:28:32,119 --> 00:28:35,760 Speaker 4: time you go up you get a higher note an 437 00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:40,280 Speaker 4: octave above, which is just the physics of it. Well, 438 00:28:40,320 --> 00:28:42,880 Speaker 4: you know what happens when you multiply A four forty 439 00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:44,720 Speaker 4: times ten to the twenty third power. 440 00:28:45,360 --> 00:28:45,880 Speaker 1: You know what the. 441 00:28:45,840 --> 00:28:52,400 Speaker 4: Super harmonic is. It's green. The color green. All that 442 00:28:52,640 --> 00:28:58,480 Speaker 4: is is the super super harmonic. The frequency one four 443 00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:03,959 Speaker 4: d and forty per second, vibrating millions of times, so 444 00:29:04,040 --> 00:29:05,160 Speaker 4: it's all connected. 445 00:29:05,840 --> 00:29:10,000 Speaker 1: So color, light sound. 446 00:29:10,560 --> 00:29:14,200 Speaker 4: When when you go up the frequency scale and the 447 00:29:14,320 --> 00:29:17,800 Speaker 4: human being there's sensor package is only attuned to certain 448 00:29:17,800 --> 00:29:21,160 Speaker 4: parts of the frequency spectrum. So after you get past 449 00:29:21,240 --> 00:29:25,160 Speaker 4: about twenty twenty five thousand cycles. Your ears don't hear anymore. 450 00:29:25,880 --> 00:29:27,680 Speaker 4: Then you start to move up the spectrum and all 451 00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:30,680 Speaker 4: of a sudden your skin gets warm. Ah, you're in 452 00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:33,640 Speaker 4: the infrared. And then if you keep going, you get 453 00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:38,200 Speaker 4: past the infrared into the visible spectrum red, all the way. 454 00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:41,880 Speaker 1: Through yellow, green, and then all the way to blue. 455 00:29:42,120 --> 00:29:45,400 Speaker 4: Then it disappears again because your censor package is only 456 00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:49,400 Speaker 4: a tuned to a particular amount. Till finally you're ending 457 00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:54,200 Speaker 4: up with gamma rays. And you know, billions of frequency, 458 00:29:54,280 --> 00:29:58,040 Speaker 4: frequency of vibrating of billions of times a second, And 459 00:29:58,080 --> 00:30:03,320 Speaker 4: that's where you get things light, the crushing of hydrogen 460 00:30:03,360 --> 00:30:09,520 Speaker 4: atoms into helium and releasing tremendous amounts of energy. That's 461 00:30:09,560 --> 00:30:14,880 Speaker 4: how star works, what bind sebatomic party goes together, frequency, 462 00:30:15,240 --> 00:30:19,920 Speaker 4: electro magnetism, It's all the same. People said, well, how 463 00:30:19,960 --> 00:30:22,560 Speaker 4: did you get involved in all this defense stuff? I mean, 464 00:30:22,560 --> 00:30:25,520 Speaker 4: how do you know anything about that? Said, hey, man, 465 00:30:26,280 --> 00:30:29,719 Speaker 4: radar is just electric guitar on steroids. Physics is all 466 00:30:29,760 --> 00:30:32,760 Speaker 4: the same. Once you understand the physics. 467 00:30:32,320 --> 00:30:34,040 Speaker 3: Of it, it's. 468 00:30:33,880 --> 00:30:38,640 Speaker 1: All the same. It's beautifully organized and euristic. 469 00:30:40,520 --> 00:30:42,120 Speaker 3: May I call you doctor Baxter. 470 00:30:42,560 --> 00:30:45,840 Speaker 1: No, no, no, no, no, I don't deserve that. 471 00:30:47,120 --> 00:30:51,080 Speaker 3: Are you still doing defense work or the war college 472 00:30:51,200 --> 00:30:53,080 Speaker 3: kind of work? Wargame stuff. 473 00:30:53,600 --> 00:30:58,120 Speaker 4: Absolutely, a lot of wargaming, and I mean I can't. 474 00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:03,000 Speaker 4: I gotta be careful. But I do a lot of 475 00:31:03,080 --> 00:31:07,440 Speaker 4: work that has to do with space and space warfare 476 00:31:08,520 --> 00:31:16,800 Speaker 4: and ISR intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, things that 477 00:31:16,880 --> 00:31:22,240 Speaker 4: are a little to the left or right of conventional thinking. 478 00:31:23,680 --> 00:31:25,440 Speaker 4: I think that's why they keep me around. 479 00:31:26,800 --> 00:31:30,000 Speaker 3: Let's talk about the work you're doing musically now and 480 00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:33,520 Speaker 3: how it excites you, because I know you love being 481 00:31:33,560 --> 00:31:36,720 Speaker 3: out there, you know, talking to people and playing in 482 00:31:36,720 --> 00:31:40,400 Speaker 3: front of people. But talk about the work now that 483 00:31:40,480 --> 00:31:41,640 Speaker 3: you're doing in the studio. 484 00:31:42,560 --> 00:31:46,360 Speaker 4: Well, I still do a little bit of studio work. 485 00:31:46,400 --> 00:31:47,600 Speaker 1: It's really in my time. 486 00:31:48,800 --> 00:31:53,000 Speaker 4: It's a time management problem between my day job working 487 00:31:53,000 --> 00:31:56,440 Speaker 4: for Uncle Sam and going out and playing. I just 488 00:31:56,600 --> 00:31:59,880 Speaker 4: don't have a lot of time to do to me 489 00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:05,520 Speaker 4: these sessions anymore. But the solo project, I've never done 490 00:32:05,560 --> 00:32:09,960 Speaker 4: anything like it, and it's it's been a delightful journey 491 00:32:10,320 --> 00:32:12,200 Speaker 4: to go out and play what I want to play 492 00:32:13,360 --> 00:32:18,440 Speaker 4: and working with a tremendous musician, CJ. Vanston, who was 493 00:32:18,560 --> 00:32:21,520 Speaker 4: my co producer, and we co wrote a lot of 494 00:32:21,520 --> 00:32:24,920 Speaker 4: the music on this record. Finally gave me an opportunity, 495 00:32:25,840 --> 00:32:30,560 Speaker 4: which I had had opportunities before to do a solo project, 496 00:32:30,600 --> 00:32:34,240 Speaker 4: but never either had the time or felt that I 497 00:32:34,280 --> 00:32:38,640 Speaker 4: really wanted to. But CJ and I were working on 498 00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:43,360 Speaker 4: and off in the studio, and I guess it's like 499 00:32:43,440 --> 00:32:47,640 Speaker 4: a jar full of pennies. Eventually you got to roll 500 00:32:47,680 --> 00:32:50,680 Speaker 4: them up. I mean, you know you're there. It's full now. 501 00:32:51,640 --> 00:32:54,360 Speaker 4: So that's kind of what happened with this solo project. 502 00:32:54,560 --> 00:32:57,840 Speaker 4: And I'm having a just a ball. The musicians I'm 503 00:32:57,880 --> 00:33:04,360 Speaker 4: playing with are God the drummer Mark Damien, first call 504 00:33:04,520 --> 00:33:09,800 Speaker 4: studio guy, younger guy, but in the pocket he's an 505 00:33:09,800 --> 00:33:14,520 Speaker 4: old soul. He plays like he's an old soul. Our 506 00:33:14,560 --> 00:33:20,120 Speaker 4: bass player Hank Horton from Detroit, his first call bass player, 507 00:33:20,520 --> 00:33:23,880 Speaker 4: great lead singer, also happens to be the bass player 508 00:33:23,880 --> 00:33:30,520 Speaker 4: for the Detroit Symphony. I mean, then our keyboard player CJ. Obviously, 509 00:33:31,120 --> 00:33:35,960 Speaker 4: you know, producer, composer, you know, incredible musician. He hasn't 510 00:33:35,960 --> 00:33:37,600 Speaker 4: been able to be out with us for a while. 511 00:33:38,080 --> 00:33:40,400 Speaker 4: So our new keyboard player is a gentleman named Jay 512 00:33:40,480 --> 00:33:46,480 Speaker 4: Raymond who James Raymond, who sorry, Jay Raymond, was the 513 00:33:46,480 --> 00:33:47,600 Speaker 4: four star general. 514 00:33:47,360 --> 00:33:49,080 Speaker 1: Head of a space force. I got him all computer. 515 00:33:49,720 --> 00:33:55,280 Speaker 4: James Raymond is David Crosby's son and is infused with 516 00:33:55,440 --> 00:34:02,760 Speaker 4: musical DNA frightening keyboard player frightening music. So yeah, I'm 517 00:34:02,800 --> 00:34:06,480 Speaker 4: just having way more fun than probably is legally allowed 518 00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:10,480 Speaker 4: playing with these guys. And then when we play, I 519 00:34:10,520 --> 00:34:13,120 Speaker 4: get to tell stories because people seem to want to 520 00:34:13,120 --> 00:34:16,440 Speaker 4: hear as It seems that as you and I are 521 00:34:17,280 --> 00:34:20,440 Speaker 4: having our discussion here, they want to hear stories. They 522 00:34:20,440 --> 00:34:24,719 Speaker 4: want to hear the song some things. They want to 523 00:34:24,760 --> 00:34:27,840 Speaker 4: know how people interacted and where things come from. 524 00:34:28,920 --> 00:34:30,520 Speaker 1: So we're just having too much fun. 525 00:34:31,840 --> 00:34:35,239 Speaker 2: In closing, I want to ask you if there's anybody 526 00:34:35,320 --> 00:34:40,120 Speaker 2: that dead or alive that you could have had a 527 00:34:40,160 --> 00:34:43,440 Speaker 2: studio session with. Who would these people be. 528 00:34:45,080 --> 00:34:50,440 Speaker 4: It's hard to say, because I've had a chance to 529 00:34:50,440 --> 00:34:54,840 Speaker 4: play with everybody from Oscar Peterson to Gene Simmons. You know, 530 00:34:55,920 --> 00:34:58,640 Speaker 4: I'd have to think about that, and I'm not trying 531 00:34:58,640 --> 00:35:01,839 Speaker 4: to be disingenuous. I've been pretty lucky to play with 532 00:35:01,960 --> 00:35:05,840 Speaker 4: the folks that I want. I guess one guy I 533 00:35:05,880 --> 00:35:11,279 Speaker 4: would have loved to play with was Manitos Plata, the 534 00:35:11,560 --> 00:35:12,840 Speaker 4: classical guitar player. 535 00:35:14,120 --> 00:35:15,480 Speaker 1: That guy has. 536 00:35:15,200 --> 00:35:25,279 Speaker 4: Some something, some magic karma, halo energy or something or other. 537 00:35:25,640 --> 00:35:28,560 Speaker 4: I would have loved to been able to be inside 538 00:35:28,600 --> 00:35:33,279 Speaker 4: that energy field. But I've been pretty lucky guy to 539 00:35:33,320 --> 00:35:35,320 Speaker 4: play with a lot of great folks. 540 00:35:36,719 --> 00:35:39,040 Speaker 2: Well, I'm pretty lucky to get to talk to you, 541 00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:42,719 Speaker 2: and I can't tell you that the joy of the 542 00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:47,120 Speaker 2: music that you continue to give us is so appreciated. 543 00:35:48,160 --> 00:35:52,000 Speaker 2: And the Taking a Walk Podcast is proud to have 544 00:35:52,080 --> 00:35:56,600 Speaker 2: you on. If anybody wants to share this with all 545 00:35:56,680 --> 00:36:00,880 Speaker 2: their gazillion friends, we would really love that we're available 546 00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:05,719 Speaker 2: everywhere you get your podcasts. But Jeff Skunk back Start, 547 00:36:05,719 --> 00:36:08,680 Speaker 2: it's an honor to talk to you, and thanks for 548 00:36:08,719 --> 00:36:09,800 Speaker 2: being on Taking a Walk. 549 00:36:10,080 --> 00:36:12,160 Speaker 1: Thank you very much for your hospitality. 550 00:36:13,360 --> 00:36:15,840 Speaker 5: Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a 551 00:36:15,880 --> 00:36:19,800 Speaker 5: Walk Podcast. Share this and other episodes with your friends 552 00:36:19,880 --> 00:36:23,319 Speaker 5: and follow us so you never miss an episode. Taking 553 00:36:23,400 --> 00:36:27,279 Speaker 5: a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 554 00:36:27,480 --> 00:36:30,719 Speaker 5: and wherever you get your podcasts.